Talking About Utilities
When was the last time you talked about utilities? When you’re hanging out with friends, your conversations probably aren’t about utility bills and energy costs. However, there’s good reason to talk about these topics with your friends and family. The more that you review, discuss and think about your utility bills, the higher the chance is that you will secure a good deal on your monthly utility bill and pay the lowest possible energy costs over time.
What is a utility bill?
A utility bill is a bill that you receive for any service that’s typically necessary for your household or commercial facility – utility bills often include charges for electricity, natural gas, water, sewer and garbage services.
Why should we chat more often with others about our utility bills?
You’re probably wondering ‘why should I talk about my utility bill with someone else?’ right now. As it turns out, there’s a lot that you can learn from discussing your utility costs with one another.
If you hear about a great energy rate from a friend, for example, ask if you can compare their energy bill with yours so you can both learn more about it.
Sometimes, a shiny energy plan isn’t what it seems – many charges like kilowatt-hour rate, paper billing and admin fees can quickly pile up and can even make you pay more than you were paying before. You can save yourself (and your friends!) a lot of trouble and money when you talk to each other about your utility bills.
Utilities can account for a significant amount of your monthly expenses
When you’re considering your monthly expenses, utility costs might slip your mind. But utilities can cost more than you think! Around 2.6% of your total yearly expenses come from energy use – that equates to about an average of $2,484 a year spent on water, fuel and electricity costs. You should also pay particular attention to your natural gas costs – winters are long and cold in Canada, so we tend to use up a lot of natural gas to keep our homes warm. Did you know that we spend between $600 and $2,200 on natural gas a year?
Overall, we should strive to know more about our utility costs – especially now that you know that they account for a significant chunk of your expenses.
Reviewing your energy deals on a regular basis can save you money
This is an easy and free way to make sure that you’re not paying more than you have to for your energy. While it can be pretty tempting to just stay with your current plan and provider, you’ll miss out on any potential savings you can receive from better plans. Surprisingly, changing your energy provider isn’t as daunting as it sounds – you can learn how to change your energy provider in a couple of easy steps here.
Taking a few minutes every now and then to review energy plans in your area will ensure that you will always be paying the best energy rates and that you will always be saving as much money as possible.
Understand how utility costs are affected by multiple factors
When you take the time to review your electricity and natural gas bills, you’ll start understanding more about where your money is going and what factors are going to be affecting your utility costs. For example, the type of energy market in your province has in place, as well as regulations and legislations are some of the factors that can affect your utility bills.
Being aware of what you’re paying for is always smart – you don’t want to pay whatever costs you’re given without knowing what they’re for.
You have options and you can compare them
Depending on what Canadian province you live in, the electricity and/or natural gas market can be deregulated. This means that you’re free to choose which competitive retailer providers your energy services to you. That’s a great opportunity to find a good deal on your electricity or natural gas rates.
In Alberta and Ontario, both the natural gas and electricity markets are deregulated, meaning you can select who provides your natural gas and who provides your electricity. In British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Quebec, only the natural gas market is deregulated so you can only choose who provides your natural gas services to you.
Finding the best energy rates means doing research and finding out what retailers and plans are available in your area as well as comparing all the available energy plans in your area.
At EnergyRates.ca, we make things easier for you and enable you to find all the competitive retailers and energy plans in your area. The website is a free and unbiased cost comparison tool that’s available for use in Alberta, BC, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Quebec.
Best of all, EnergyRates.ca can help you find the best energy rates regardless if you’re a residential, commercial or large commercial energy consumer. All you need to do is fill in your postal code and what services you’re looking for in the form above.
