Energy Conservation 101: 5 Free Ways to Reduce Your Utility Bills in Ontario

It’s no secret that utility bills in Ontario are sky high. According to a report by the Fraser Institute, residential hydro costs in Ontario rose 71% from 2008 to 2016 — over twice the average rate of increases across Canada. While much of this issue can be attributed to governmental policies, we at EnergyX Solutions are committed to empowering every Ontarian in the quest to lower their energy bills.

From our team to your family or business, here are five ways to save on utility bills and protect the environment.

1. Adjust your day-to-day behaviours

It seems obvious, but energy conservation can be as simple as turning off the lights when you don’t need them. Turning down the heat on your thermostat by just one degree in the winter can be a game-changer for your utility bills.

The same goes for electricity used by electronics while they’re switched off (this is known as “phantom loads”). If you’re forgetful, you can buy smart power strips for your devices to ensure they’re turned off while you’re not using them.

2. Reduce your water heating expenses

Did you know that on average, Canadians have the third-largest homes in the world? Bigger houses not only mean bigger families, but bigger hydro bills to boot.

Reducing your hydro bills will heavily depend whether you can reduce your hot water usage. Oh, the tough choices to be made. For example, can parents really afford to let their kids pile up the dirty dishes or not shower after their soccer game? Other than simply using less hot water, you can try insulating your water heater or turning down the thermostat on your water heater. If you’re living alone, try tankless heaters.

3. Buy energy-efficient appliances

Buying a new stove or fridge? This one’s dead simple: look for the ENERGY STAR label on your next appliance. It’s a guarantee that these products meet strict technical specifications for energy performance. That’s a fancy way of saying that products with this label are in the top 15–30% of the most energy efficient devices available.

4. Adjust your energy saving strategies as the seasons change

You’re waiting for the snow to disappear, but what you might not have thought about are the higher utility bills. We recommend taking advantage of the weather for energy conservation purposes.

For example, try hang-drying your clothes instead of putting them in the dryer. Other simple fixes include using ceiling fans instead of air conditioning, avoiding space-cooling systems and window blinds to reduce heat gain.

5. Audit your home energy usage

While all of the above are fantastic tips to save on your energy bills, nothing beats a tailored energy-saving plan for your home or business. You can book traditional energy audits to conduct basic inspections of your home’s enclosure and heating systems. Professional home energy auditors can tell you exactly what building retrofits and energy saving measures you need to take. Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, this all costs a lot of time and money, which is what you were trying to save in the first place!

We’d like to introduce you to MyEnergyXpert, a software platform designed to give you all the benefits and savings we’ve listed above while mitigating the downside. Your two-hour appointment with an auditor just became a 10-minute survey on your laptop. To date, MyEnergyXpert has recommended hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of savings to homes and businesses across the country.

If you found this useful and you’d like to learn more about MyEnergyXpert, visit our website at www.energyxsolutions.com to learn more.