Pulling the plug on power bills

At the risk of being shot down I would suggest the best way of saving power costs is to be diligent about saving power.

EVERY winter the debate over power companies and prices is raised but I have yet to solve the riddle as to whether it is worth all the bother of ducking and diving in the hope of saving a few dollars.

While I sympathise with those who find it hard to muster the money needed to pay their power bills I doubt, from evidence so far, that there is much long-term gain at all from switching back and forward.

Those I know who have done so have reported that the cost savings last a month or two before companies mysteriously find a way of ironing out any gains and they end up back at square one.

Not ever having bothered to change companies I can't vouch for the truth of that but if there is no genuine long-term gain then it would all seem to be a frustrating waste of time and energy.

At the risk of being shot down I would suggest the best way of saving power costs is to be diligent about saving power.

In other words the best way to keep your bill under control is not to waste electricity by casually leaving appliances on standby, leaving lights burning in unoccupied rooms, taking longer-than-needed showers and failing to maximise the use of ovens when cooking.

Experts will tell you it often takes longer to get a conventional oven up to its cooking temperature than it does to actually cook the dish you have prepared.

Therefore it makes sense to utilise the oven to cook a second meal, or do some baking.

Being a tiger for punishment let me suggest something else. Is electricity really that expensive?

While I am sure that question will result in a chorus of "yes", reflect for a moment on what you get for your money - lighting, heating, hot water, cooking, entertainment through television and computers and lots more.

If you doubt the value of electricity think back to the last big power break and how extremely annoying it was to have to light candles or kick the diesel generator into life just to keep your freezer food from thawing out.

Reflect on all those "vital" television programmes you missed.

Switch companies if you must but use power wisely and you just might make the savings you seek.