We have a pay as you go system here where you do not need to have electricity each month at a set price and you can choose to buy it as a pay as you go, meaning that you use what you pay for. Unfortunately to make this last for the month you need to avoid using a kettle too often, tumble dryer and washing machine or it definitely wont last long at all. For single people living alone this is a good way to save money.
I pay for my electricity in a similar manner. I'm on a pre-pay meter which forces you to be really careful about the energy you use. It's slightly inconvenient at times, but on the whole, it has enabled me to save a great deal of money on electricity, simply by being careful.
I don't think it's the good way to go because it could eventually be expensive, but sometimes it could save you a lot of money. What you have to do is make a plan and calculate all the data and the usage of electricity, there are specially made devices for that, then you could see if it's profitable. I would say best thing is to contact a trusted electrician.
I have to agree with you, missbishi! I find that with pre paid electricity, we're a lot more conscious of how much we consume. It is working out considerably cheaper, too. Every month, we just put on a set amount and we always have some left over, which carries over to the next month. I love it
I think you have to try and weigh up how much you use before you know whether it's really worth paying upfront or as you go, or whatever plans might be open to you. Personally, I think that if you have the ability to be really frugal with the amount of energy you use, you might be better going on a pre-paid meter, as it gives you the chance to save money without having to worry about some of the charges that other plans add on. But it's not for everyone, so know about your own energy usage is key, really.
I would love to do a program like this, but I don't think it would work for me. I live in NYC where electric is not too expensive in the winter because heat is included. But in the summer, the buildings become extremely hot and make AC almost a necessity. This skyrockets the electric bill during the warmer months.
I don't think it would work for me because we are a big family but in saying that we sometimes use less than we think as most nights I have one lamp on and candles fill the house but cooking is a big part of electricity bills as well as the kettle which is used every five minutes in our house. Discipline is needed to have a pay as you go,
There's no such option here in my country. There's a meter but it doesn't in any way limit your consumption. It just guides you and gives you an idea of how much electricity you've already consumed and the amount you're likely to pay once your bill arrives. People just try to conserve as much as they can in order to pay less.
I don't think I'd want to ever back to the meter, because back when we did have those, the bill would arrive and I'd be stumped. They never made it easy for people to understand it. I always felt like I was being bamboozled because the bill always seemed way out of proportion in relation to the amount I was consuming. With pay as you go, I now spend in about 3 months the same amount I used to pay for a month! My bill's come down tremendously, and I want to keep it that way. I love it
I have read about this type of program and I'm a skeptic of it and don't like it much for you really got to regulate what you use. I guess the program saves money, but I'd hate to have to be without electricity when and if it runs out, so I don't like this method of electric use. I'd rather pay as I use electricity.
I wonder if this would be better to do it that way or the way it is now. I have a monthly utility bill and it can be expensive since the meters are not read each month so they estimate what they think you are going to use for the month. If at the end of the year they have charged too much, they will give you a credit. It would be interesting to see if your way is better though.
Prepaid meters are the best. You never can get a bloated bill. I've got a few of those and though some of my neighbors who got themselves prepaid meters but complain that they are spending more on electricity. I think they just are using more electricity than they used to. I intend to get one of them prepaid meters this year and I'm sure I'll be spending less than I do now.
I wouldn't like this method of regulating utilities of any kind but if I had no other choice I would 'do as the Romans do.' I don't know if this is an option anywhere in the States but I have heard of all electric and solar homes. I would imagine that there would be a lot -A LOT of adjustment for my husband because he leaves on everything!
They have that option in several states Mrs. J, or something similar. It all depends whether your state practices de regulation or not. I don't think this state does. I should contact my legislator about sponsoring a bill for that in this state, because our utility costs are far too high, and I think fostering competition among the electric companies is one way to get the bills down.
This system is available in my country. The consumer is allowed the choice between the prepaid or the regular plan. There is a warning system that notifies the user whenever the energy supply that was bought drops to a certain level. This enables the user to be able to top up on the supply before it runs out.
We use postpaid electricity which has a way of making someone to be less frugal and be more liberal in electricity usage. I have heard that there is a foray into prepaid electricity whereby a person would buy stored electricity in a meter or capacitor and then use it depending on need. This would accrue savings since the readings would be on a downward rather than an upward trend.
This is really interesting to hear because it's the exact opposite for us here in Botswana. We've lived here now for almost 3 years, but have for the past 2 winters not bothered to get heaters. The winters here are very cold, and the summers the extreme opposite. We've noticed that the electricity goes very fast when we're using heaters, yet in the summer when we have our fans on virtually the whole day, they don't eat up nearly as much energy as the heaters! The houses here are not built with our weather in mind, sadly. They get extremely cold in the winter, and extremely hot in the summer
Well I have to say that this sounds a little difficult to do where I live, but it is an interesting way of having it set up. I am not familiar with any options like that or something similar where I live, but now I am curious so I will have to take a second look. It might be a good way to force you to really watch how you use your power, which is probably a good lesson to have.
