Tips on how to save as your electric bill increases
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Saving a dollar is becoming harder with prices constantly going up.
The newest expense is going to be the price of electricity. Starting Wednesday, those rates go up. A big reason is that the price of natural gas is also up.
West Penn customers will now pay 8.19 cents per kilowatt-hour, and Duquesne Light customers will pay 9.36 cents per kilowatt-hour. It's recommended that you shop for your electric provider to save money.
"You've got to look at each deal, you have to do a little bit of homework. When you are ready, make that change," West Penn Power spokesperson Todd Meyers said.
Other easy ways to save right now include moving up your thermostat. For each degree you raise the thermostat, you will save about 3% on your bill. If you're struggling to pay your bill, organizations like the Dollar Energy Fund will help you keep the lights on.
"Our funding is limited. So, we do recommend that people reach out as soon as they think they have an issue," Dollar Energy Fund Director of Communications Jodi Robertson said.
Other ways to save money with rising costs include looking at your budget. Antony Davies is a professor of economics at Duquesne University. He said a good idea is to write down everything you spend money on for a week or so.
"What you will find is you're spending way more money than you think you're spending," Davies said.
He said this could save people about 10% and in some cases for younger couples with double incomes, it could be 25% savings.
Another little trick is using cash to buy things, which allows you to see how much money you are spending.
