Utility bills are probably the bane of most people’s lives if you were to ask them. Along with water bills and council tax, these are probably the three items which causes angst for most of us. And nothing ever goes down – the cost of all three always, always rises year on year.

It can be frustrating when electric and gas bills drop through the letter box, but there are ways to reduce your outgoings by making a few changes and tweaks to your everyday life. Let’s go through a few suggestions, they may give you an appetite for change.

Avoid using washing machines and dryers

It might be convenient to use washing machines and dryers, but they consume too much energy. The good thing is that you don't have to use them if you can switch to the hand washing of clothes. The process might take more time, but it's the answer to your skyrocketing electric bills. To reduce your effort, you can start by soaking your clothes on the water with soap for a few minutes. This process helps soften the stains on your clothes. Once you wash and rinse them, it wouldn’t take a lot of time. You can hang your clothes outdoors and allow the sun to dry them off. There’s no need to use the dryer to speed the process up.

Install solar panels

You currently depend on power plants to supply electricity at home. The problem is that given the limited source, power plant suppliers require you to pay more for electric bills. Using power plants also damages the environment since they utilize coal and fossil fuels.

The best alternative is solar energy. You can install solar panels at home if you don’t want to depend on power plants anymore. The good thing about you saying solar panels is that you’re harnessing the energy directly from the sun. The only problem is that installing solar panels might cost you a lot of money. However, in the long run, you can recuperate the cost.

Your electric bills will be close to zero after some time. If solar panel installation is something you would like to consider, you can consult with experts such as solar Manchester firm Atlantic Renewables as an example.

Adjust the thermostat at home

You don’t need to turn your thermostat to the maximum even if you have guests coming to your place. Adjusting it to a more suitable level would help save energy. Besides, natural body temperature combined with the thermostat is enough to keep everyone warm. When you maximize the thermostat at home, it could increase your energy bills.

Consider LED lights

You might still be using old light bulbs at home. The problem with them is that they consume too much energy. The best thing to do is to replace them with LED lights. They are energy efficient and help reduce your electric bills by 10 to 30%. Another benefit of switching to LED is that they last longer. There's no need for you to constantly replace your lights since the newly installed LED light is enough.

Once you try these changes at home, you can expect your electric bills to plunge. If these sacrifices help you save money in the long run, they're worth doing.