Taking control of your energy bill

How NTPC’s Customer Service Manager keeps his power bill down, and the free tools that can help you do the same

By Steve Harrison

When I moved to the Northwest Territories from southern Canada, I quickly learned what most northerners already know: living here costs more.

Living here costs more. So instead of focusing on the expenses I could not control, I started paying attention to the ones I could.

Some of those higher costs were impossible to miss. Housing was more expensive. Groceries cost more. Many everyday necessities came with a northern price tag.

While I could make choices about how I spent my money, there was very little I could do about the fact that many things simply cost more in the North.

So instead of focusing on the expenses I could not control, I started paying attention to the ones I could.

One of the first was cable television. After settling in, I decided I did not need it. With an internet connection, I could access the news, movies and entertainment I enjoyed without adding another monthly bill.

The other expense that caught my attention was electricity.

Unlike grocery prices or housing costs, my electricity bill was connected to something I could influence: how much electricity I used. That realization changed the way I thought about conservation. It stopped being about depriving myself and started being about understanding how to use power responsibly.

I was no longer asking, “How do I use less electricity?”

Instead, I was asking, “Where is my electricity going?”

One of the first clues was right above my head.

When I moved into my apartment, every light fixture contained traditional incandescent bulbs. I knew LED bulbs used significantly less electricity, so I replaced them throughout my home.

The bulbs were not cheap. In fact, at the time they felt like a fairly significant purchase. But I viewed them as an investment rather than an expense. Nearly 12 years later, I am still using many of those same bulbs.

That small change did not instantly transform my electricity bill, but it taught me something important: understanding how electricity is used often reveals opportunities to make practical improvements.

Over time, that became my approach to conservation.

Rather than looking for dramatic lifestyle changes, I paid attention to the devices and appliances I used every day. I looked for opportunities to make smarter choices and then watched to see whether those choices made a difference.

Today, my monthly electricity bill is usually around $60.

That does not mean everyone should expect the same result.

Every home is different

Every home is different. Household size, heating systems, hot water systems, appliances, home size and daily routines all influence electricity consumption. Comparing your bill to someone else’s is rarely useful.

A much better question is: Where is my electricity going, and what can I do about it?

Working in customer service and billing at NTPC, I hear similar questions from customers all the time. Many people want to understand not only what appears on their bill but also what is driving their electricity consumption in the first place.

That is why I was pleased that NTPC has tools designed to help answer those questions.

In my quest to understand my consumption, I used NTPC’s Energy Calculator found on NTPC’s website.

When I first explored it, what stood out was how practical it was. Instead of providing generic conservation advice, it allows customers to build a virtual version of their own home by selecting appliances and devices they actually use.

You can add everything from refrigerators, freezers and clothes dryers to televisions, block heaters, lighting and space heaters. The calculator estimates how much electricity each item may consume and what that usage could cost.

What I like most is the ability to experiment.

What happens if a block heater runs fewer hours each day? How much difference might LED lighting make? How does an older appliance compare to a newer, more efficient model?

The calculator provides a way to explore those questions before making changes.

Of course, estimates only tell part of the story.

The second tool that NTPC provides is its customer portal, MyNTPC. Not only does it allow you to review your bill and make payments, it allows you to track your actual electricity consumption over time. Used together, the two tools answer different but equally important questions.

The Energy Calculator helps identify what may be using electricity in your home.

MyNTPC shows how much electricity you are actually using and when you are using it.

When combined, they allow you to move beyond guesswork.

For example, if the calculator suggests an appliance may be using more electricity than expected, you can adjust how you use it and then monitor your actual consumption through MyNTPC over the following weeks and months.

The results are not always immediate. Electricity use changes throughout the year. Winter block heater use, seasonal lighting, travel, guests and weather all influence consumption. Looking at longer-term trends often provides a clearer picture than focusing on a single month.

For me, conservation has never meant sitting in the dark or giving up the things I enjoy.

I still watch television, use computers, cook meals and live comfortably. The difference is that I pay more attention to how electricity is being used and where small changes might make sense.

Learn more at our upcoming webinar – Know Your Power Usage, Control Your Cost

Join us for our free one-hour webinar Know Your Power Usage, Control Your Cost on Oct. 20 at 1:45 p.m. MT or Oct. 21 at 6:30 p.m. MT.

Learn how to leverage NTPC’s Energy Calculator and the MyNTPC portal. Participants will have the opportunity to see the tools in action, learn practical ways to understand their electricity use and ask questions about conservation and consumption.

With the cost of living continuing to challenge many northern households, understanding where your electricity dollars are going has never been more important. Every month spent guessing is a missed opportunity to identify savings and make informed decisions about your energy use.

Don’t wait until your next bill arrives to start asking questions.

Register for the webinar today to help start your conservation journey.

The sooner you increase your understanding of how your household uses electricity, the sooner you can take control of one of the household costs you can influence.

Steve Harrison is Customer Service Manager at NTPC.