Ons bin zuunig!

As you are aware, everything costs money but we’re always careful not to end up with a money-pit! There’s nothing wrong with trying to save a dime or two, perhaps it even should be an Olympic sport! So here you’ll find some tips on how to save money:

• Your electricity tariffs!
  Check with your electricity provider if they have different tariff categories. Eg, our provider has several categories, and one of them provides electricity at half-price between 23:00 and 13:00. That being the time we might switch the AC on, we’re likely to earn a few bucks with that half-tariff. Check with your provider to see what they offer!
  Our provider has the different categories out on the ol’ interweb ready for you to check out and order. I reckon other providers do the same.
• Your hot water!
  If your home has been equipped with solar panels for warming up tap water, you probably also have a small electrical water boiler that provides you with warm water faster than the solar panel. In the summertime, you can switch this boiler off by removing the plug from the socket. Obviously, the warm water will come a little bit later now but it has been heated for free!
  Once it gets a little colder outside, say October, you can reconnect the plug again. But this time via a timer that gives the boiler half an hour or a full hour of electricity. That will keep the water in the boiler warm for the rest of the day. If it gets too cold for the solar panel to work at all, you switch back to the boiler and leave it plugged in directly all the time.
  Warning: Prior to using the timer, check the boiler’s wattage against what the timer can handle!
  Look here how you can switch from electrics to solar and back.
• Your AC!
  Rather than running your AC all night, you can experiment by running it for an hour or so in the evening and then switch to a larger model of fan. These are available for only a few Euros almost anywhere.

Note:
‘Ons bin zuunig’ is a Dutch saying in some southwestern dialect (from Zeeland according to the ol’ interweb).  It means nothing else than ‘we are economical’.