In addition, the price of electricity will be raised.

In addition, the price of electricity will be raised.

In 2021, the unit price of electricity sold continues to rise. In particular, due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection, teleworking has increased and the time spent at home has increased, so many people may realize that the burden of electricity bills is increasing. Also, considering the full-scale winter and heating costs, I wonder if there is any way to save money. This time, I will explain how to reduce the electricity bill and the points.

Utilization of new electricity

If you feel that your electricity bill is high, we recommend using new electricity. I think it is new to remember that the full liberalization of electricity retailing began on April 1, 2016. With this liberalization, those who could only contract with electric power companies in each region (10 companies such as Tokyo Electric Power, Kansai Electric Power, Chubu Electric Power, etc.) can now choose their favorite electric power company and menu. .. In fact, the retail liberalization of this electricity has already started in 2003. However, at that time, the target was still in the "extra high voltage" category, and only large factories, department stores, and office buildings were targeted. After that, from April 2004, it was expanded to some "high voltage" category users, and in April 2005, it was expanded to all "high voltage" category users, and from April 2016, "low voltage" category. "General households, etc., which are in the category, are now included in the target.

What are the points to review the electric power company?

Currently registered retail electric power companies are 733 companies (as of November 26, 2021) (* 2). Of course, not all businesses can choose freely, and it is necessary to check whether the service is provided to the service area or general households before considering it. In addition, some businesses are planning to provide it in the future even if it is not currently provided, so please check the website of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy from time to time. ■ Electricity rate plan You can find out about the electricity rate you used in the "Notice of electricity rate" that you receive by mail or email every month. If you look at this notice, you can see what kind of plan you are currently contracting for. The plan often selected by conventional electric power companies is called the "metered light plan", but recently, plans with different unit prices depending on the time of day used frequently and plans for all-electric homes are also available. .. Therefore, it is important to select multiple new power companies that you would like to use and then compare how much electricity you will have depending on your lifestyle. The official website of each new electric power company allows you to simulate how much the electricity bill will change before and after the transfer, so let's take advantage of it. In that case, let's compare from the three viewpoints of "average annual usage fee", "monthly usage fee that was used most in the year", and "monthly usage fee that was the least used in the year". ■ Comparison of pay-as-you-go rates is important Monthly electricity bills are calculated by adding the basic and pay-as-you-go rates. The basic charge is determined by the amperage contracted, but the metered charge is calculated by multiplying the fixed unit price by the amount of electricity used. Therefore, if you live alone, you should choose an electric power company that sets the basic charge as low as possible because the amount of electricity used will not reach that level. Some new electric power companies charge only a pay-as-you-go rate with a basic charge of 0 yen. On the other hand, if you have a large number of family members and the amount of electricity used is relatively high, such as when someone is always at home, it is recommended to choose a power company with a low pay-as-you-go rate, which is charged according to the amount used. increase.