Introduction
For the homebody, most of your time spent would be in the comfort of your own home. If you have not started looking into it, it is good to find ways to reduce and ease pressure on the bills in your household budget.
As much as you are trying to save money, often, it results in you increasing your electricity usage. With more and more people working and studying from home, it is bound to cause an increase in the electrical usage of the household. At the end of the month, you may even be shocked at the amount that is charged to your bill. You can check heating services in Jackson MI for assistance in managing your home's heating system. It's important to ensure that your heating system is working efficiently, not only for cost savings but also for the comfort of your home.
With some time on hand, it may still come as a hassle when trying to figure out ways to save on electricity consumption. However, fret not, read on to find out ways how to save money on electricity bills.
In The Lights
Do you remember being berated by your parents when you forgot to turn off the lights as a child? Well, they were not doing it just to discipline you, it was also a way to reduce wasting electricity when it is not needed. With more time spent at home, the lights will be turned on more often. Therefore, it is a good practice to turn off the lights when it is not in use. In the long run, it will reflect on your electricity bills.
Another option is to change your lighting into one that uses energy-efficient LED bulbs. As mentioned by Energy Rating, LED light bulbs uses lesser energy, as much as 75% lesser. As such, the light bulbs will last much longer when compared to other light bulbs such as incandescent and halogen bulbs. Lastly, LED lights produce better light compared to others.
Just changing out ten halogen bulbs into LED ones can help one to save up to $650 over ten years.
Also, instead of having the lights turned on all the time, one can adopt the usage of task lighting. An example would be to use the desk lamp when working on the desktop instead of using the room’s light. When tuning in to your favourite TV series, you can turn off the lights to create a cinematic ambience.
image © Amir Abbas Habibi
The Key In The Kitchen
There is no door to open in the kitchen, but adopting these tips will open doors to saving on electrical expenses. With more people staying home due to the pandemic, many have turned to cooking their own meals instead of buying in.
The fridge that is sitting in the kitchen runs 24 hours, using a significant amount of electricity. To ensure that no electricity is wasted, it is good practice to check if the seal is tight. In the case of a leaky seal, it will result in an increase in electricity usage because the fridge would have to run at a lower temperature to make up for the cold air that escaped.
For optimal performance, it is best to set the temperature somewhere around four to five degrees for the fridge and somewhere between minus 15 to minus 18 for the freezer
On days when you feel like cooking up your own dinner, transfer the frozen food from the freezer into the fridge. By doing so, the food will defrost when it's time to cook, resulting in a shorter waiting time when it is time to cook.
Temperature
Spending more time at home means that the house will be relying on the heating and cooling function to regulate the temperature. The thermostat, acts as the heart of the home, telling you the temperature of the house. However, oftentimes, people just set the temperature and forget about it after. Without optimised settings, it may result in increased expenses on the electricity bills. The recommended temperature would be somewhere between 18 to 21 degrees.
How Old Is Your Powerboard
Go check if your powerboard is up to date with the current ones. A newer powerboard comes with new smart docking stations that will help to reduce energy wastage when devices are in standby mode.
Washing And Drying
Some way to save money is to use cold water when doing the laundry, doing so helps to reduce the amount of energy used. Another tip is to gather a full load and choose the shortest washing cycle for your wash.
Dryers may be life-saving as it helps to dry a good amount of clothes without having to rely on the weather and the sun, however, it is also one of the top contributors to a bigger electrical bill. Using the clothesline helps to save up to $79 a year from the reduced usage of the dryer.
Regulate Room Temperature
Instead of relying on cooling and heating systems, it can be good to regulate the temperature by adjusting the curtains and the doors. During colder days, ensure that windows are sealed to keep the heat in. On warmer days, the curtains can be drawn to keep the heat out of the house.
Assess Your Home Energy Consumption
To figure out the appliance that is consuming the most energy, it is recommended for the homeowner to get an in-house energy assessment.
With the assessment, homeowners can figure out which appliance is the most energy-consuming and figure out ways to reduce electrical usage.
Roof Insulation
One way to keep the heat in during colder days is to ensure roof insulation is installed. This helps to prevent the heater from having to work overtime to keep the house warm. An insulated roof reduces the amount of heat loss, which also helps to save on electrical bills.
Electricity Plans
By comparing the plans that are available out there, you might be able to find a plan that will fit your lifestyle and requirements.
Tap on Solar Energy
Although the cost of installing a solar system is high, in the long run, it will be beneficial as it can help the owner with saving money on electrical bills when solar energy slowly substitutes as the source of energy to produce electricity.
image © Slavun
Conclusion
There are many ways to ensure that the house owner can use to reduce wastage of electrical energy which in turn helps to reduce electricity bills. Some may work better than others, there is no harm in giving each tip a shot before shooting it down. Find the best way to save up on electricity, a little goes a long way.
