Need ways to save energy at home? These 7 electricity bill savings tips will show you ways to conserve energy so you can reduce your energy bill at home.
COVID-19 and the lockdown across India have altered our lifestyle significantly. During the lockdown in June 2020, people across India complained of receiving high electricity bills, with some consumers complaining about an increase of anywhere between three to fifteen times the usual levels.
If you’re shocked at the increase in your electricity bills and want to save energy at home, these electricity bill savings tips will show you how to conserve energy and reduce your electricity bill at home.
One of the problems with working from home is that you have to pay for all your overheads, including the energy bill and home office essentials out of your own pocket.
This is why you should have the best provider by your side. For instance, if you live in the USA and look for “electric company Dallas,” you’ll find excellent options that will offer you many plans and prices and suit your budget and needs.
While setting up your home office is a one-time cost, your electricity bill is a recurring cost and will definitely increase once you start using your computer and other home-office devices all day.
Thanks to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the whole world has experienced a drastic change in working habits with many organisations being forced to implement remote work policies.
Some places were more affected than others, but few were as impacted as India, where a full and stringent lockdown was implemented.
Most Indian employees have been given the option to work from home. This is likely to lead to an increase in energy consumption, with a corresponding increase in the energy bill at home.
Today, no one asks why should we save electricity, mainly because slogans such as “Save Energy, Save Earth” have gone mainstream.
But the reason most of us want to know how to save energy at home is that power conservation can reduce our electricity bill and everyone loves to save money.
So, if you’ve been wondering how can we save energy in our daily life, this article will show you a number of ways to save electricity and make your home more energy-efficient.
.
7 Ways To Reduce Your Electricity Bill When Working from Home
These energy-saving tips are some of the best electricity bill reduction methods available. They offer the best ways to conserve energy at home and save electricity so you can reduce your electricity bill.
Learn how to reduce your electricity bill and save energy with these ways to conserve energy when working from home.
1. Do a home energy audit
According to Energy.gov, you can conduct your own simple but diligent walk-through and spot many problems in any type of house. Their “do-it-yourself” home energy audit can help you pinpoint some of the easier areas to address.
If you want to learn more about how to do DIY home energy audits, download the Kindle eBook, Improve Your Home to a Greener Home: DIY Energy Audits to Save Tremendously Money.
2. Use energy-efficient appliances
In the northern latitudes or even some parts of India, electricity consumption and electricity bills increase drastically in winter, thanks to the use of heating devices such as water heaters.
In summer, air conditioning will increase your energy bill significantly, especially if you’re spending all your time at home.
If you’re wondering how to reduce electricity consumption in winter, using less heat is key. Reducing the distance between your water heater and your bathroom will also help you reduce your electricity bills.
If you want to find out which appliances consume more energy and which ones are a better option, you can always rent a TV online or get a microwave on rent and monitor its energy usage before deciding which brand you prefer.
If you’re lucky enough to have air conditioning, you can get a considerable saving from energy-efficiency appliances such as an Energy Star Air Conditioner.
Investing in smart appliances will help you save a lot of money. Invest in appliances with an Energy Star rating and you’ll be able to reduce your electricity bills a lot over not just these months of quarantine but through the years to come.
Did you know that LED lights save you a lot of energy? It’s true. LED light bulbs not only last much longer than traditional incandescent bulbs they use less power and are much cheaper.
LEDs will pay for themselves many times over, so there’s no reason you should overspend on your energy bills because you haven’t switched over to energy-efficient LEDs.
3. Save water
Not only will using less water help in the conservation of energy resources, using less water, in general, will reduce your energy bill and ecological footprint or impact on the environment.
Running water is precious and most apartments in India can only get it when it is pumped to the top of the building using electrical pumps, which increase electricity consumption.
You can save water when you’re at home by turning off the tap when you don’t need it. Installing water-saving shower-heads is another way to save water and, in turn, reduce your energy bills.
It isn’t just water you’re wasting when you let the faucet run. You’re also using energy that translates into higher electricity bills.
4. Monitor your home energy usage
According to the site MoneyPug, which is used to switch energy suppliers, most people in the UK are overpaying for their power.
In India, we don’t have a choice of a utility provider, but that doesn’t mean you should not monitor your electricity bills and ask your provider about any discrepancies.
Do your research and make sure you aren’t overpaying for your energy bills. You can use an energy-saving device such as the MD Proelectra (MDP08) Electric Power Saver to monitor the status of your home electronic equipment.
This power saver device will not only reduce your electricity bill but also help to improve the life of your electronic appliances and protect them from power fluctuations that can damage them.
If you’re spending a lot of time working from home on your computer, you should also check your power management settings and change them so that your computer consumes less power.
You will likely be spending a lot of time on your computer whether you are working from home or not, so adjusting your PC power management settings to maximize your energy efficiency one of the easiest ways to conserve energy.
5. Use a smart home energy management system (HEMS)
Smart home energy management systems (HEMS) give the user the ability to ‘see’ what devices are doing and to remotely ‘reach in’ and turn them on and off or otherwise modify their operation.
If you can afford it, you should definitely think about investing in smart meters and smart thermostats such as the Google T3018US Nest Learning Thermostat.
A smart meter helps you monitor the total energy usage in your house as well as where that power is being used. You can analyze the data and work towards decreasing the amount of energy you use and carbon you pump into the atmosphere.
You’ll even be able to see where the power is being used and what rooms it is coming from. In addition, a smart thermostat will help you analyze the data of your thermostat while controlling the temperature remotely.
You don’t even have to be home to change the thermostat. You can do it on your way home or at work. If you’re using too much power, you can turn off the heat or cooling device from wherever you are.
Not only does this provide the ability to keep your home comfortable, but you’ll see your electricity bills dramatically decrease. Monitoring your energy usage is key, and these tools will help you do it.
.
6. Invest in green energy
Now would be a great time to invest in a home solar panel system if you can afford it. Generating your own power is the best energy management strategy you can use.
If you love building things yourself, you can learn how to make a DIY evacuated tube solar water heater that works even in winter.
If you have your own off-grid home, bungalow or cottage, you could even learn how to build a windmill and generate your own wind energy.
Investing in green or renewable energy may require an initial investment, but it’s the best strategy for energy conservation at home in the long run.
7. Spend more time outside
Depending on where you live or whether you can safely leave your home, spending more time outdoors is a great way to reduce your electricity bills.
The less power you use, the lower your bills will be. It’s an easy correlation to make. So, once it’s safe to go out again, turn those lights off and spend some time outside in the sun. It’s good for you and the planet.
Some of these energy conservation measures will not only help you during the lockdown but also much after. There are both simple and complex ways to save energy while you work from home.
If you implement these energy-saving tips, you could good results in terms of a significant reduction in your electricity bill. Your hard work will be rewarded with lower energy bills and a clearer conscience.
So what are you waiting for? Learn how to save energy at home with these energy-saving ideas and enjoy the benefits of saving money and the environment when you work from home in India.
About the author:
Priya Florence Shah is the Group Editor at SHEROES and author of Devi2Diva, an emotional self-care book for women.
.