The lockdown has been a crazy experience of our times, where people have been locked down in their homes. The fear of the deadly COVID – 19 virus has led to people staying at homes. This has, in turn, led to higher domestic electricity bills due to increased usage of lights, fans, ACs, internet, laptops, TV, washing machine, etc. as family members shift their schools and offices to their homes. Here are some simple, effective ways to reduce the electricity bill and save money.
*One of the easiest ways to save money on electricity is to run your appliances at night. Because everyone’s awake and using their stuff during daytime hours, utility companies tend to charge more during these peak times. Rates are usually significantly lower during off-peak hours. *If your appliances are 10 years old or older, consider replacing them with new, Energy Star models. Energy Star rated appliances use 10 to 50 per cent less electricity than non – Energy Star appliances, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
*Switch to LEDs to conserve electricity LED light bulbs are dropping in price dramatically and this is good for your pocketbook in more ways than one. The average 60-watt equivalent LED only uses nine watts of electricity, where your average CFL ( compact fluorescent light ) of the same equivalency uses 13 watts. That might not seem like a lot, but that’s a full 30 % reduction in electricity usage per LED bulb. When you consider the number of light bulbs in your house, that’s a cost-saving that cannot be ignored.
LEDs also outlast CFLs on average, making them an even better value. *Plant strategically No matter if your peak energy use is in summer or winter, there’s a lot of value to planting trees and shrubs in smart locations. * Turn off electronics that aren’t in use. When Not in Use Despite being turned off, most home appliances such as mobile phone chargers, televisions, home entertainment devices, printers, computer monitors and coffee machines still draw a small amount of power when not in use.
Unplug these devices or plug them into a power strip that can be turned off when not in use to reduce your home’s power consumption. *Fan cools the person, not the room. So turn off the fans when you leave the room. *Cooldown food before putting it in the fridge. Do not put uncovered foods or drinks in the refrigerator. Condensation makes the fridge work harder and costs you more money. *Set the room air conditioner at 25 ° C to reduce your electricity cost. Change your A/C air filters more often. You can reduce the air – conditioning energy use by as much as 40 per cent by shading your home’s windows and walls.
*Do not keep the tap flowing. Be prudent enough not to wastewater. Keeping the tap open while taking a shower or brushing increase not only water wastage but also increases the power consumed to keep the water warm. *Most of the time once the mobile battery charge has been replenished we do not turn off the battery charger. These may be drawing electricity even when the mobile is not plugged on to the charger.
*Start ironing the clothes only when there is a large load to complete. This will help you to optimize its benefits and reduce power consumption. *Consider using the microwave to heat your leftovers or to cook small amounts of food. They use lesser energy compared to conventional ovens. *Running the dishwasher or the washing machine with minimal loads increases its frequency of usage and also consumes a lot of electricity.
Try to run these machines when your loads are full to utilise them to your advantage. *Reduce TV watching time. Especially for those of us with young kids, TV watching is not only a waste of energy, but children need to be focused on a variety of activities anyway.
