In the last year, our world has changed. Let’s be real, we’re all still adapting to it. This past year, people have found themselves working from home. Students have found themselves doing their school work completely virtual. Whether that be video conferencing, or just doing it online. We’ve all been using more energy from staying at home, so looking towards the future: is there a way to reduce energy consumption? Yes, absolutely there is a way to reduce energy consumption. Here are our tips and tricks to lower your bill while increasing your at-home productivity.
It’s a unique time in our country’s history, often described as unprecedented. In the last year, the entire country has dealt with getting energy bills with the effects of our gigabyte-chugging, data-throttling office lifestyles that we’ve brought home. Whether it’s been through working, children studying at home, or binge-watching Netflix, we’re all using more electricity than ever. Therefore, it’s not uncommon that most energy bills have increased.
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Small Changes that Lead to Bigger Bills
If you’ve started working from home, you’ve probably had to create a comfortable work environment. Therefore, you might be brewing a second pot of coffee to keep the mid afternoon slump at bay. You could also be cranking up the heat or air conditioning to find that preferred working temperature. Or, if you work in a basement, you might have had to create a lighting set-up to make sure you’re able to virtually attend meetings or talk to customers.
You could also be using more powers to keep you computer charged and the printer printing. While these seem insignificant, in reality they add up and can be noticeable on your energy bill. Here are the tips we can provide to help keep your power-use on the lower end of the spectrum.
Computer Use
First things first- you need to activate and adjust the power management systems settings on your laptop or personal computer. Regardless of your brand of choice, we recommend that you use a laptop. We recommend this because a laptop can be charged and unplugged. This way, your productivity stays up, while not having to be plugged in the whole time. Using a laptop can cut your online energy use down by a third. According to Direct Energy Business, desktop computers use an average of 60 to 200 watts of electricity to run normal. However, it’s an uninterrupted power supply, so it significantly increases the usage of your desktop. Meanwhile, a laptop uses an average of 20 to 50 watts of electricity to function. This amount can even decrease when putting laptops in power save mode. During this mode, the energy is more efficient by dimming the screen and decreasing functionality.
Automation
Smart home automation is another great way to reduce energy consumption while working from home. Having a remote or smart thermostat can cut down your heating or cooling whenever you leave the house. This is because some come equipped with motion sensors to tell when you’re home, or some have a geofence. The geofence is connected to your phone so whenever it leaves the radius, your heating/cooling system will stop working.
You can also utilize smart lights. Smart lights can be automatically controlled through your phone, or set to a trigger to turn off when you leave the room. Smart lights are adjustable to dim, brighten, or change tone depending on your personal preferences. Introducing smart lights can help save you money on electricity because you can control the lights from anywhere. Even if you’re working from home, you might have to leave your home sometime, or you’re not in every room of the house throughout the day. With smart lights and an app, you can easily see which lights were left on and turn them off if they aren’t necessary. Mistakes happen, and lights can sometimes stay on even when they’re not useful. For any questions about how smart home automations can help save you money, visit us online for more information.
Conservation
Water usage and energy usage go hand in hand. Running your washing machines and dishwashers when they’re completely full is the best method for conservation and functionality. While we think of our dishwashers and washing machines as using water, we often forget that they take up a lot of energy, as well. If you’re using hot water, then you’re adding extra electricity to ensure that your hot water heater is replenishing the water that was used.
Solar Energy
If you’re really wanting to make an impact to reduce energy consumption, you should think about solar panels. Solar panels are a renewable energy source that naturally occurs through the sun’s rays. Using solar panels will eliminate the need for paying big bucks to utilize a company’s electricity. Instead, you’re creating your own and supplying your household with optimal electricity. There are plenty of benefits to solar panels, so make the move today! To find out more about how solar panels can improve your home, visit us online for a free quote.
In a year full of changes, let ONIT be the change you want to happen. From our home security systems, solar panels, insurance and water filtration, we are here for every positive change in your household. Visit us online, or give us a call today at 1-833-433-0331.
Looking for a great deal? With ONIT, if you buy a water system, we’ll give you a $2,000 security system for only $1,000. That way, you can protect your family from contaminated water and protect them with a safe home. Additionally, we’re offering a free security and water system for free with the purchase of a solar system. Our customers get $1500 in vouchers to be used with security, water, and solar. Take advantage of this great offer today by calling us at 1-833-433-0331.