How To Save Electric In Winter 2023
Many people will spend even more time indoors as the months get colder. As a result, households may see higher energy bills by keeping heating, lights, and computers on as temperatures drop and work continue to move indoors from the office.
The additional costs will be especially challenging for unemployed people or facing other pressures because of the pandemic, as well as low-income households and communities of color who already spend on energy.
Why Are My Electricity Bills So High In Winter?
As we spend more time at home, we use lights, heaters, televisions, and other electronic devices as mentioned above to keep us warm and entertained. Winter holidays mean children are not in school, which increases electricity consumption.
Lower the temperature. In most parts of the UK, the coldest days of the year are from mid-December to early February, putting more work on our heating systems. The bigger the gap between outside and inside temperature, the harder your system has to work to keep the inside temperature warm and comfortable.
Fortunately, there are ways to reduce heating and other energy bills and keep our homes comfortable when the weather turns colder. Here are some tips that can help cut costs as you spend more time indoors during the cold weather.
Keep The Heat In
One way to stay warm is to make sure your home doesn’t leak heat. Up to a third of heat loss from a typical home is through windows and doors. Air can also enter through cracks and spaces within the home, such as outlets, baseboards and attic hatches, in or out of the house.
Seal these openings to make your home less drafty and keep warm air inside. The average home can save 10 to 20 percent on annual heating and cooling bills by sealing leaks, or as much as $166 per year. Stripping your windows can save you an additional 5 to 10 percent per year on heating and cooling costs or up to $90 per year.
Remember To Close The Curtains.
Closing the curtains in winter helps reduce heat loss by up to 10 percent in a warm room. When curtains are hung near windows, they can help prevent up to a quarter of that heat loss. However, opening blinds on sunlit windows during the day can help increase temperatures from solar energy.
Your curtains must be closed at night or on windows that don’t get as much sun. Turn down your thermostat 7 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit eight hours a day to save up to 10 percent on your annual heating and cooling bills (about $83 a year for the average home).
Lower The Thermostat
Turning the thermostat down, say 10 to 15 degrees, can save you about 10 percent on your heating bills! A smart thermostat can also be programmed based on when you are usually home or away and your preferred temperature.
You can control your thermostat system using phone, voice, or mobile app. A smart thermostat can cost anywhere from $150 to $200, but it can pay for itself in the end, saving you about $200 annually in energy costs.
Check And Replace Your Furnace Filter Timely.
This is as well a good time for basic heating and cooling systems maintenance. Ensure the furnace filters are clean to keep the equipment from working harder than necessary. Some filters can be cleaned and reused, but others need to be replaced entirely. Therefore, check the maintenance requirements of your filter model.
Consider hiring an HVAC professional to have your system evaluated and look for additional improvements.
Use Devices Efficiently
Many people constantly use technology for work, school, entertainment, and socializing, especially as we spend more time indoors when it’s cold. This can increase energy consumption and bills. Using the power-saving mode on your devices, appliances, and even some heaters can significantly reduce energy consumption without sacrificing performance.
Depending on your products, this may be referred to as power saving mode, battery saving mode, or something similar.
Enable Automatic Brightness Control
Ensure your TV’s standard or normal picture settings are selected, and energy-saving features such as automatic brightness control are enabled. Enable Auto Power Off on your gaming console to ensure the device goes into sleep mode when not in use. ENERGY STAR estimates that these power management features can save you up to $50 per year.
Also, avoid accessing streaming videos through your gaming console. The game console can use at least 10x more power to stream a movie than a Roku box or the app on your smart TV.
Turn off devices you are not using. If you need a power strip to connect more devices and gear to make it easy to turn them off, consider an advanced power strip to reduce power wastage from idle devices that may still draw power in standby mode.
Choose Suitable Lamps And Devices.
Do you buy new gadgets and devices? You can visit the ENERGY websites for information on which models have received the Blue and White Label as the most efficient on the market, which means your electricity bills will be lower. Do you need to replace the lightbulbs? Choose LEDs.
They (LEDs) ensure good lighting for your video conferences and save money at the same time. Just one LED bulb can save you $50 or more over its lifetime—the average home has at least 40 outlets, so your savings add up quickly.
With these low temperatures, you’ll find energy savings and better ways to keep warm in your home’s many nooks and crannies.
Conclusion
In the coming months, continuing to stay at home will bring many challenges, such as higher heating bills. These tips can help you feel slightly more comfortable as the temperature drops. Stay warm this winter season and keep your energy bills low.
