Saving Energy at Home

This year is only halfway through and it has been a wild ride! Many of us have had to adjust our day-to-day behaviours, routines and even our work environments. If you are someone who has had to change from getting dressed up daily to now throwing on a pair of sweat pants and logging in from the comfort of your home, you’ll want to take note and make these small adjustments in order to keep your energy usage down.

To reduce your energy consumption, you don’t necessarily need to go out and purchase fancy new energy efficient products, just create some new at-home habits to keep energy waste at bay.

One of the easiest things you can do is set up a dedicated workspace. You’ll probably need this not only for the energy saving benefit but for your personal work efficiency too. If you limit yourself to working in one room, it will be easier to find your work files and to limit the power being used in the rest of your home. Unplug and switch off around the home, only using dedicated equipment in your work-from-home space.

With or without a dedicated workspace, another simple way to keep those numbers down on your energy bill is to close your blinds and shades on hot summer days. Keeping them closed will stop the heat from coming in, which in turn will help keep your home’s temperature cooler and reduce the need for the air conditioner to run all day.

If you have multiple electronics running from your workspace, such as your computer or laptop, printer, desktop light and phone charger, consider getting a power bar and keeping them all plugged so that you can have one quick and easy way to switch off when you finish working for the day. If you have items that you aren’t using on a daily basis, such as your printer, keep it unplugged to reduce phantom power. Don’t’ forget that any type of charger that is plugged in will use power even if you don’t have a device attached to it. Unplug it or switch off the power bar to stop from wasting unnecessary energy.

These small adjustments in your daily behaviour can have a big impact on your energy usage over the course of the year. Reduce your consumption and start saving!