Whether or not I approve, October is almost here.
I am a heat seeker and summer lover, so it is hitting me hard. One big way that it hits me is with my energy bill.
Recently my husband and I were reviewing our budget and our electricity bill was a topic of conversation.
Although we want to save electricity for many eco-friendly reasons, financial reasons are always a good motivation as well.
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10 Ways To Reduce Your Household Energy Use In October
Cover Bare Floors
This one I only heard of recently. If you have poor insulation in the flooring of your home, adding rugs will increase heat retention and lower your need to turn up the heat. It also feels warmer for your feet.
Raise the Temperature Slowly
As tempted as I am to instantly jack up the temperature when I wake up, increasing the temperature slowly will use less energy.
Even One Degree Makes a Difference
My husband first suggested dropping the temperature by just one degree on our thermostat.
Initially I was concerned, but in reality, I didn’t even notice the change.
This makes a huge difference in our energy consumption.
Dress For The Weather and Sleep Better
That’s right, it’s fall. Bring out the sweaters and wear slippers.
Dressing for the weather will decrease your need to raise the thermostat.
Don’t forget to keep your kids warm too.
Toddlers love slippers and sleep sacks work great for babies.
You also sleep better in a cool room, so be sure to turn the furnace down at night.
Switch Your Bulbs
ENERGY STAR® LED light bulbs will use less energy than your standard incandescent bulbs.
Investing in them now will not only save energy, but they also need to be replaced less frequently.
Some companies offer special discounts on energy saving light bulbs throughout the year.
BC Hydro has partnered with retailers across BC to provide instant discounts on light bulbs, fixtures and controls.
Switch Which Appliances You Use
When heating up your Thanksgiving leftovers, use the microwave instead of the oven, as it uses less energy.
When making dinner, consider a ham, instead of turkey to decrease cooking time.
We also cook in our BBQ regularly.
I can make almost anything in my barbeque that I can in the oven!
Keep Your Freezer Full
A full freezer uses less power than an empty one.
If you don’t fill it with Thanksgiving leftovers and Christmas baking, fill it with milk jugs full of water.
Switch To A Laptop
I have been using a laptop exclusively for the past 5 years.
Keeping a desktop computer plugged in and running uses more electricity than a laptop.
Dim the screen when you are using it and be sure to shut it off and not just hibernate when you are done using it.
Use A Powerstrip For Your Electronics
Many electronics continue using electricity even when you aren’t physically using them.
If you plug into a powerstrip and remember to turn off the whole strip, you won’t continue to drain power when they aren’t in use.
Get Smart When It Comes To Laundry
Adding a dry towel to your standard laundry load will decrease drying time by 10%.
Emptying the dryer lint trap, also cuts down on drying time and saves power too!
Take some time to walk through your house and considering making some small changes in order to make a huge impact.
What is your best energy saving tip?
Related reading; A different Way of Buying Children’s Clothes, Easy Ways to Compost and keep your Trash out of Landfills and 12 Resolutions to Make Anytime.
GREAT POST!!
These are great tips! We just changed all of our light bulbs here
These are great tips! It really is true that if you move your thermostat just by a degree or two, you barely notice…and yet it makes a big difference in your overall cost!