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14 Clever Work From Home Practices That Will Lower Your Electric Bill

14 Clever Work From Home Practices That Will Lower Your Electric Bill

Working at home and being more conscious about which electronic appliances you use can actually decrease your overall consumption. Millennials use a ton of devices today, especially laptops and other energy-powered technologies, that can consume a lot of energy.

With rapid advances in technology in the past decade, energy consumption has been at an all-time high, especially during the lockdown (AKA the 'work from home' period). 

Working from home is found to be appealing because it saves people the trouble of commuting to their offices. But if you're not careful with the way you work from home, you're sure to raise your electricity costs. 

While there's not a lot of wiggle room for energy conservation in the office, working at home allows you to make more conscious decisions as to the when and how of your consumption.

Peruse through the following tips to learn how to conserve electricity and achieve greater savings while working from home.

14 Work From Home Tips To Lower Energy Costs 

14 Clever Work From Home Practices That Will Lower Your Electric Bill

1. Watch Your Thermostat-Adjusting Habits

Great thermostat habits can spare you up to 10 per cent on your bill, even with sky-rocketing Maryland Electricity Rates. Don't use your indoor regulator when you don't need it. 

Cranking your thermostat down under the pretence that the house will cool quicker during summer days, for instance, will undoubtedly harm the energy efficiency of your home. 

2. Close Your Windows

No matter how well you heat or cool your house, you're tossing cash out the window by keeping them open when using the heating or air conditioning while working.

Your windows make up around 15 to 20 per cent of your home's surface. Be mindful that they're all closed when you turn your thermostat on.

3. Leaky Air Ducts

The ductwork for your central air service is responsible for spreading cooling or heating in your house. Naturally, you'll rely on these ducts a lot more now that you're spending more time at home.

14 Clever Work From Home Practices That Will Lower Your Electric Bill

When you have shoddily insulated air ducts, your HVAC system cannot optimize its heating and cooling power. So, ensure regular inspections and air duct cleaning to check for leaks and airflow.

4. Be Conscious And Seal Your Chimney

Heating and cooling systems tend to distort a chimney damper, thus affecting how well it seals itself up.

Since you'll use AC and thermostat more now, it's best to replace the damper or try and use an inflatable chimney balloon to block air from escaping or entering the house. 

When inflated, chimney balloons are capable of forming a very tight seal that doesn't let the air flow disturb the use of these appliances, thereby boosting your bills. 

5. Adding Attic Insulation

Pay attention to an attic in your house when you set up your home office. A decent amount of hot and cold air escapes through your home's rooftop.

14 Clever Work From Home Practices That Will Lower Your Electric Bill

You can stop it by including protection in your loft space and adding more layers of batting type insulation.

6. Installation Of A Dehumidifier

Your air unit will cool your home by extracting moisture. It takes less energy to cool your house, provided there is a particular amount of humidity. 

Attach a dehumidifier in your home office setup to hold the relative humidity at home between 30% and 45%.

7. Work Outdoors

Rather than heating your house with energy-efficient equipment often, inculcate the habit of taking advantage of the sunny weather by using the outdoors. 

14 Clever Work From Home Practices That Will Lower Your Electric Bill

Your energy conservation and budget goals are achievable if you sit at the garden, balcony, or terrace in the daytime when remote working. 

8. Apply For The Best Energy Energy Plans

Apart from trying energy-saving methods, you can look into affordable energy plans. Many states offer energy saving deals so household owners can upgrade to plans according to their work needs.

Energy deregulation and implementation of energy suppliers are vital, like the policies relating to Boston Electricity Rates. Check out the plans in your state to switch to energy-saving practices.

9. Wear Warm Clothes

If you live in a colder region, wear warmer clothes. You can even put a blanket on your legs to stay warm while working. This way, you can reduce the consumption of heating systems.

10. Learn To Manage Electronics

Unplug electronic appliances, laptops, and smartphones soon after use. Use the sleep mode on devices - it will conserve the charge when you take breaks or carry out your chores.

Also, if you charge your gadgets repeatedly, it will negatively impact their charge-retention capabilities and damage the battery. Be smart about device use and avoid charging them overnight.

11. Get Motion Sensors For Your House

Your porch light and other outdoor lamps are all heavy energy consumers and mostly left on for hours together. In this case, installing motion sensor lighting is an excellent way to reduce your energy bills.

The motion sensors only operate when the area gets traffic and utilize high-efficiency compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) or LEDs.

12. Use A Smart Home Weather Station

Install smart weather stations to track the weather in your neighbourhood. The station will work with other smart devices around your house to help decrease your energy consumption. 

13. Ventilate Your Rooms

Always work in a properly ventilated house to save on air conditioning costs. Also, in the winter, good ventilation prevents warm moist air from developing condensation.

14. Upgrade Your Heating And Cooling System

Newer HVAC systems are efficient and capable of saving your time and decreasing your bills. 

Remember to replace your 17-year-old HVAC systems with a new one and update it occasionally for the best bang for the buck.

Final Thoughts

In addition to these tips and tricks, one must understand the nuances of fixed-rate plans and variable-rate plans. 

However, in case your state has no rules and regulations to reduce energy consumption yet, you can do it yourself with energy-saving practices at your home. 

Implementing energy-saving practices when working from home not only makes environmental sense but also saves you a massive amount of money.

In addition to this, being energy efficient and tech-savvy will reduce your overall costs to maintain the devices which use electricity.

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