Are you working from home? It clearly gives us advantages such as lower costs in commuting, clothing allowance, and expensive dine-outs. Not to mention, are you not enjoying more time with your family?
But even with the savings, there are higher costs when you stay all day at home. For one, the electric bill will surely shoot up because of it. With the rising prices, can you do something to lower some of your electricity bills?
Yes, you can! Here are 9 effective ways to cut your electricity bill when working from home.
Check the Wiring
Did you know that faulty wire can ramp up your electric bill? It’s causing electricity to leak unintentionally. And that extra sparks will cost you. And far worse, it can even cause accidents in your home.
So check your wiring. You can use these 6 warning signs to assess. Or get an expert electrician to check it for you.
Control the Temperature of Your Refrigerators
Temperature control is one of the biggest chunks of our electricity usage. And we can’t really live without it. Do you want to keep your food fresh? Refrigerators are necessary. And I don’t know about you but, living in a tropical country, air conditioners are necessary.
With these, the more a refrigerator or air conditioner exerts effort to cool down the temperature, the more it consumes electricity. As for refrigerators, the lower your temperature, the higher your consumption because it needs more power to maintain it.
The ideal refrigerator temperature is around 1.7°C to 3.3°C. For freezers, it’s at 0°C If you can control your thermostat, better put it at a higher temperature that’s still suitable for your food. You still have your fresh foods while saving up the electricity.
Clean Refrigerator Coils
Ever wondered why your refrigerator is not cooling? Have you checked your refrigerator coils? Dirty refrigerator coils can make it harder to release heat. With this, it can affect its performance.
You can easily clean your refrigerator coils with a vacuum cleaner or a brush. Save money by cleaning it.
Use Blockout Curtains
Is your home office blazing hot? Well, we’re in the Philippines. That’s understandable. But there’s actually a way to at least bring the temperature down. It’s by using block-out curtains.
Block-out curtains have special coatings that make them more opaque. The increased fabric thickness can absorb heat and light. In return, it makes your room cooler. Or at the very least, your air conditioner doesn’t have to work as hard to cool your room.
Plants Help Cool Down a Room
Did you know that indoor plants can also help cool down your room? There are specific types that can even block radiation and become air purifiers.
It can even liven your work-from-home setup! You can check the following for plants you can consider.
Use Natural Lighting If You Can
Light is necessary when your working-from-home. Depending on your house, sometimes, there can be natural lighting for your room or workspace.
Use natural lighting as much as possible to lower electricity costs. If the room temperature is still manageable, a little sunlight won’t hurt, right?
Switch to LED lights
But not everyone has the luxury of natural lighting. We can’t risk a heat stroke just in exchange for sunlight. So do you work in the dark to save money? No! You can just use LED lights.
LED lights use 75% less energy than incandescent lights. And it’s even more durable than it. Today, you can even choose LED lights with warmer tones if you want a more aesthetic room.
Switch to LED lights and experience savings in your electric bill.
Use Inverter Appliances
With the heat up, you might want to turn your air conditioners during your work period. After all, hospital bills are far more expensive than electricity. But it doesn’t mean you can’t save some from using it.
If you have the budget, you can invest in inverters. Let’s not delve more into the hardcore scientific side. But Inverters have certain mechanisms that allow them to be energy efficient. On longer hours of usage, it can lower electricity consumption when the temperature is sustained.
For example, you set your room at 20°C. When your room temperature reached that point, your air conditioner is smart enough to work lesser just to maintain it compared to a non-inverter which still operates at 100% power regardless.
You can check some of these options for air conditioning if you’re planning to buy one.
Solar Energy
Looking for a more sustainable way to power your homes? You might want to consider solar energy. Solar energy will significantly lower your electric bills. And with certain government subsidies, you can even sell unused power when back to electric companies.
But these come with a hefty investment. On average, this can be the cost depending on your consumption.
And with the high cost of electricity, the savings might even be greater today. You can even finance it with a PAGIBIG loan. You’re saving the environment with sustainable energy and reaping cost savings in the process.
Conclusion
Electric consumption is here to stay. And with the work-from-home movement and the rising prices, it’s bound to go up even further. But even with the higher costs of electricity, it’s way lower compared to working in our offices. And with the tips above, you can lower consumption to save up on some costs. Cheers!
