Sunday, September 18, 2011

Using less Electricity around the House


I don’t know about you, but our hydro bill seems to get more expensive every year. This might have something to do with the fact that Hydro Ontario raised their prices but we also seem to use a lot of electricity in this apartment. I am now wondering of ways to cut back on the electricity that we use so that our bill is lower – especially with winter coming.

  1. This winter, I will try to keep the heat around 22 degrees C. During the day, we will turn it down to 19 and the first person that arrives home from work turns it back to 22.
  2. In the winter, I will try to wear socks and a sweater around the house so that I have no reason to get cold or turn up the heat. That also goes for my nice, fluffy blanket that I seem to carry around with me. Drinking warm liquids (hot chocolate, decaf coffee or tea, etc.) also seems to help.
  3. Unplug the computer at night. It’s not in use so why let it draw power from the outlet?
  4. Also, unplug the TV at night. Ditto to above. I bet it draws more power than the computer does.
  5. Unplug all of the small appliances that are not in use all of the time (microwave, toaster, coffee machine, etc.). I also have a tv in the bedroom that I will unplug and only plug it in when I use it.
  6. Unplug all of the larger items that do not need power all of the time (in this case, this would be our huge treadmill). Only plug them in when you use them then unplug them for the rest of the time.
  7. Use cold water most of the time. Heating up water uses electricity so I will try to use cold whenever possible (for example, when using water to cook pasta or vegetables, for brushing teeth, etc.).
  8. Take shorter showers so that the time required to heat up water isn’t so long.
  9. Use appliances less. We tend to watch TV or a Blu-ray while playing on computers. If we cut one out of the picture (the TV or the computer) then this will cut down on the power usage.
  10. Turn lights off when no one is in the room. Although, we are really good at this one but it’s a reminder.

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