With more people working from home, energy demand is on the rise. If living as eco-friendly as possible matters to you, you’ll love these 9 energy-saving tips.
We all work hard to preserve our planet and are doing our best to waste less energy. After all, our earth gives us so much — we want to treat it with kindness in return!
And now, more and more people are working from home. While having people work at home saves on emissions from cars, there’s still a lot of wear on the planet.
Thankfully there are little things you can do to save more energy when you’re working at home. Some of these tips may not seem like a lot, but every little bit helps.
Here are nine simple ways you can save more energy while you’re performing your job at home:
1. Let the Sunshine In
There are many benefits to taking advantage of the natural light in your apartment.
For one, letting in natural light improves your mood. Another benefit is if there’s enough natural light, it may cut your need to turn on lights to work.
Why not take advantage of the sun when it shines in your apartment?
If you have blinds, open them as much as possible.
2. Turn Down the Temperature
When you use your central heating and cooling system throughout the seasons, it can consume a lot of energy.
Did you know that the average A/C unit uses around 3,500 watts of electricity?
That’s pretty crazy if you think about it!
With that said, even if it’s uncomfortable during the warmer months, try to run your A/C less. You’ll be warmer, but it’ll cut back on energy usage.
Likewise, during the winter, run your heat less. Bundling up more can be a lot of fun. You’ll feel cozy and warm and save money too!
Before turning on the A/C or heat, ask yourself if it’s possible to run your system less that day. Doing this over the long term will save you money and preserve energy.
3. Get Energy-Saving Light Bulbs
Are your light bulbs energy efficient?
If they aren’t, swap them out.
Using bulbs like compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are best. Either of these bulbs will ensure you save on electricity.
LEDs and CFLs often cost more money, but it’s worth it because they’re better for the planet. Besides, it may be that this type of lighting looks better in your apartment anyway. You can brighten up your living room and highlight a new painting you recently bought!
So, do the upgrade knowing it’ll look fantastic in your apartment and use less energy too!
5. Don’t Forget to Turn Off the Lights
If you swap out your bulbs for more eco-friendly ones, there’s another easy step to take. Whenever you leave a room, don’t forget to turn off the lights!
It’s easy enough to forget to turn off the lights when going into another room. You think you’ll be back in a minute, so you don’t turn off the lights. But, you end up staying in a different room while the lights are still on in another space.
We all forget to turn off the lights sometimes. But making an effort to turn them off has positive results.
Start remembering to turn the lights off more often. Pretty soon, you’ll have formed a planet-saving habit!
4. Put Your Computer to Sleep
Since you’re working at home, your computer is likely on for the majority of the day.
When lunch rolls around, there’s something you can do to help the planet, which is putting your computer to sleep.
When you get back to work, there are still things you can do to use less electricity. Take advantage of your computer’s nifty power management features. For example, it’s easy to form the habit of dimming your screen to use less energy.
By making an effort to use your computer’s power features, you’ll use less energy in your apartment!
6. Switch Off Your Power Strips
If you have power strips in your home, using them is an easy way to save energy.
There’s another advantage of using power strips as well. When you leave your apartment, you can switch them off.
Taking the extra time to flip the switch will result in you cutting back on the electricity you’re using.
Remember, every little action makes a difference in the long haul!
7. Wait Until You Have a Full Dishwasher to Run It
It may be convenient to run your dishwasher with just a few dishes in it. You’re running out of mugs and want to drink more coffee!
Even so, it’s better to wait until your dishwasher is full before running it. Waiting will ensure you cut back on energy (and water)!
If a few dishes can’t wait, it’s better to wash them by hand.
8. Turn Off Electrical Appliances
Electrical appliances sure are convenient. But like other pieces of technology, they use a lot of electricity.
That’s why you should think about making an effort to turn off your electrical appliances when you’re not using them. Performing this simple action is another positive habit that will make a difference.
Every day when you make coffee, for example, turn off the coffee maker after making a cup of joe.
Smaller Appliances
If you tend to use your stove a lot, smaller appliances will reduce the electricity load in your home. The smaller the machine, the less energy it will use.
No matter the device, turn it off after using it. You’ll be one step closer to reducing energy usage!
9. Use Cold Water for Laundry
If there are clothes you don’t need to wash with warm water, do a few loads with cold water.
Laundry detergents are plentiful these days, so rely on them to do the job for you. Your water doesn’t always have to be hot to clean your clothes.
What About the Clothes Dryer?
Hang dry your clothes instead of using the dryer. This is another simple way to cut back on using electricity!
Conclusion
I don’t know about you, but it’s exciting knowing there are many things we can do to help save the planet.
Some of these behaviors to take are small, but they can make all the difference! Continue to think of ways to save energy and be kinder to the planet.
With each positive step you take, you’ll feel better knowing you’re doing all you can to care for the earth.
[Author Bio]
Adam Marshall is a freelance writer who specializes in all things apartment organization, real estate, and college advice. He currently works with Grove at Moscow to help them with their online marketing.