So, you\u2019ve found yourself working from home full time. If you\u2019re\nlike most of us, you\u2019re probably reading this blog post in your pj\u2019s sitting at\nyour kitchen table or on the living room couch trying to adapt to what passes\nfor our new normal. If you’re a seasoned work-from-homer, you\u2019re behind the\ndesk in your sweet home office, but for most of us, we arrived in this\nsituation unexpectedly, and it\u2019s getting pretty weird. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not to mention you probably wore a blazer over some sweats during\nthat video conference…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Bottom line<\/strong>: Our routines have changed, and so\nhas our energy usage. You\u2019re home all day with the air conditioner going.\nMultiple TVs are on. The kids are streaming videos while pretending to do schoolwork.\nYou\u2019re cooking lunch for family members. Making coffee. Printing\ndocuments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The list literally could go on, which means all of those little\nadditional energy-consuming devices eventually add up to a larger electricity\nbill. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n While we aren\u2019t workplace experts here at Chariot Energy, we are\n<\/em>experts in energy and how you can minimize your usage. When you put these 7\nenergy-saving tips into practice, you can use less electricity, which can keep\nyour energy costs down while working from home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here in Texas, it starts to get hot around April. Even the most energy-savvy people are tempted to turn the thermostat down to a cool and comfortable 70 \u00b0F. No matter how tempted you might be, you mustn’t give in! Your HVAC is actually the single most energy-consuming appliance in your home. Thus, we recommend the following thermostat optimizations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the ace up your sleeve. Ceiling fans are the KEY to making\nyour home feel cooler than it actually is. They also consume a measly 2% of\nyour energy bill, compared to the 17% your air conditioner eats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you try 75 degrees, and it still feels too warm for you, then\nplace a desk fan at your work-from-home area or turn on your ceiling fan. It\u2019ll\nmake a world of difference, as it will consistently blow cooling air across\nyour skin, and it will save you actual money just by flipping a switch. Just be\nsure the ceiling fan is blowing air down into the center of the room instead of\ndrawing air up to the ceiling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unless you\u2019re in a room with no natural light, turn off the lights\nduring the day. It\u2019s a painfully obvious tip, but many people keep the lights\non all day. Not only is it a wasteful practice, but it isn\u2019t necessary. It\u2019s\none of the easiest ways you can save money, and one of the more environmentally\nfriendly ways, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This practice of using the sun to light our home is part of an\nenergy-saving strategy called passive solar. As we discussed in another\narticle<\/a>, you\u2019re using the sun to heat, cool and light your home without\nusing electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Incandescent bulbs are 90% inefficient. Only 10% of the energy\nthey use goes toward light production. The rest is heat energy, which raises\nboth the temperature in your house and your electric bill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n LED light bulbs use 75% less energy than inefficient incandescent\nbulbs, and they last up to 25 times longer. When you practice social distancing\nand order online, they\u2019ll be delivered to your doorstep in just a few days.\nThis is one purchase that will pay for itself in savings quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your computer, TV, monitor and smartphone charger all use electricity when they\u2019re not in use and still plugged into the wall. Even your laptop charger uses electricity when your computer isn\u2019t attached. These devices are called vampire electronics<\/a> because of their energy-sucking capabilities, and they comprise about 10% of your electric bill. That\u2019s five times more than the fans\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can solve this problem by unplugging your electronics after\nthe workday is over. Or you can \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026 add power strips to your shopping cart, along with those LED\nbulbs. Power strips and surge protectors allow you to keep everything plugged\nin, but you can stop your electronics from sucking power with a flick of a\nswitch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This tip is uber-useful, whether you\u2019re working from home or not.\nBut since kids are home and need to be entertained pretty much all day (What\u2019s\nhomework?!), the TV is an instrumental device for doing so \u2014 but it uses a lot\nof juice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Set your TV to the \u201chome\u201d or \u201cstandard\u201d setting to reduce its\nbrightness, which can reduce your television\u2019s energy usage by 18-30%. Some\nnewer models even come with an \u201cenergy saver\u201d setting that optimizes everything\nfor you based upon the shows you watch and the lighting the TV receives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n7 Working from Home Tips to Save You Money on Your Energy Bill<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Turn the Air Conditioner Up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Turn on Your Ceiling Fans and Desk Fans<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Turn Off the Lights During the Day<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Replace Incandescent Bulbs with LEDs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. Unplug Your Work Electronics When Not in Use<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
6. Order Some Powerstrips Online<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
7. Lower Your TV\u2019s Brightness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Additional Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n