The simplest things can make the biggest difference to your bottom line. BC Hydro compiled a list of 21 easy and free things you can do today to decrease your energy costs. Ready? Here they are:
21 small changes can add up to big savings on your bills
The best way to start saving on your electricity costs is to get smart with how you use electricity. Make these 21 no-cost changes in your home in the next 21 days and you could save $500 or more a year, depending on a number of factors including the size of your home.
Now’s the time to also join Team Power Smart and start a Reduction Challenge. If you can deliver on most of the 21 changes below, you could reduce your electricity use by 10% over the year and earn a $50 reward.
1. Turn off unnecessary lights
Two 100-watt incandescent bulbs switched off for an average of two hours per day could save you $12 over a year.
Save $12
2. Use natural light
A single south-facing window can illuminate 20 to 100 times its area. Even if it means turning off one 60-watt bulb for four hours a day, that’s a $9 saving over a year.
Save $9
3. Use task lighting
Turn off ceiling lights and use table lamps, track lighting and under-counter lights in work and hobby areas as well as in kitchens.
Save $6
4. Take shorter showers
Hot water is expensive. If two people in your home cut their shower time by a minute each, you could save $30 over a year.
Save $30
5. Turn water off when shaving, washing hands, brushing teeth
Stop wasting hot water in your daily routine and cut your hot water usage down by up to 5%, saving another $21 (based on use of an electric hot water heater).
Save $21
5. Fix that leaky faucet
Fixing a hot water leak in your faucet can save up to $33 per year in energy costs.Learn how to fix that leak.
Save $33
6. Adjust your hot water heater
The hot water temperature in many homes is too hot. Turning down your water heater thermostat (no lower than 55ºC and no higher than 60ºC) can pay off in savings of up to 5% for every 6ºC.
Save $21
7. Unplug unused electronics
Standby power can account for 10% of an average household’s annual electricity use. Unplug chargers, TVs, audio and video equipment to cut standby electricity use and you could save $50 over a year.
Save $50
8. Ditch the desktop computer
If you’re still using that old desktop, recycle it and switch to your laptop. Even at an average of two hours per day, your laptop will save you $11 in energy use over a year.
Save $11
9. Not recording? Unplug the PVR
If you have a non-ENERGY STAR PVR and you haven’t scheduled any recordings, turn it off when you’re on vacation or away for the weekend. Do that for a combined two months a year and you’ll save about $4.
Save $4
10. Recycle or donate that old TV
Perhaps when you got that 50-inch LED TV you moved the old one into your bedroom or basement. Recycle or donate it, even if you’re just using it an hour a day, that 42-inch LCD is costing you eight bucks a year.
Save $8
11. Manage your thermostat
If you have electric heat, lower your thermostat by two degrees to save 5% on your heating bill. Lower it by five degrees while you sleep, and you could save another 10 per cent.
Avoid using the oven or stovetop in summer – try salads, smoothies or the barbecue on the hottest days. You’ll reduce the heat in your home and be more comfortable, and save on your home cooling costs, too.
Save $5
14. Run full loads
Cut one load of wash per week, even if you’re already using cold water only, and you could save $30 a year on your laundry costs.
Save $30
15. Wash laundry in cold
By switching from hot to cold water for an average of three loads per week, you could save up to $27 per year on your energy bill.
Save $27
16. Hang dry your laundry
If you do eight loads of laundry a week and use your clothesline for 50% of those clothes, you could save $47 a year.
Save $47
17. Toss a towel in the dryer
A dry towel added to your dryer load can significantly reduce drying times. If you’re doing seven loads a week, cutting drying time by 10% could save you $27 a year.
Save $27
18. Be efficient with refrigeration
Keep the freezer department full, and defrost it regularly. Unplug and clean your fridge’s coils twice a year, and set temperatures between 2°C and 3°C (fridge) and -18°C (freezer). It all adds up and could save you $25 a year.
Save $25
19. Unplug your second fridge
Unplug that second fridge and save up to $90 a year. Need to keep drinks or snacks cold for a party? Freeze plastic jugs of water – remember, a full freezer is more efficient than a near-empty one – and use them in a cooler when you need them.
Save $90
20. Skip the heat-dry setting for the dishwasher
That heat-dry setting is expensive. De-select it and, based on one load of dishes a day, save up to $37 for the year.
Save $37
21. Use the microwave, crock pot or toaster oven
A microwave takes 15 minutes to do the same job as an hour of cooking in an electric oven. Using a microwave instead of your oven four times a week could save you more than $20 per year on your electricity bill.
