With Labour Day behind us and children of all ages heading back to school, we’ve put together a list of back to school energy saving tips to help you keep conservation top of mind and save on your power bills.
From lunch prep tips, to taking advantage of having an empty house, here are 7 of our favourite back to school energy saving tips to help you manage your power bill this school year.
1. Adjust the thermostat before you leave
An empty home presents a big energy savings opportunity. If your home sits empty during the day while your family is at work or gone to school, you can adjust your thermostat to help save on energy costs during the day while giving your HVAC system a much needed break.
When it comes to home heating and cooling, small changes can make a significant impact. Adjusting your thermostat by a single degree could save you 1-3% on your energy bills.
2. Embrace natural heating and cooling
Don’t rely on your home HVAC system to do all the work. When it comes to heating and cooling, sunshine can make a big difference to the temperature of your home.
Combining a thermostat adjustment with controlling the level of sunshine entering your home can lead to significant energy savings. Turning down your thermostat and letting the sunshine in, or turning up your thermostat and using blinds to keep the sunshine out can keep your home at the right temperature while saving you money.
3. Keep the fridge closed during meal prep
When prepping lunches, building the habit of limiting yourself to two fridge openings. Open once to take out your ingredients and once to place them back in.
The average fridge is only actively cooling about 10% of the time and relies on insulation to keep your food cool. The more you open the door, letting cool air out and warm air in, the harder your fridge has to work on cooling, driving up your energy usage.
4. Use MyOshawaPower to track your energy use
Tracking your energy use can be a simple way to understand which habits are costing you money and which habits are helping you save on energy bills.
Sign up or login to your MyOshawaPower account to view your daily usage, compare pricing plans, and find more tools that can help you keep your energy costs low.
5. Charge your electronics overnight
Charging electronics to a full charge overnight can help customers on a Time-of-Use (TOU) pricing plan save significantly on power bills.
By limiting charging to between 7p.m and 7a.m., you can take advantage of Off-peak energy rates. Currently, Off-peak rates are approximately 31% lower than Mid-peak rates and 69% lower than On-peak rates, giving you the opportunity to find significant energy savings by shifting your usage. Click here to view current TOU rates.
6. Turn out the lights
The most basic energy saving tip is still an important habit to keep in mind. While increases in lighting efficiency have helped reduce the overall cost of lighting, it still accounts for nearly 4% of total energy use in Canadian households. Before you leave in the morning, walk around the house and turn off any lights that are left on.
7. Be aware of standby power
Did you know that many of your electronics still draw power when they are turned off?
This phenomenon is known as standby power and can account for up to 10% of the average Ontario energy bill. Consider installing smart power bars or plugs to combat standby power used by unused electronics.
Keeping these 7 simple back to school energy saving tips in mind can help you keep your energy costs down this school year and beyond.
Looking for more simple tips to help decrease your energy costs? Click here to find more low-cost ways to save.
