The point of setting up a home office is to reduce overall costs, but the opposite is likely to happen if you do not pay attention. From a myriad of reasons that can hike up your overall bills, electricity payment is certainly one of the highest expenditures on the list and it can easily be the Goliath to your David. Regardless, there is nothing to fear. All you need is simplicity, and caution, through application of the following few things. Let’s have a look!
Turn off Electronics If Not Needed
In most cases, simple ignorance of leaving the electronic devices switched on pushes the bill up by leaps and bounds. Many people wonder how they are billed so high when they believe they do not use a lot of electronic devices. Let’s burst a few myth bubbles here: Firstly, it is easy to keep the devices switched on even when you are not using them. And sometimes, unfortunately so, we do get lazy. Therefore, if you are leaving your office room for some reason and even if you think you might be back real soon, turn off the lights, fans, the air conditioner, your computer or laptop, the television and whatever runs on electricity; you can turn them back on when you return, thus saving up the power. And if you are working during the day, pull up the curtains and let the day light in. These will definitely save you a lot of money.
Use Power Saving Devices
While choosing electrical devices, look for the power saving ones. First of all, you can get compact fluorescent light bulbs instead of the incandescent bulbs which will save up at least one quarter of your electricity consumption. Second, you should go for the Energy Star-rated computers and computer equipments which will save power and money. Also, think about getting a laptop instead of a computer. Laptops are not only user friendly but they consume only one-third the power than of a computer. You should opt for an LCD monitor which consumes 27 watts in the place of a cathode-ray tube monitor which takes 90 watts. To nail all of this right, you just need to do the math.
Activate a Power Management Setting
There are three power modes, outlined by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy – active or on, active standby which consumes less than 100% electricity and passive standby a.k.a off. Users can configure their computers to automatically shift to less power consuming mode when they are not being used. If you cannot do it yourself, the IT professionals from software companies will do it for you in return of a certain payment. Moreover, you can look into installing an Energy Star-rated power management setting in your home office. This will cut down on unnecessary power consumption.
Use a Power Strip
Use a power strip for your computer, printer, copier and other electronic devices. Power strips makes it easy for to switch the devices on and off with just the click of a button. What happens when you have individual switches for every device is that you do not turn off all of them thus leaving them unused yet plugged in which consumes electricity. Using a power strip will completely turn them off, saving you the extra electricity consumption.
Use Energy Conservation Method
Energy conservation means to reduce power consumption by engaging in less energy services overall. For instance, if the weather is too hot or cold, a user might very well be tempted to use the central cooling or heating system of the house, but if the user is working in the office only and not using the rest of the house, there is no point wasting power on heating or cooling the entire house. In summer, instead of using central cooling system, you can use a window air conditioning unit in the office and keep the doors shut for maximum effect. One can switch to ceiling or portable fans as well or simply keep the windows open for fresh air. In winter, you can choose space heating with portable electric space heaters instead of heating the entire house, which is more cost-effective. Also, insulate your humble abode properly for winter, using weather seals which will lower your electricity cost.
Furthermore, you can find a provider on Power to Choose, and compare costs to reduce energy expenses. Some people discover that if they take the time to assess the various rates of the different options, they save a significant amount over time.
All it takes is a little effort to cut down on unnecessary home office electricity bill. Think about all these tactics and use them to effectively reduce your electricity bill. You can even consult electricity suppliers such as Josco Energy NJ to assist you into reducing your electricity bill. A well-thought power usage is only going to make your home office experience all the more pleasant.
