How to Save Energy By Doing Nothing?
How to Save Energy By Doing Nothing? Try These Hacks!
Wondering how you can reduce your energy consumption (and the shock to your wallet) without too drastic a change to your current lifestyle? Here are some hacks!
Unplug It
Don’t let idle appliances suck power (and money) while doing nothing.
Leaving the TV, microwave or laptop charger on standby mode means allowing them to siphon power even when they are not actively in use.
Leaving a 200W desktop computer switched on overnight (8 hours) daily will cost at least $152 more a year.
Standby power can account for up to 10% of your home energy use. So turn off or unplug appliances when not in use.
Time it
Let the timers that come with your home appliances do your work for you.
For example, you can save about $26* a year by simply programming your air-conditioner to turn off half an hour earlier than usual. The room will remain cool and you save some money to boot.
To reap greater savings, time the aircon to run for an hour and subsequently switch to a fan to cool the room and reduce your power bill by $331* a year.
Turn on appliances like water heaters only when you need to use them. Did you know that leaving a storage water heater switched on for the whole day could cost an additional $107 *? Instead, you should turn it on for only 10 to 30 minutes before use.
Cover It
Ensure you cover all liquids and food before storing them in the fridge.
Uncovered items = more moisture released = compressor working doubly hard to keep the fridge cool = higher power bill
Take note also that the warmer your room is, the harder your aircon has to work to cool it down. To minimise the sun’s heat, keep the curtains or blinds closed. Or use solar-blocking window film to reduce the sun rays.