Working from home definitely has its benefits.
But there are some things that are nice about working in an office that people often overlook, like not having to pay for toilet paper.
One of the big things a lot of freelancers as people who work from home don’t consider is that their utility bills will increase once they work from home.
Paying for the extra gas and electricity you’ll be using can come as a bit of a shock and maybe not one you budgeted for, so this handy guide has been designed to help lower your bills as the temperatures drop.
1. Don’t Be Wasteful
Beginning with the obvious, it cannot be ignored that the more energy you use the higher your energy bills will be. Knowing exactly how much energy you are wasting, however, is sometimes less obvious.
For example, did you know that a PC monitor that is left on overnight can waste enough energy to print off over 500 pages. And those handy electric heaters actually generate twice as much greenhouse gas as central heating. They’re also around three times more expensive to run!
It is easy to assume that there’s no harm in leaving things switched on when they’re not in use, but the facts speak for themselves.
2. Invest in Smart Meters
A lot has been made of the benefits that these devices can have in homes. Smart meters are simply an upgrade on a traditional meter found in most houses.
The difference is that a smart meter measures your energy consumption and sends meter readings to your energy supplier automatically, meaning you don’t have to estimate usage. One less thing to worry about!
By helping you better monitor your energy usage, identifying periods of high consumption, smart meters can help you save money by giving you a better idea of how much power you’re using, and more importantly, wasting.
3. Green-Proof Your Home
Green-proofing your home needn’t be expensive, time consuming or disruptive — even the smallest changes can make a big difference.
Here are a few quick fixes:
- Attach draught-proof strips to doors — This traps warm air inside a room. It’ll help save money on your gas bills as your home won’t be cooling down as quickly, even if outside temperatures plummet.
- Let your radiators breathe — Try to avoid putting furniture in front of the radiator as it’ll absorb heat and make your radiator less efficient at heating the room. If you don’t have double-glazing, keep the radiators under windows switched off or very low, as rising heat will be lost through the window.
- Switch to LED lighting – LED lights can give you an annual saving of almost $5 per bulb. It may not sound like much but even if you only have 15 bulbs in your entire house, you could save an extra $70 a year, which isn’t bad when you consider that all you’ve done is put a different box of bulbs in your shopping cart.
- Put on a sweater – It’s what your mother always said, but by wearing some extra layers you can turn the heating down. It will help you reduce your home energy costs and allow you to fully appreciate the perks of working from home — no dress code!
4. Run a Competitor Analysis
Every businessperson knows that in order to be the best, you have to check out the competition and make sure that you are doing everything better than they are. So surely if you want the best energy deal, you need to make sure no competitors are offering something better.
For far too long, people have been plodding along on a rollover energy tariff, paying far too much for their gas and electricity in the process. However, thanks to increasing awareness, it appears that we are finally realizing that we’ve been missing something.
And thanks to the Internet, it is now quicker and easier than ever to compare energy prices, so there really is no excuse.
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As the weather starts to turn, it’s not a bad time to get in the habit of conservation. With the help of a few tips, you can avoid the shock of paying for your own utilities all day.
(Photo by Markgraf-Ave / CC BY)
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