Quick Tips To Lower Your Energy Bills

July 7, 2020

Let’s face it, we could all use a little extra pocket change. While changing your home air filters on a regular schedule won’t drop a couple thousand into your chequing account, there are several benefits to the practice – extending the life of your HVAC system while drastically improving the quality of the air in your home, it also saves money on your energy bill! In fact, changing your air filter on a regular schedule can save up to 15% on heating and cooling costs.
Here are some additional ideas to help lower your energy bills.

Set your thermostat on a schedule. This ensures your system is only running when it needs to be… No need to keep the house at 70 degrees during the day, when the whole family is at work and school.
Wrap your water heater with an insulating blanket and set the thermostat lower than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The insulation will help keep its temperature constant and also ensure energy isn’t wasted heating your water to a higher-than-necessary temperature.
Seal off drafts coming from exterior doors, windows, and electrical outlets–even small amounts of cold air coming in from outside can make your system work harder in order to keep your house warm.
- (Do not however seal off interior doors in multi-unit condo buildings as this prevents building systems and air make-up units from functioning properly.)
Add timers or motion sensors to your lights, along with dimmers. This ensures you don’t use wasted energy when you are not at home. This can also be done in common element areas to save shared costs.
Shield your interior living spaces from the sun. By using thick curtains, blinds, or even tinted window film, you can reduce your cooling costs since the sun won’t be warming up your living space. These efforts can also help with insulating your home during the winter months!
If you haven’t already, make the switch to LED bulbs. LED light bulbs consume 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last much longer. Again, this can also be done in shared areas to save money for multi-unit buildings.
Utilize off-peak times to run major appliances. “Time-of-use” rates allow you to save by using appliances like your dishwasher, washing machine, etc. outside of peak hours (after 7PM or on weekends).

Originally published in the Q1-2020 edition of the WB Condo Connection