As a lot of people found out once they started working from home, there is an unexpected disadvantage. That is that their energy bills ended up increasing.
It makes sense since there is no need to heat and cool a house when you are at work. Now that you’re home, you have to heat the house all day or keep the air conditioner on when you normally wouldn’t need to. Not to mention keeping the lights on and powering your computer and other gadgets.
There is a way to work from home and lower your energy bills, however. In this article, we will go over the many ways you can reduce those bills so you can keep more of your paycheck in your wallet. Then check out an article to learn how saving energy can be easy.
Use natural lighting
Keeping the lights on is going to add to your electricity bill. The best thing to do is to set up your home office in an area with lots of windows. Try to avoid setting it up in a corner where it is dark or if there isn’t much natural light coming in for a portion of the day.
By keeping your desk by a window you will avoid the need to keep a lot of lights on while you work. A bonus is that you will be less likely to succumb to depression as natural light keeps the mood elevated.
If you do need to use lighting since you don’t have any access to windows then make sure to use LED bulbs. You can get the kind that simulates natural light and they are very energy efficient.
Dress for the weather
Your grandparents knew how to keep warm in the winter without killing their heating bill. They would wear a sweater at home when they got chilly instead of turning up the heat. If you are working from home, then this is going to be your best bet to keep the energy bill from getting jacked up.
There is a limit, of course as you need to be warm to work productively so if your fingers are getting cold and you are shivering then it is of course time to turn up the heat. Something around 68°F is usually warm enough if you dress appropriately.
This also goes for the summer. It makes little sense to have an air conditioner on all day and get to the point where you need to wear a long shirt because it is too cold.
Seal the leaks
This bit of advice is relevant even when you aren’t sitting at home all day, but you should make sure there are no areas where hot air is leaking to the outside. Sealing up the windows and doors so they don’t let cold air in or hot air out will save quite a bit in electricity as well as keep you feeling comfortable while you work.