COVID-19 has been an event we never expected and surprised us in many ways. It became a pandemic and later on affected our livelihood, health, and even ourselves as a person. People lost their jobs due to the lay-offs happened and there are also the lucky ones who have sustained their jobs but are currently working from home.
Since the beginning of quarantine, we also began to enjoy our homes and started to spend most of our time with our families in a way we never imagined being. Being comfortable and safe at home has a related surprising increase in the consumption of our electricity. Since most of our time is spent at home along with other members of the family, we tend to use all the gadgets and appliances available — from our cell phones, televisions, refrigerator down to our latest gaming console just to compensate for the rising boredom due to lockdown.
We might ask ourselves during this time, how much will be our bill after all? How can I manage it and lessen our consumption without sacrificing the most important appliances we use? The following might help you have an idea on how to save and live a sustainable electricity consumption while the pandemic is still here.
Never Forget to Turn-Off
We will start off with the practical things you can ensure while saving some energy. Whether we are talking about lights, television, or any other electric-consuming stuff you have at home, it always has to be turned off whenever it is not in use. It has to be a practice in our homes not just to save energy but also to avoid burning down your house due to overheating.
In fact, there is a worldwide activity that has been participated by millions of people – the Earth Hour. It was mentioned by Sarah J. Olexsak in her research that this global event can reduce our energy consumption by an average of 4 percent globally. This is just proof that a simple act of turning off lights can make a big change.
Change to Energy-Saving Materials
Most of us tend to not examine the things we purchase. This simple act can eventually help us in saving more energy in the future. Simply choose LED bulbs over the casual bulbs for it can save not just energy but can also give you brighter light. You could also check if the appliances you want to have if it’s energy-efficient – it is an indication that a certain appliance has the capability to help you save up through consuming less energy.
Being smart and wise in choosing your appliances can help you later on. Also, it is very important to think twice over purchasing an item especially when it is not that needed, it can help you save not just energy but also money.
Take Shorter Showers
It might be silly to think of compromising your only me-time through taking shorter shower time but it could leave you a big help. Showers, especially in the winter can be very energy consuming when it comes to using the water heater for a comfortable bath.
Making a shower shorter than usual will help you conserve water also in the long run. According to Christian Science Monitor, cutting your shower time from 12 minutes to four minutes will save you up to $130 per year. Isn’t that a huge amount of money to save? After all, a little compromise and a few sacrifices can lead you to greater costs.
Invest In Energy-Efficient Generators
Energy generators are modern solutions in terms of converting a form of energy – wind, solar, hydraulics, etc. – into electricity. This might sound grandiose as an option but is actually a good investment in the long run. You don’t have to install huge windmills in your backyard to be a source of energy but you can simply choose the ideal ones. To name a few, there are propane and solar panels.
Among the two mentioned, solar panels are the ones that are commonly and widely used. As its name says, the energy is coming from the light of the sun and is converted to electricity. This has been widely used for its help also towards the environment. If you happen to think of this as an investment, there are available solar panels for sale in the market.
On the other hand, propane’s energy is coming from the ammonia plus liquid which is burned to create heat. This is a more valid option due to its cost which is less than the other options. Its only disadvantage is its effect due to the burned chemical.
Energy saving is one of the most popular solutions in maintaining cost-efficient solutions in energy consumption – even before the pandemic occurred. It is important that even if we are in the comfort of our homes, we still contribute in saving more energy not just for the sake of the family’s budget but also for the betterment of our environment.
