From working and learning to exercising and streaming media, our homes have transformed into offices, classrooms, gyms and entertainment centers.
As COVID-19 causes many of us to spend practically all of our time at home, ComEd offers these tips to save energy and money:
Turn off your computer at night. Turning off your computer at night could save you up to 13% in energy costs, depending on your use and power management settings. Save even more by plugging your computer, monitor and printer into one power strip and turning the strip off when you go to bed.
Set your computer to “sleep mode” when not in use. Running your computer and monitor constantly wastes a significant amount of electricity. However, a computer idling in “sleep” mode uses less than half the energy of an active computer.
Turn off lights when you leave the room. In an average home, lighting accounts for nearly 9% of electricity costs. Turning lights off when you’re not in the room is a simple way for you to make a dent in your energy bill.
Run ceiling fans in reverse to circulate warm air. We know ceiling fans help keep us cool and reduce A/C costs in the summer. These same fans can be just as useful in reducing your dependence on heating and lowering your energy bill. Running the fan in reverse creates an updraft that sends warmer air pooled near the ceiling back down into the living space.
Run full dishwasher loads. Your dishwasher uses a great deal of energy, especially for heating water.
Clear area around heating and cooling vents. Furniture, carpets and other objects can block vents and prevent heated or cooled air from traveling. This blockage makes your heating or cooling system work harder and prevents rooms from warming up or cooling down quickly.
Set your refrigerator’s temperature to 38°F. In most households, the refrigerator is the one thing that is always on. In the average home, the refrigerator consumes the most energy of all kitchen appliances. Make sure your refrigerator is not too cold in order to minimize the annual costs of running the appliance.
Open your shades for natural light and warmth. Taking advantage of sunlight can put a dent in your heating costs. Open blinds during the day to provide natural lighting and capture free heat.
Spotlight your workspaces. Overhead bulbs can brighten a space, but often use more light than you need. Using a kitchen counter light while preparing dinner—or a small lamp to read a book—brings more direct light to the task at hand and saves energy.
Unplug electronics when they’re not in use. Many electronic devices continue to draw power even when they are turned off. By unplugging devices and chargers when they are not in use, you can avoid paying for extra energy.
