How To Save Money On Your Electricity Bill During A Heatwave?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most people have spent more than a year at home, which means that their electricity consumption may have also gone up significantly. With the rising temperatures all over the country and the approaching heatwave, there is no doubt that electricity consumption will rise drastically and cause a huge dent in the pockets of residents.
Rising temperatures and heatwaves have become very common nowadays, maybe due to the excessive pollution and damage that has been done to the environment in the past few decades. This causes a phenomenon known as global warming, and the earth’s temperature keeps rising by a few degrees every year.
Like many residents, you may also be worried as to how much you will have to pay in electricity bills during the heatwave. The extreme temperatures make it inevitable for people to run their air conditioners at full blast and lower temperatures, which will definitely bump up the prices. However, there are some methods that you can apply to ensure that you don’t have to go over your budget by paying a hefty electricity bill. Let’s cover these tips and methods one by one.
Adding Layers to Windows
One of the best ways to avoid using the air conditioner too much is to keep your home from getting too hot, and this can only be done by preventing the heat from coming into your home. For this purpose, you can start by adding shade coverings or awnings to your windows, so that you can keep the sun’s rays from entering your home. Moreover, this would also prevent your glass from heating up and transmitting the heat inwards.
Another way to go about it is to close all of the windows and blinds inside your home as soon as you wake up. In the morning, the temperature starts to rise quickly, and this causes your home to get hotter. Therefore, make sure to close all of the windows and cover them in the early morning.
Plus, you can also open the windows as soon as the sun goes down because at this time, your home’s indoor temperature is higher than the exterior temperature, and opening the windows would help let the heat out, thus keeping your home cooler.
By applying all of these methods, you will manage to reduce your indoor temperature by a slight few degrees, and you will be able to keep your air conditioner at a higher temperature or use it for less time instead of using it all day.
Another way to curb energy consumption during a heatwave is to install double-paned windows in your home instead of single-paned windows. These windows contain two layers of glass with very little space between them, and they trap the heat from outside, preventing it from reaching into your home and thus keeping your home at a much lower temperature.
Adjusting the Thermostat
The thermostat is the control panel of your HVAC system, and it is usually installed inside the wall somewhere inside your home. During the heatwave, it can become unbearably hot and you would be tempted to lower the temperature to feel more comfortable inside your home. However, this can hike up your electricity bill.
Normally, air conditioner usage takes up 40% of your electricity bill in the summer, which is why you should adjust the thermostat at 78 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature, not only will the electricity consumption be optimal, but it will also keep your home at a comfortable temperature.
Moreover, if your home permits increasing the temperature even further, you will be able to cut down the electricity consumption by 10% with every two-degree increment. This will have a significant impact on your electricity bill, and you won’t have to pay a lot of money in terms of the electricity bill.
Using a Fan
As mentioned above, the air conditioner does keep your home cool, but it also amounts to 40% of your electricity bill in the summers. Of course, you will be inclined to turn up the cooling when the heatwave comes by, but instead of doing so, you can actually keep the air conditioner at the recommended 78 degrees Fahrenheit.
Most of the time, the air conditioner is doing its best to cool your home, but the problem lies in the air circulation. Therefore, you can make use of a pedestal or battery-powered fans to direct the cold air from the HVAC system throughout the room. This way, you will be able to keep your home cool while running the AC at a higher temperature. Moreover, it may also allow you to increase the temperature by a few degrees.
If you have ceiling fans at home, there is nothing better than that. It would also allow you to raise the temperature of the air conditioner even higher, and use the fan to keep the entire home cool. However, make sure to turn off the fans when you leave the room or your home because they are ineffective at keeping the home cool for a long time and they are only useful when you are present.
Replacing Bulbs with LED Lights
If you still use traditional halogen bulbs in your home, you will know that they can get quite hot and also increase the air temperature around them. During the heatwave, these bulbs will burn even hotter, which will make it difficult for you to simply be in the room even. As a consequence, you will be forced to turn up the air conditioner to keep your home cool.
You can solve this problem by replacing halogen bulbs and tube lights with LED bulbs, which are much more energy-efficient. LED lights are up to 80% more efficient than other traditional lights, and they can also last much longer. Moreover, they are also quite cheaper and won’t cause a strain on your budget. By installing them, you will be able to run your air conditioner at the recommended temperature, instead of bringing it down.
Another benefit of having LED lights is that since they are much more energy-efficient, you will actually be saving a lot of energy, which will reflect on your electricity bill.
Another way to combat the heatwave and prevent overspending on your electricity bill is by turning off any useless or non-essential lights when you don’t need them. Whenever you leave a room, you can turn off the lights, but if you have LED lights, you can leave them on if you are going to be back within 15 minutes. Moreover, in the morning and afternoon, you don’t really need artificial lighting, or you can simply use one or two lights in place of multiple lights.
The key is to keep your lights off when you need your air conditioner, especially in the morning and afternoon. This will help you save a great amount of energy and also keep your electricity bill at a moderate level.
Avoiding Water Heating
You may not think much of it, but water heaters and geysers can make up for 16-20% of your electric bill, which is a lot of money. Therefore, during a heatwave, it is always wise to keep the use of hot water to a minimum, so that you can actually afford to reduce the temperature of your air conditioner by a few degrees. This will balance out the financial impact of turning up the air conditioner.
During the heatwave, it is always beneficial for you to take colder showers, and also use cold water for washing your clothes. Coldwater is also good for keeping you cool during the heatwave, and it can also boost your immunity. Moreover, it is best that you use all your heat generating appliances in the evening because the temperature will be much colder and it would actually result in lower energy consumption.
Avoiding the Oven
As mentioned above, the use of ovens can really boost up the temperature inside your home, and they would naturally incline you to lower your AC temperature. Especially during the heatwave, make sure to rely on foods that you can make do without using the oven, and also avoid reheating your foods, because you will just be consuming even more electricity in the process.
If you avoid using the oven, not only will you be able to prevent your home from heating up, but you will also be able to use your air conditioner at the desired temperature. If you still need something to heat or cook your food, you can use an air fryer, slow cooker, instant pot, or similar appliances as they have much less energy consumption. This automatically translates to lower electric bills.
Another method, although less convenient, is to order in or dine out, so that you don’t have to use your oven or microwave as much as you do. Plus, if you head over to a restaurant, you can keep the air conditioner off while you aren’t at home, thus avoiding any wastage of power. Moreover, restaurants have air conditioners installed, so you will be able to stay cool as you eat your meals.
Using a Smart Thermostat
Another useful tip is to replace your traditional thermostat with a smart device, which can regulate the temperature inside your home according to the external temperature. You can have a reliable and professional electrician in Vancouver install it for you in no time at all. The smart thermostat detects the ambient temperature and increases or decreases the temperature accordingly.
Therefore, your home will be much more comfortable to live in, and you won’t have to keep fiddling with the thermostat yourself. Smart thermostats have been known to reduce energy consumption by up to 20%, which can go a long way towards reducing your energy bill. Moreover, it can also help you stay cool during the heatwave.
Avoiding High-Powered Appliances
As you may already know, something called ‘peak hours’ is applied when your electricity bill is calculated. These hours usually fall in the bracket of 9 AM and 9 PM, which is when you should avoid using any high-powered electrical appliances, such as the steam iron, electric oven, microwave, hairdryer, and many others. If you use them during these hours, you may be charged more than the usual tariff.
Another smart way to go about the matter is to install smart plugs and timer switches all over your home. These can help you moderate the use of these high-energy appliances and turn them off when the peak hours start. Your electrician Vancouver will be able to help you buy and install these switches, and although this is an expenditure that you may not want to make, it will pay you off in the long run.
Moreover, during a heatwave, you will actually be able to save a lot of energy on other appliances, and also direct it towards running the air conditioner efficiently. If you run a lot of appliances at the same time, it would cause your HVAC system to become burdened and lose its efficiency.
Another useful tip is to always unplug all of the appliances and devices you aren’t using. Generally, such appliances draw a little power from the electrical system, even when the device is turned off. Even if you leave chargers plugged into wall sockets, they will draw a very small amount of residual energy, and if you multiply it by the number of days of the month, you can actually bring up your energy bill by a significant amount.
Upgrading your Air Conditioner
This may be the costliest option that we are suggesting, but it may help you greatly if you replace and upgrade your air conditioner before the heatwave hits your area. Air conditioners and HVAC systems are built to last a good few years, after which they start developing problems and also start consuming more electricity than usual. Hence, you start paying more for using your AC than you normally do.
If your air conditioner has been giving you problems for some time, it is always better to replace it than get it repaired. Repairs will only increase the efficiency of your AC by a little margin, but replacing it would allow your home to become properly cooled. In case you aren’t looking to replace it, you should replace the filters from time to time and also get the ducts cleaned properly to allow proper airflow into your home.
The filters on your HVAC system need to be replaced every six months, but when the heatwave hits, you should immediately change the filters, even if you have replaced them a month or two ago. Not changing the filters means that the air conditioner will have to work very hard to provide cooling to your home, and you will have to pay heavily for it. If you feel that your air conditioner is working perfectly, but a certain room or your bedroom doesn’t cool properly, then you should have its duct examined. If things still seem to be wrong, you can also consider having a portable air conditioner in your room. Not only will it consume less power than a full-fledged air conditioner, but you can also turn up the temperature of your HVAC system while you are using it. Plus, you can also move it around the house, keeping it in any room you need.
Checking the HVAC Ducts
As mentioned above, your air ducts play a major role in supplying cool air to the entire house. Over time, they can develop leaks or cracks, which causes the cold air to get wasted and prevents it from reaching the entire home. This also causes the air conditioner to work harder to fill the gap, which causes a 30% jump in energy consumption.
When it comes to the heatwave, leaking ducts would make it even more difficult for the air conditioner to keep your home at the optimal temperature, and the energy consumption may even go up by 50% or more, thus making it even difficult and unbearable for you to pay the electricity bill.
This brings us to the end of our guide on saving money on your electricity bill during a heatwave. When the mercury hits extreme levels, the only thing on your mind would be escaping the heat, rather than worrying about the energy consumption. The only time you start worrying about energy is when the electricity bill arrives, at which point it is already too late to do anything.
Therefore, the best way is to follow some or all of the aforementioned tips to control the energy consumption, and also to keep your energy bill down, even when you use the air conditioner during the heatwave. While using your air conditioner, it is also impertinent to mention that the root cause for the heatwaves also needs to be assessed.
The energy that is used to power up your air conditioner is the very energy that contributes greatly to global warming, which is why renewable energy is the need of the hour. Although you can’t do much about it, we can only hope that the switch to renewable energy is made on a greater level. On your end, you can make sure that the heatwave doesn’t force you to run your air conditioner at full blast.