I have no idea what inspired me to look at the National Day Calendar today, but today’s theme was right up my alley… National Cut Your Energy Costs Day. This is a particularly good topic this year because North Vancouver is having a colder than normal winter. We’ve had snow on the ground for a month! That’s typically unheard of. January 3rd set a 10 year record for energy consumption, according to BC Hydro.
To help combat the rising energy costs and increase in consumption, here are a few tips to help you keep your bills down:
- Weatherproof your home – seal drafts or cover your windows with plastic.
- Turn down thermostats – save up to 2% on your heating bill for every 1ºC you turn down your thermostat.
- Heat only the rooms you’re using – close warm air supply registers, or lower the thermostat if you have baseboard heaters, in rooms you’re not using.
- Turn off lights when you leave a room.
- Use energy-efficient lights such as LEDs and CFLs.
- Run dishwasher and washing machine only when fully loaded and skip the drying cycle.
- Lower water heater temperature – no lower than 55ºC and no higher than 60ºC. This can pay off in savings of up to 5% for every 6ºC.
- Install low-flow shower heads and take shorter showers.
- Unplug unused appliances.
- Unplug phone and laptop chargers when not in use.
- Wash your clothes in cold water for up to 90% energy savings, hang to dry for even more savings.
Did you know that you can track your daily energy consumption online? Log into My Hydro to see how your energy consumption changes day to day. You can also take the Team Power Smart Challenge. If you reduce your c
onsumption by 10% in a year, you’ll receive a $50 rebate!
For more energy-savings tips check out my blog post “Tips for Saving Energy at Home“. What do you do to save energy at home?
Naturally North Van 