Though you may not use quite as much electricity in your home during winter as you do during summer, you still don’t want to use more than you have to. Here are four easy tips to consume less electricity during the winter months.
Take advantage of the sun
You get less sunlight during the winter, so whenever you can, you should take advantage of it. Open your windows on sunny winter days, especially south-facing ones, to provide light and some natural heat in your home. This can greatly cut down on your electricity use during the daytime.
Use holiday lights sparingly
If you celebrate Christmas, you may be tempted to put up lights right after Thanksgiving and not take them down until well after Christmas. If you run them constantly, it can greatly increase your electric bill. To save electricity, use your Christmas lights only in the week or two running up to Christmas and only turn them on during times when people are most likely to see them. If you don’t have a timer, which you can get set up by a Miami electrician, the best practice is to turn them on when you get home from work and turn them off before you go to bed.
Heed energy vampires
You constantly have devices in your home that are sucking electricity when they aren’t being used, such as cell phone and tablet chargers and your cable box. These devices may increase during the winter as you add things such as space heaters. Remembering to unplug these devices when they aren’t in use can help you use less electricity.
Set your thermostat lower
If you have an electric furnace or use an electric heat pump, setting your furnace a couple of degrees lower can help you use less electricity during the winter. Better yet, a programmable thermostat can help you better regulate your energy use by being able to control temperatures at any time of day. If you don’t feel comfortable installing your own programmable thermostat, an electrician in Miami can do the work for you.