Power Saving Tips For Home Offices

Thanks to the COVID-19 lockdown, many firms and workers now see the full benefits of working from home. According to a survey conducted by Barrero, Bloom, and Davies in 2020, they estimated that before the pandemic, only 5% of workers worked from home. Still, after the pandemic, the figure has increased to 22%! Yet another survey conducted by FlexJobs estimated that over 4 million Americans have worked from home since the pandemic (about 3% of the total U.S. workforce).

While we can say this figure increased tremendously because of the general lockdown, We think it will also be fair to point out that contrary to what many people believe, working from home also tends to increase productivity, hence the reason why many firms have made it a permanent option for their workers. Working from home has many perks. For a start, it helps to save many hours of commuting time. Also, it has helped to reduce the amount of money you spend on repairing your cars and buying gas.

But then again, while some of these perks sound pretty enticing, working from home also means costs increase in other areas. For example, if the work requires you to be in front of a computer or phone all day long, you will likely use more power in the home. This is because you will need additional energy to power your computer, phone, Printer, and other work equipment. Therefore, if you wish to put your electricity bill under control while you work from home, this article is just for you!

Tips For Saving Energy In Your Home Office

If you add your energy bill to your annual or monthly expenditures, you will realize that you are spending more than you earn. And with other expenses here and there, you will not want this to continue any further. So, here are 4 ways you can conserve energy in your home office.

·       Toggle On Power Management Settings on All Your Devices

One of the best ways to converse energy while working from home is to activate power management settings on all your devices, such as phones, laptops, etc. Most modern electronic gadgets are now equipped with power-saving modes, which can be found when you go to the settings of your devices. When you activate this feature, it will first of all close all the apps that are running in the background. The feature will also reduce your device backlight since you will work indoors, not outdoors. Also, activating your device’s power management feature will eliminate the need to boot up your computer daily.

By Choosing The Right Lighting

Another thing you should learn is that the lighting you use in your workspace or your house will generally affect your energy usage. Typically, there are three types of lighting bulbs. We have Incandescent Bulbs, Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), and LED bulbs. Incandescent Bulb generally uses much energy, unlike the other two. For context’s sake, LED bulbs use about 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs, while CFLs use about 20%-30% more Energy.

Since you can’t do without proper lighting in the house, it will be best if you opt for LED bulbs. LED bulbs are energy-efficient lighting; to make it even better, they are not that expensive and also last for a long time. In addition, if you think you can survive without any lighting, you should probably opt for natural light.

·       Unplug Or Shut Down Equipment After Use

You may not know this, but electronic devices can still consume lots of energy if you leave them plugged in or fail to power them off when you are done using them. Electronic equipment such as your printer, television, laptop charger, phone charger, fan, etc., consume energy when you fail to turn them off even after use.

Consider using a power strip if you work from home and always forget to power off and unplug all your devices. A power strip is where to plug in all your devices, and with a simple flip, you can turn off all the devices you’ve had plugged into the power strip.

Also worth noting is that turning off some of these devices when not in use will conserve your energy and increase their lifespan.

·       Energy Efficient Heating & Cooling

The house’s heating and cooling equipment are very important because they offer comfort. For instance, during the winter season, you will want to stay warm while you work from home; this is where a heating device comes in. The same thing can be said when the weather is hot. Typically, you will need a cooling device to blow the heat out.

However, as important as these two devices are in the house, they can also increase your energy usage, thus increasing your energy bill.

While we understand that you need to keep your body warm and sometimes cold, you need to find alternatives to this equipment to conserve energy. For instance, if you’re feeling the heat and need fresh air, you should try opening windows or turning on the fans. Conversely, if you’re getting cold, you can use a space heater to warm the house or your home office.

Schedule An Appointment With Us Today!

If you’re amongst the millions of workers working from home, you need to find a way to conserve your energy usage as that would save you lots of money.

Therefore, if you live and work in British Columbia and want to know more about conserving energy in your home office, don’t hesitate to contact CNA Electric Ltd. at 1-250-816-8884 today. We’d be happy to talk with you about your electrical needs.