It feels like the cost of everything is always going up in price and your electric bill isn’t any different. Winter in Alberta can be brutal. I mean, seriously, the past few winters have been brutally cold. With that comes a more expensive electric bill and the need to want to stay in your home and stay warm.
Families in Alberta are always looking for ways to save on their heating and electricity costs. With more time spent in the home in the winter, it can be hard to do that sometimes but here are some tips to help you save on your electric bill so you don’t feel like you are sacrificing anything else during the cold, winter months in Alberta.
TIPS TO HELP SAVE ON YOUR ELECTRIC BILL IN ALBERTA
1| Unplug unused electronics. This is such an easy way to save some money when it comes to electricity used in your home. How many things do you have plugged in every day that you just don’t use all the time?
Think about the items in just your kitchen alone.
Toaster, blender, coffee maker, griddle and more. It just takes a few seconds to unplug these appliances when they are not in use and they can add up to savings throughout the year.
2| Use a timer for holiday lights. This is the season for all the decorations. Whether they are outdoors or indoors, January is filled with lights on Christmas trees and the lights you put up outside your home. Let’s face it, in the cold Alberta winters, you more than likely will not be taking those lights down until it warms up. Using these lights will increase your electricity bill but using a timer for all of those lights means that you can turn them off and on at a certain time.
You don’t need your lights on throughout the night when everyone is sleeping. Grab a timer and set it up so you don’t have to remember to do it yourself every single night.
3| Insulate your pipes. Do you turn the shower on and then wait for it to warm up? Most of us do. If you insulate your hot water pipes in your home, it is going to take less time to warm up the water so you don’t need to leave the water running as long. This also goes for every other faucet in your home including bathrooms and kitchen.
4| Lower the room temperature by 1-degree. This isn’t a big sacrifice for most people. You probably won’t even notice a 1-degree temperature change but the impact that it has on your electric bill can be HUGE. On average, the savings will be 1.5% in your overall bill for every 8 hours that you lower your thermostat by just 1-degree.
5| Curtains. Open the curtains in the daytime to let the sun in and close your curtains at night time to help the warmth stay in your home. The sun is a great way to naturally heat your house during the day. Not only that, it just makes you feel better when the sun is shining so let it into your home. When the sun is shining, lower your thermostat even more so that the sun can make up the difference.
6| Install a programmable thermostat. This is a great way to reduce your electric bills without having to think about it. Lower the thermostat at night while you sleep and increase it before you wake up in the morning.
A few benefits of a programmable thermostat are…
- Increases your home’s efficiency
- Keeps a consistent temperature
- Helps you save money
- Gives you system alerts
- Automation so you don’t need to think about doing it
7| Install energy-efficient appliances. Energy-efficient appliances are meant to use the minimum amount of energy required to complete the task that is meant for. This means that it is saving you energy costs while being efficient. These appliances are also environmentally friendly. Using these appliances could save you up to 30% on your energy costs.
8| Don’t block the air vents in your home. By blocking the air vents in your home, you are making your furnace work harder than it needs to. You are diminishing the amount of warm or cool air that is entering your home. By keeping the air vents clear, you are ensuring that the air is moving around your home and your furnace isn’t working so hard to keep up.
9| Winterize your home. This seems to be a necessary step when it comes to winter in Alberta. There are a few different ways that you can winterize your home to help lower your electric costs.
- Insulate the windows in your home. This is going to help reduce drafts that are caused by windows.
- Reverse the ceiling fans. By reversing your ceiling fan, you take the warm air near the ceiling and move it down. This can save you energy costs of up to 15%.
- Change furnace filters. You should check them once a month. By changing your furnace filters, you are getting better airflow which leads to greater performance by your furnace.
- Draft proof your home. You can draft proof your home by using a door snake and weatherstripping your doors and windows.
10| Check your home’s insulation. You will want to do this, especially with an attic area. You can save anywhere from 10 to 50% on your energy bills with this simple improvement.
11| Adjust your water heater temperature. The ideal temperature for your water heater is 120 degrees. If you are looking for another way to help your water stay hot, grab a hot water heater blanket. This blanket is going to reduce the standing heat losses of your hot water tank by up to 45%
12| Heat people, not the space. We all have that one family member that is always cold. A simple way to combat increasing your electric bill is to heat the people in your home and not the space itself.
A few ways that you can do that are…
- Use heated blankets
- Layer your clothing
- Wear warm winter socks
13| Block your chimney. The biggest source of heat loss in homes is the chimney. Warm air escapes through here and cold air comes down making it harder for you to keep your home warm. To help with the heat loss that a chimney brings, use top-sealing dampers, chimney caps or chimney balloons when not in use.
Those are simple ways for you to save money on your electric bills in the Alberta winters.