Tips to save energy when working from home

There’s no consensus on working from home; some people love it, some people hate it. But the truth is working from home can be pretty great and inconvenient at the same time – you can skip your usual business attire and spend the entire day at home in your pyjamas. Plus, not having to drive to work means you save a little gas money. 

On the other hand, if you’re working remotely, that might mean you’re using more electricity and natural gas than usual at home and that can cause your utility costs to rise. Not only you spend more time inside, but also use more energy-consuming devices than usual, including laptops, screens, phones and other work-related gadgets depending on what you do for a living. If that doesn’t sound ideal, don’t worry – we’ve compiled a list of home energy-saving tips right in this post to help you save energy while working.

Wondering how to save energy when working from home? Read on to learn about some great energy-saving tips for anyone working remotely.

1. Use a smart power strip for all your devices

When you work from home, it’s inevitable that you’ll be using electronics like your laptop, computer, phone, and the like. Electronics can use power even when they’re idle – plugging all your devices into a smart power strip will help prevent your devices from using more power than necessary.

2. Don’t open the oven before your food is ready

Working from home can also mean you save money on meals – no need to head out to a restaurant to grab lunch. However, if you open your oven constantly to peek on your food, you’ll have to wait longer for your food to be done plus you’ll have used more electricity than necessary. That’s because every time you open your oven, some of the heat gets released into the surrounding air and it has to use power to get back up to the right temperature. Being patient really helps you save energy – set a timer and resist peeking into your oven before your food is done.

3. Turn off your oven a few minutes before your food finishes cooking

When you turn off your oven, the heat doesn’t disappear right away – you can make use of this residual heat to finish cooking your meal. Provided you don’t open your oven door, turning off your oven a few minutes before your food is ready can help you use less electricity.

4. Air dry your dishes instead of having your dishwasher do it for you

One little downside of cooking for yourself when you’re working at home is that there are dishes you have to rinse and place into the dishwasher. You can limit the amount of energy your dishwasher uses though – just turn off the heat dry setting in your dishwasher. Once your dishes are cleaned, you can simply open your dishwasher door and let your dishes air dry.

5. Bundle up instead of cranking the thermostat up

All Canadians know how cold winter can be here. Still, that doesn’t mean you should crank up your thermostat to keep warm. Instead, layer up – wear sweaters, cardigans, socks and blankets. You’ll be toasty in no time with a lower utility bill to boot.

6. Update your appliances to energy-efficient ones

If you want to maximize your energy-savings in the long term, making sure your appliances are energy-efficient is a great way of doing so. Appliances like your oven and coffee maker will probably be used more often when you’re working at home – you can save a lot of energy by replacing them with energy-efficient ones. For example, you can check the Energy Star official site for certified energy-efficient appliances. You don’t even need to go outside to get yourself a new oven – you can order one online and have it delivered right to your door.

7. Open the curtains

This tip is especially helpful for in the winter – by opening the curtains, you’re letting sunlight in to naturally heat up your home. Plus, you won’t have to turn on any lights while it’s still daytime outside, especially if you have large windows at home.

8. Stay in one room while you’re working

There’s nothing wrong with stretching your legs and taking a walk around your house when you need it. However, wandering through your house means you’re likely to forget to turn off a light here and there or to forget to turn off the television in the other room. Staying in one room can help mitigate you forgetting to turn off the hallway lights and save you energy in the long run. This is also a productivity tip: Setting up a workspace in a specific area of your home can boost your performance.

9. Compare energy rates in your area and change providers if necessary

Regardless of what you do to save energy, you’ll probably always have to pay for electricity or natural gas. To ensure that you’re not paying more than you have to, you can use sites like EnergyRates.ca to help you compare energy rates between energy providers in your area. 

Both residential and commercial energy consumers can use EnergyRates.ca in  Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Québec.