Post-Pandemic: Are You Still Using More Electricity?

During the pandemic, electricity use soared in many households as more parents worked from home and children attended their classes virtually. Even though the national emergency has been lifted, people are still spending more time at home than before.

When folks are home all day, they crank up the heat in the winter and lower the air conditioning in the summer instead of giving their HVAC systems an hourslong break when everyone is out of the house.

If you’re still working at home and spending evenings indoors, consider adopting some energy-saving habits that will help lower your energy use.

The main goal: Waste less energy. Here are five tips:

Unplug appliances when you’re not using them. Pull the plug on the TV in the spare bedroom that you rarely use. Detach your desktop computer once you’re finished working for the day or use power strips to shut down your entire workstation all at once. This prevents the constant drain of electricity through devices when they’re not in use.

Turn off the lights. If any of your lamps or overhead fixtures still have incandescent bulbs in them, switch them to LEDs. Even then, turn them off whenever you leave a room, and teach your children to do the same.

An extra freezer or refrigerator in the garage that’s empty or nearly empty is one of the biggest energy-wasters in any home. Extra fridges are typically castoff, out-of-date models that use much more electricity than the modern version in your kitchen. Plus, they’re often placed in uninsulated areas of your home, like the garage, where they have to work harder to stay cool.

Don’t run a half-full dishwasher. Run it every other day if that’s how long it takes to fill it.

Trade in your thermostat for a programmable one. That way, you won’t have to remember to turn up the thermostat a few degrees before you leave.