Like most people, you’ve probably been spending more time at home than ever before in the past couple of years. Among other stuff, one of the nastier side effects of this change are rising power bills.

With a huge number of folks studying online or working remotely, your electricity use is bound to have gone up. And even before COVID-19 hit, let’s face it — you wouldn’t have minded having lower power bills. Plus, in the long run, you’d be doing the environment a big favour.

But that’s something you can still have — as long as you learn how to deal with rising electricity costs. And we’ve got a couple of great tips for just that!

Pay attention to the lighting

One of the easiest ways to cut back on wasteful energy use is to pay more attention to the lighting in your home. Basically, this amounts to not leaving the lights on when there’s no-one in the room — but it’s also about what kind of lighting you have.

If you haven’t already, you should definitely switch to LED bulbs, which are extremely energy-efficient. They use 75% less electricity, they give you better light — and they’ll last you a lot longer than halogen and incandescent bulbs.

Insulate your home properly

One of the most cost-effective ways to reduce power costs, in the long run, is insulating your home properly. With the right insulation in your attic, basement, and walls, you’ll have a far more energy-efficient home — with much lower heating and cooling costs. Your home will need less work from your HVAC system to maintain a desirable temperature. Insulation keeps you warm in the winter, and cool during the summer — it may cut down your energy usage by almost 50 per cent!

Check appliance settings

Most people don’t realize just how much their home appliance settings affect their overall energy spending. Sure, it might seem that adjusting the brightness setting on your TV won’t be a huge money saver — and it won’t, on its own. But combine that with reducing needlessly cold fridge settings, and using eco modes on air conditioners, washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers — and you’ve got a more substantial effect. None of these is likely to be deal-breakers for your household, and they can net you huge money savings on a monthly basis.We’ve already mentioned how your heating and cooling systems can be less costly with proper insulation. However, there are some other, smaller things you can do to make them more energy-efficient. The gist of it is the same — the harder air conditioning is forced to work to maintain a temperature, the more energy it will use.

So, try closing curtains, doors, and windows when you’ve got the AC on. And if there are any specific draughts you’ve noticed around the house, try to block them and keep the air in. Doing this doesn’t cost you anything beyond a little effort — but it’ll save you a ton of money over time.