Reasons Why Your Energy Consumption Increases During Coronavirus Quarantine

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The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has brought the world to a standstill. It has disabled the ordinary business operations and claimed the lives of many people. As a result, governments have come up with various effective measures to reduce the spreading of the deadly respiratory infection. Quarantine has been one of the most emphasized measures to restrict the movement of people. The quarantine measure, however, has seen many people receive high energy consumption bills.

If your energy bill has been escalating during the coronavirus quarantine period, read on to find the possible reasons, and how you can control and reduce the consumption.

You are using many electrical appliances

Electrical appliances consume a lot of electricity, mainly if you use them often. Such devices include refrigerators, water heaters, HVAC systems, dishwashers, washing machines, and water pumps. On average, HVAC systems can consume up to 15,000 watts per hour, while a refrigerator can consume 1000 watts per hour. The dishwashers and washing machines may have lesser power consumption units, but the amount can become significant if you use them often.

The solution is to switch on your electrical appliances only when necessary. For instance, it would not be economical for you to use a dishwasher when you can hand wash the utensils. You can also consider using cold water other than water. For the HVAC system, get the programmable thermostat, which can turn on and off automatically. The smart thermostat features will help you save substantial amounts on your power bill.

Reasons 2: You are using computers, desktops, and phones more often

Staying in the house during this coronavirus pandemic means that you are using your desktops and phone more often. This is because probably you are trying to capture all news alerts and briefings affecting your country regarding the pandemic. You could also be using your phones and computers more to play games or to keep yourself busy while staying in the house. Lastly, the energy bill could be high if you are using the laptops to run your online business. It is okay to keep using them, but you can reduce their power consumption.

You can solve this issue in many ways. First, you can consider switching your smartphone to the energy-saving mode when you are not using the internet. Second, if you mainly use your computer or laptop for your business, you should consider making a tight schedule on when you are going to use it to lessen the energy consumption and maximize the time of utilizing it as well. Online business is quite profitable during this period, but you can increase its profits by comparing the different energy deals in the market to get the best deal. Lastly, you can minimize the electricity being used by having external devices more often and use the browsers which do not use much energy.

You are misusing the bulbs and the ceiling fans

Lighting is essential during coronavirus quarantine. However, misusing the lights can cause a spike in your energy utility bill. You can misuse your lighting system by keeping your lights on for an extended period or lighting all the rooms, including the vacant ones.

To solve this one, you do not have to switch on all the bulbs in the house unless you are using them. Secondly, remove bulbs in the unoccupied rooms, or the rooms which are not used frequently. Lastly, purchase energy-efficient bulbs to reduce the general energy consumption. The energy-saving bulbs are quite costly compared to the regular ones, but they can help you save substantial amounts on your energy utility bill.

Your electrical appliances are old or not energy efficient

Old electrical washing machines, dishwashers, and other appliances made before 1997 consume more power compared to modern devices. A refrigerator, for instance, could still be looking smart and trendy, but have high energy consumption. So, your energy consumption might be high during this quarantine period because of your old devices.

Upgrading all the old devices in your home is the best solution for this problem. There are many new brands in the market, and you should, therefore, research for the best. Due to the movement restrictions, it might not be possible to make a physical purchase. You can, however, use the internet to research the best models and make online orders.

It is usual for your energy bills to increase during this coronavirus quarantine since you are staying most of your time indoors. You should, however, take the right measures to control the rise. Upgrade your old appliances and devices, and manage your indoor lighting. Also, minimize the usage of your electrical appliance by doing manual talks if necessary. Lastly, find other things, hobbies, or activities to do to reduce your dependence on electricity.

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Samantha Acuna is a writer based in San Francisco, CA. Her work has been featured in The Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, and Yahoo Small Business.