Telecommuting: 3 easy ways to save on your home office energy bill

More and more people are starting to think about ways to reduce their energy consumption. Especially if they work from home. Some want to reduce their bills, while others feel the need to reduce their impact on the planet.

Whatever the reasons, it is never a bad idea to reduce your electricity consumption.

For many years, I have been testing office equipment, both on a test bench and in real office environments, and I closely monitor their energy consumption. The positive thing I have noticed is that, overall, the devices are becoming more and more efficient.

Good job, gentlemen manufacturers.

But this does not mean that there is no room for improvement. I’m going to give you some tips to help you get money back from your electricity company. Will these tips save you hundreds of euros? It’s unlikely, unless you are a heavy consumer of electricity, but not only will you save money and help reduce the impact on the planet, but you will also make your office safer.

Getting rid of old incandescent light bulbs

Old incandescent light bulbs are one of the biggest energy consumers I find in modern offices. While most people know how to replace these old light bulbs with modern LED bulbs in light fixtures, they seem to neglect desk lamps.

So check all your light bulbs!

And since you are buying LED bulbs, I recommend that you buy quality bulbs. Although all low-energy bulbs look the same, I know from experience that the cheapest ones do not last as long as the quality bulbs from major brands such as Philips.

Get yourself a Power Meter

The best way to find out how much energy your devices are consuming is to use a power meter! In this way, you can check all your equipment, from your laptops and PCs and their chargers, to lamps, televisions and refrigerators.

In addition, testing all your devices is a good way to check that they are not damaged or in poor condition.

It’s always good to know what you have in your office.

Get connected sockets

Despite the hype, turning off the devices is not going to save you a lot of money. But the more gadgets you have, the more you will save. The most practical and modern way to achieve this is to use smart and connected sockets!

It will probably only amount to a few euros a year in savings, but every little gesture counts.

But there is another hidden advantage to turning off devices when they are not in use: safety. Leaving appliances plugged in and powered on 24/24, 7/7 and 365 days a year leads to premature wear and may present a slight, but real fire risk.

Turning off the devices is by far the safest option!

Bonus: Use your electric battery to capture free energy!

Many people use electric batteries and solar panels when camping, or to compensate for power outages. But nothing prevents you from using it to capture solar energy for your home or office.

Even in the United Kingdom, from where I am writing to you, and where clouds and rain are frequent, I was able to capture several hundred euros of electricity. Connect your solar panels to your electric battery, put them in the sun and recover free energy!

Source: “ZDNet.com “