Now that you’re spending more time at home, you and your family are probably using electricity more than before. During lockdowns around the world, we have seen reductions in air pollution linked to less industrial activity like commuting. This is fantastic for clean air, but what else can you do to further cut your emissions footprint from home?
This week, think about all the electronics you use from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed, and sometimes even past that if you’re using white noise machines or music while you sleep. You are surrounded by electronics and now with virtual work life as the norm, you might be even more attached to your electronics (don’t worry, we are struggling with this too). Consciously using your home more energy efficiently will help you reduce emissions and can save you money while benefiting the planet.
Now that you’ve thought about all electricity flowing around your life, what can you do to limit your electronic use?
Ways to unplug
- Unplug all electronics you are not actively using so they’re not holding electricity while not in use, like some chargers
- Embrace an “electronics cut off time”. This one is hard, especially if you have kids, but try to limit your usage of electronics after a certain time to cut your costs and help you sleep better
- Charge all your items you use and then unplug them when they hit 100%, and drain their batteries entirely before recharging
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Lola finds her favorite sun spot Turn off the lights – try to keep as many of your lights off in the morning and see how many you really need to function, maybe open your windows and see how different lighting is throughout the day. Maybe you’ll find the coveted “sun spot” at that perfect time in the day.
These are just a few suggestions, but any step towards reducing our personal emissions is a step towards a better future. All these simple changes you can make every day will reduce your electricity consumption and could even save you money in the long run!