Over the past year there has been one room in particular that has probably required a lot of extra electricity- your Home Office. Since COVID-19 impacted the world, many have switch from going into an office everyday to a shorter commute working from home  there’s one room in your home.

The pandemic has also affected how customers have started to consumed electricity. Residential demand increased by 10 percent when work-from-home mandates first went into effect- also if you consider how much more everyone was staying home and relying on indoor entertainment to keep them busy.

So if you find yourself still working from home, then we have some ways to reduce energy usage in your home office.

Use your laptop

Typically when you are working from you’re going to need a computer to work on. It is probably one of the most important devices that you’ll need in your home office. It should be unsurprising that computers account for a majority portion of energy usage. If you’re able to use a work laptop instead of a desktop computer then you should consider the switch, because laptops typically use up to 80 percent less energy than desktop computers.

Of course, the model of laptop you choose can also make a difference. Some laptops are more energy-efficient than others. Computers with an Energy Star label – whether a laptop or a desktop – actually use between 25-40 percent less energy than their conventional counterparts.

Power-saving mode

Most computers (and many other types of electric devices) come with a power-saving mode that can help you cut back on electric use. It is estimated that activating your computer’s power-saving mode could save you up to $100 a year in energy costs.

One important note to keep in mind is that if you use a desktop computer, your monitor may go to sleep before your computer. While the screen may be blank, your computer is still consuming electricity.

Need help with the equipment/software? Contact your IT Services at your job. They might be able to access things that you can’t to help you conserve energy.

Power strips

Your home office is probably full of all kinds of electronics- some you use daily, others maybe not so much. This means that you should be on the lookout for energy vampires – a devices that consumes electricity even when they aren’t in use. There’s a good chance your office is home to a few energy vampires.

So, how can you make sure these devices don’t run up your electric bill? The answer lies with power strips. If you plug your electronics into a power strip, you can easily flip everything off at the end of the day. This way, you can completely turn devices off rather than leaving them in standby mode all night.

And if you invest in a smart power strip, you could save even more. Smart power strips are designed to monitor your devices and automatically turn off when your electronics are in standby mode for a certain amount of time.So if you happen to forget to turn the power strip off, you won’t fall victim to energy vampires and they will turn off on their own.

Contact the experts at Prime Energy Solar today to help create a more energy efficient space!