Our BC Hydro electricity bills are often higher during the winter months. If you are like us, then you probably have to pay a lot more money during the winter as well. Are you thinking about reducing your usage and your bill at the same time? The following ten easy tips will help you save electricity and money!

  1. Turn off unnecessary lights: This is an easy one and one to start with, and we have been working on it at home with the boys. Anytime we leave a room we turn the lights off, simple.
  2. Manage your thermostat: If you have electric heat, lower your thermostat by two degrees to save 5% on your heating bill. Lowering it five degrees could save 10%.  I am finding that just those couple of degrees make a big difference. Wearing a sweater or sitting on the couch with a blanket always help too so you don’t feel too cold!
  3. Try cooking with smaller appliances – Use the microwave, crock pot, or toaster oven: A microwave takes 15 minutes to do the same job for 1 hour in an oven. This is an easy one to try and something I should work on more when baking and cooking dinners.
  4. Wash laundry with cold water: I already wash our clothes with cold water only, I love that you can even buy cold water laundry soap. Switching to cold water is an easy way to save electricity!
  5. Wash dishes with full loads: We always run the dishwasher at the end of the day when it is full. Try to avoid doing small loads before the dishwasher is full.
  6. Use LED bulbs: Switching to LED bulbs can help you lower your consumption.
  7. Take shorter showers: Hot water is expensive. If two people in your home cut their shower time by a minute each, you could save $30 over a year. I love long showers, and I am working on taking shorter showers every day, I like the challenge and knowing that I will be saving money!
  8. Toss a towel in the dryer: Did you know that a dry towel added to your dryer load can significantly reduce drying times. If you’re doing seven loads a week, this could save you $27 a year.
  9. Turn water off when shaving, washing hands, brushing teeth: This is an easy one to teach little ones. I always make sure we turn the water off while shaving, washing hands and brushing teeth. Reduce your hot water usage by 5% to save about $21.
  10. Join the BC Hydro’s Team Power Smart and start a Reduction Challenge: If you reduce your home’s electricity use by 10% in the next 12 months, you can earn a $50 reward. I joined the team this month, and I love having a special reward. I am looking forward to saving electricity and making some extra money.

Be sure to visit powersmart.ca for more tips, and to enter to win a Smart Energy Choice prize package including:

  1. Grand Prize of a Maytag ENERGY STAR® Washer & Dryer pair.
  2. iRobot Roomba
  3. Nest package. Visit powersmart.ca to enter to win.

Good Luck and Happy Savings!

Disclosure: This is a partnered post with BC Hydro. Compensation has been received to facilitate this post. However, all opinions and views on this post are 100% my own.