Edmonton Is One of the Coldest Cities in North America.
Edmonton in Alberta, Canada is known for its colder winter months when the temperature frequently drops below freezing level, especially at night. To remain warm along with being able to afford the fuels required for daily living, you must learn how to conserve electricity and natural gas. Fortunately, other property owners have the same concerns about reducing their monthly utility costs, leading to excellent tips for saving energy in a home.
Tips for Reducing Your Energy Consumption
Tip 1: Open Curtains and Drapes during the Daytime
You can enjoy natural sunlight during the daytime by opening the drapes or the curtains in a home. With sunlight, you won’t need to use as many lamps while working on a computer or watching television. In the afternoon, you will notice that your home is getting colder as dusk approaches, so you should close the curtains and drapes. In addition, hanging heavy thermal fabric drapes over the windows is recommended to avoid having any cold drafts.
Tip 2: Wash All of Your Dishes and Pans at One Time
Rather than filling up the kitchen sink with hot water after each meal, wash all of your dishes and pans at one time. This can reduce the amount of hot water that is required for cleaning these items, helping to reduce your natural gas or electric bill. If you have a dishwasher, then learn how to load it properly so that you can wash as many items as possible, and rather than using the dishwasher’s drying setting, open the dishwasher so that the contents can dry naturally. An additional benefit from this process is that the steam from the dishwasher will fill your home with moisture, helping to keep you warmer.
Tip 3: Keep the Floors in a Home Warmer
By using throw rugs and carpeting on the floors of your home, it will feel warmer. Carpets and throw rugs can insulate cold floors to reduce the cost of heating a home. Keep a rug on the area near the kitchen’s sink so that your feet won’t freeze, and also, have throw rugs on the floors in the bathroom so that you will feel warmer after bathing. At the same time, make sure to wear heavy socks, shoes or bedroom slippers on your feet while you are home during the wintertime.
Tip 4: Add Insulation to Your Home
To avoid having freezing cold water from the faucets of a home, make sure to wrap self-adhesive insulating tape around the water pipes that are inside and outside your home. Buy rolls of insulation to place on attic floors or basement walls. You can also insulate a garage to keep this space warmer during the winter. Look for insulating devices to place over the holes behind switch plates and electrical outlets to prevent the loss of climate-controlled air.
Renewable and Alternative Energy Sources
Consider using renewable or alternative sources of energy for your home, including lighting a fire in a fireplace or installing solar panels on the roof of a home. At night, you can turn down the furnace’s thermostat and use an electric blanket or heated mattress pad on a bed to stay warm. It is also okay to use space heaters inside your home as long as you use a high-quality device and follow its safety guidelines.
Energy Saving Tips for the Coldest Days of Winter
Tip 1: Keep a Home’s Doors Closed as Much as Possible
With the natural gas rates in Edmonton, you will want to avoid wasting any energy, so remember that each time that someone opens an exterior door, it leads to a loss of climate-controlled air.
Tip 2: Bundle Up In Layers of Clothing
Make sure to bundle up in layers of clothing while you are inside your home. You can wear long thermal underwear pants or shirts along with heavy sweaters and jeans. If your hands are cold, then you can buy a pair of fingerless gloves.
Last, monitor your home’s utility bills to determine if your energy costs are increasing. If you notice a problem, then look for additional ways to avoid wasting natural gas or electricity.
