8 Family Energy Hacks for a Budget-Friendly Summer at Home

Every parent knows that the power bill spikes during the summer. With the weather warming up and the kids spending more time at home, it’s no wonder our energy consumption shoots up. Instead of dreading the sky-high power bills, take some time to get your whole family on board with saving electricity. Here are eight family energy-saving hacks for a budget-friendly summer at home:

Switch Off Devices When You Leave a Room

This age-old tip is one of the simplest ways to get your family involved in energy savings. It only takes a couple of extra seconds and some mindfulness. First, teach your kids about how items that are switched on use energy, even if no one is in the room using them. This is true for lights, fans and other electronics. Remind every member of your family to turn everything off before they leave a room, even if it’s just for a couple of minutes. It’ll be second nature before they know it!

Beware of Energy Vampires

After telling your family to turn off devices when they leave a room, take the opportunity to teach them about energy vampires. Explain that certain devices, even when switched off, still use electricity. Ask everyone to unplug electronics when not using them, even if they’re still in the same room. TVs, gaming consoles, computers and chargers are some of the biggest energy vampires in your home, so make sure these are always unplugged when not in use.

Keep the Thermostat “Just Right”

Your AC accounts for most of your home’s power consumption, especially during the hot summer months. While it’s tempting to drop it to a chill 70°F, this causes your bill to jump. It’s recommended to keep your thermostat set at 78°F in the summertime to save electricity. Tell your child that this is your family’s goal, and encourage them to keep a checklist or chart where they can track the thermostat setting throughout the day. This will help them feel involved in achieving a common goal. Plus, their chart can be as fun, colorful and decorative as they like!

Close the Door!

Now that your kids understand how the thermostat works, explain the habits that affect how hard it has to work. Hot air coming in from outside is a major player. When they’re playing outside, encourage them to avoid opening and closing the door often. If they need to come inside for a couple of minutes, remind them to shut the door until they’re ready to go back outside instead of leaving it open. This is also a good time to explain to them that the refrigerator and freezer work the same way, and to encourage them to avoid holding the doors open for too long.

Let the Sunshine in…Sometimes

If you’re looking to save money on lighting, opening the blinds to let in some natural light is a smart move, but only at certain times of the day. Depending on the time of day, windows can let in a lot of heat. The sun beaming into the windows causes your AC to work overtime to keep your home cool. Encourage your family to open curtains and blinds only in the early morning and late evening, keeping them closed in the afternoon to block out the sun when it’s at its peak. Explain to them that this is especially important for south-facing windows, which generally let the most sunlight in due to the way the sun moves across the sky throughout the day.

Showers Over Baths

Make sure your family knows that energy consumption doesn’t just come from electronics and the AC; it comes from using hot water as well. Much of your home’s hot water usage comes from bathtime. Encourage your family to take showers instead of baths, and challenge them to conserve water by limiting their showers to 10-15 minutes.

Spend Time Outside

It’s easy to rely on electronics for entertainment, but staying cooped up in the house glued to the TV or video game console can seriously drive up your power consumption. To avoid this, create a family rule that limits screen time to certain timeframes. Outside of those times, plan fun family activities to get everyone active and engaged. Spending time in the fresh air is a great way to give your electricity a much-needed break and your family some quality bonding time. Go for walks, have picnics and play outdoor games—your family won’t even miss their devices!

Make it Fun!

The best way to encourage every member of your family to save energy is to make it fun. Turn these various hacks into fun challenges or games. Create crafts and tell stories to teach your kids about energy conservation. Make DIY signs together to hang around the house as a reminder of the goals and rules. The more it sounds like fun and less like rules, the more your family will want to stay involved.

Now, you’re ready to enjoy a budget-friendly summer with these energy-saving hacks for the whole family. Looking to cut your power bill even more? Check out prepaid power from Pronto Power or reach out to us online!