Energy efficiency for parents

A new addition to the family comes with all sorts of new costs, but you can grow your family without increasing your utility bills. Whether you’re expecting your first child or raising your third, here are four simple ways you can save on energy.

Upgrade your night-lights

Parents can spend a lot of time awake at night with their little ones. Instead of getting up and turning on all of your lights, strategically place energy-efficient LED motion-sensor night-lights to help guide you through your space. If you want to take your energy efficiency one-step further, upgrade all of your lights to ENERGY STAR^® certified light bulbs. They save 90% more energy and last 15 times longer than standard bulbs.

For even more savings, choose ‘smart’ bulbs. This way you can control your energy use through your smartphone or smart assistant from anywhere. This makes life a little easier when bouncing around the house with a busy baby.

Temperature control

Take control of things with an ENERGY STAR certified smart thermostat, a great investment for parents who want to make saving easy. These thermostats learn your preferred temperature and establish a schedule that automatically adjusts to energy-saving temperatures when you’re away or sleeping. You can also adjust, track and manage your energy use from your smartphone or smart assistant. If you need to wait before making the upgrade, you can manually set your thermostat to energy-saving temperatures. A good rule of thumb is to set it to 20°C when home and awake and to 17°C when away or sleeping.

Clean up smart

A little baby can make a surprisingly big mess, which means you’ll need to rely on your household appliances even more. With appliances accounting for 13.6% of energy used in the average Canadian household, upgrading to ENERGY STAR certified appliances will help you save money, energy and reduce your carbon footprint. If you have other priorities before making the upgrade, take advantage of the ‘eco-mode’ function on existing appliances and always run full loads in the dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer. For more energy savings, wash clothes in cold water and swap the clothes dryer for a clothesline or drying rack when possible.

Unplug your new gadgets

With a new baby comes new gadgets and electronics. Get into the habit of unplugging any unused electronics, including any new baby products. This reduces standby power, which can account for up to 5 to 10% of a household’s electricity bill. Another great way to reduce standby power is to use smart power bars. This simplifies saving, just plug devices into the power bar and turn them off with the flick of a switch. One less thing to think about as a busy parent.

Pro Tip: If your new product is meant to sooth your baby to sleep, it can be effective without having to run indefinitely. Products with timers will help you reduce your energy use - just set the timer on the device giving enough time to settle the little one. You will sleep soundly knowing you’re saving energy.

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