Electricity bills can be one of the biggest expenses at an aged care facility. Luckily, there are many ways to save power and lower your energy costs. Can a care home have electric power switched off? Yes! There can be unplanned outages but you can rely on renewable sources of energy.
You can also save money on your power bills while providing a healthy living environment for your residents. Here are some tips for reducing your electricity usage:
- Using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power can reduce your power bills, while also improving the air quality.
- Reducing consumption will help you avoid paying more than necessary for electricity. If a resident is constantly asking for their room temperature to be adjusted, this could mean they’re wasting money on increased heating costs. Similarly, over-cooling a room may waste money on cooling costs.
- Pay attention to the temperature because different appliances (such as televisions) use different levels of power based on their settings; but if the setting is too high or low it will affect its running cost. It’s important that you keep these things in mind when selecting appliances for your facility so that they don’t cause unnecessary strain on your budget!
1- Lights
- Use energy-efficient light bulbs.
- Turn lights off when not in use.
- Install motion sensor lights.
- Use natural light where possible, and dim any lights you do need during the day to avoid over-illumination of rooms and hallways.
2- Heating and Cooling
- Use ceiling fans. Ceiling fans can help circulate air and keep you comfortable, even if the thermostat is set low.
- Adjust your thermostat. There’s no need to turn up your heating or cooling system when you’re not home or asleep, so try adjusting your temperature settings to save on energy bills.
- Block sunlight. It’s easy to forget about sunlight passing through windows, but it’s one of the biggest culprits of an aged care facility’s energy consumption! Block out direct sunlight with blinds and curtains during the day (and remember to open them at night).
- The less heat that enters your building through glass windows and doors, the more comfortable everyone will be in their rooms without having to raise temperatures artificially with additional heating systems.* Install a new heating or cooling system if necessary
- If your facility is old and outdated, you may need to consider replacing its current heating or cooling system with one that’s more energy efficient. If your air conditioning system is old and inefficient, it could be costing your company thousands of dollars every year in wasted energy consumption.
3- Electrical Appliances
- Use energy-efficient appliances.
- Turn off your appliances when they’re not in use.
- Use power strips to turn off multiple appliances at once, such as computers, lamps, and printers. This will also help prevent electrical fires caused by overloaded circuits or extension cords that aren’t properly rated for the appliance being used (such as plugging a hair dryer into an extension cord).
- Set timers on lights and other appliances that are left plugged in but not in use—for example, you can set them so they turn off after two hours or four hours of continuous use.
- Use appliances such as dishwashers, clothes dryers, and vacuum cleaners that have energy-saving features like delayed start timers and energy-saving modes. These can help reduce your energy use by up to 30 percent!
4- Laundry
- Use cold water. The washing machine uses more energy to heat the water than it does to wash your clothes.
- Wash full loads only and avoid overloading your machine by using too many clothes or towels at once.
- Use less detergent, as this will keep your washing machine from having to use as much hot water in order to clean the laundry properly.
- If you have a dryer, consider drying them on low heat for shorter periods of time instead of leaving them in too long while they are heated up (which can end up costing money).
Final Thoughts
So there you have it—eight ways to help save electricity at your aged care facility. We hope this post has been useful to you, and that it will encourage you to take action on some of these ideas. As always, feel free to get in touch with us if you have any questions or want more advice on how we can help your business grow!