10 smart tips to reduce your energy bill this winter

Every kilowatt-hour is paid for. Thus, the most effective strategy to reduce your electricity bill is to reduce your energy consumption. Here are 10 easy tips to put in place to maximize your savings:

10 tips to reduce your energy bill:

Set a goal
Understand your energy consumption
Enable dynamic pricing
Lower the heating setpoint
Dress for the season
Keep the cold out...
And the heat in
Reduce hot water consumption
Turn off unused electronic devices
Use the slow cooker

Read the following to learn how to put these tips into practice.

1. Set a goal

As with any project, setting clear objectives helps determine the nature of the actions you will need to take to achieve the desired results.

Also, make sure your goals are realistic. Otherwise, you will quickly become discouraged. It is better to start with smaller goals that will be easy to achieve and grow over time than to make overly ambitious resolutions that will be impossible to keep.

Goal examples:

Reduce by 5% monthly kWh consumption
Lower the set temperature of heating devices at night and during absences 75% of the time
Reduce by 10% the kilowatt-hours consumed when the house is empty

To measure the achievement of your goals, you will need to know your energy consumption. You can refer to the consumption graphs provided by your electricity supplier. Or you can use Neviweb. This app made by Sinopé Technologies gives you a simple and detailed picture of the consumption of each of your connected electrical devices.

2. Track and understand your energy consumption

The Neviweb application presents your energy consumption in kilowatt-hours and the costs directly related to it in detailed and easy-to-understand graphs. This information is shown for each device and the entire location.

Thus, you see the periods during which your consumption is the highest. You can also see which thermostats work the most, which will be influenced by the assigned setpoint temperature, the insulation, the orientation of the room and the outside temperature, among other things.

By monitoring your energy consumption, you will better understand the uses, the needs of the occupants and the energy consumption items to be reviewed to reduce your electricity bill.

The energy consumption data for your Sinopé smart devices is available in the Neviweb application and its web version. Indeed, users can connect to their account at www.neviweb.com and view their energy consumption on a screen that makes it easy to read the data. In addition, this version of Neviweb lets you download consumption data in CSV format for even more detailed tracking over the years.

3. Enable dynamic pricing

Many power utilities in North America have advantageous offers for clients who agree to reduce their energy consumption during high-demand periods.

This is the case with Hydro-Québec, which offers dynamic pricing. During peak periods, customers of the electricity supplier who reduce their energy consumption can either receive a credit on their electricity bill (winter credit option) or benefit from a reduced rate for each kilowatt-hour consumed off-peak, but higher during the periods designated by the electricity supplier (Flex D rate).

By activating dynamic pricing and choosing the winter credit option, you have everything to win and nothing to lose. This is the easiest way to reduce your total electricity bill.

Sign up now for Hydro-Québec's dynamic pricing from your customer space.

Life hack
Do you own Sinopé devices? Turn on the Éco Sinopé feature, which is linked to your power utilities’ dynamic pricing program and allows you to achieve the desired savings automatically, without commitment or loss of comfort.

4. Lower the heating setpoint

During cold days, heating can account for up to 80% of your electricity bill.

Lowering the set temperature of your thermostats can thus have a positive impact on your electricity bill. However, the objective of this tip is not to generate discomfort for your household, but rather to reduce the heating at times and in rooms that will not affect it.

First, be sure to lower the set temperature of the thermostats to 18°C at night. To achieve this with your Sinopé thermostats, create schedules (for Wi-Fi and Mi-Wi devices) or time automations (for Zigbee devices) so that the set temperature of your devices automatically lowers at night when everyone is in bed. If you fear discomfort during sleep, try to adapt your decoration to the season and add cozy duvets and comforting throws. You will hence be killing two birds with one stone by combining comfort and style.

Second, the set temperature on your thermostats should also drop to 18°C when no one is home. To facilitate the assignment of away setpoints, activate geofencing and take advantage of the new multi-user mode so that the setpoint temperature is automatically lowered when the last member of the family leaves the house. Activating this feature and the account sharing option will also raise the temperature when the first person arrives home.

Third, plan to lower the set temperature for bedrooms and less-used rooms during the day. To save on your electric bill with this tip, close the doors in rooms with lower thermostat setpoints. Otherwise, the adjacent rooms will work harder since the heat produced will enter the less heated rooms.

5. Dress for the season

Each season is unique and has its weather. If short sleeves are the way to go in summer, knits and woollens should be in winter. Selecting appropriate clothing for the season will ensure comfort and avoid the temptation to raise the set temperature of the thermostats to compensate for temporary discomfort that could be caused by fatigue, for example.

Thus, select clothing outfits that include long-sleeved vests, jackets and knitwear. When it comes to home dressing, bring out the throws and leave some in the living room, your office, and other living spaces. These infuse a touch of comfort in the decor while being useful.

6. Keep the cold out...

Windows are a weakness when it comes to heat loss. Allow the heat in during the day by opening the blinds and curtains, but closing them after sunset to keep the cold out.

7. And the heat in

Incredible, but true: it takes about an hour for the kitchen hood and the bathroom fan to evacuate all of a home’s heated air.

Do you tend to let the kitchen hood run longer than necessary or forget to turn off the bathroom fan? Instead, get into the habit of turning off the first when you're done cooking and setting a timer for the second.

Do you want to apply a timer or other control features to your bathroom fan, whether it is attached to the lighting or not? This smart switch is a perfect choice.

8. Reduce hot water consumption

Water heating accounts for about 18% of a household's energy consumption, making it the second largest energy expenditure item. As a result, it is no surprise that reducing hot water consumption is one of the actions to adopt to reduce your electricity bill.

Moreover, as mentioned in this text, reducing hot water consumption is one of the most profitable actions for people registered for dynamic pricing.

To put this advice into practice, it is enough to change certain daily habits, such as opting for the shower rather than the bath, doing the laundry in cold water or reducing the duration of the showers by one minute. Finally, switching from washing dishes by hand to the dishwasher will save you an average of 23 litres of water each time.

Life hack
To cut down on the duration of showers, create a music playlist that matches the length you set for yourself. Then try to finish your shower before the last song ends.

If you are registered for dynamic pricing, turning off the water heater during the peak periods designated by your electricity supplier will be the most beneficial. As these periods are of short duration, users manage to use the stored hot water and achieve their morning or evening routines as usual, even though the water heater is off.

9. Turn off unused electronic devices

Have you ever heard of phantom loads? These are the electrical loads your devices consume when they are off or standby. In fact, about 40% of the annual consumption of your electronic devices occurs when they are turned off.

Thus, a simple way to reduce energy consumption and, by extension, your electricity bill is to unplug electronic devices when they are not in use or to connect them to a smart plug that allows you to switch off the electrical load using a timer.

10. Use the slow cooker

Did you know? The slow cooker consumes around 20% of the energy used by a stove. Making it part of your daily routine is a way of combining business with pleasure, since its use reduces your energy consumption.

The conclusion

All roads lead to Rome: many actions will help you achieve your electricity bill reduction goals. It's all about determining which ones are right for your household to generate the best savings while maintaining your comfort.