Benefits of habit “Conserve utilities”

✓ Saves more money
✓ Reduces costs
✓ Reduces effect on environment

First step:

5 minutes per day

Progress:

1. Today, spend 5 minutes going through electronics you can power down (not leave them in “stand by” mode) before going to sleep or leaving for work. Do this once today.
2. Next day, see what laundry you can do using cold water. Result will be the same, but the amount of heating bill will decrease.
3. Once your home is ready to become more efficient, set yourself a time you will power everything down and do so every day.
4.Keep it up until the action comes naturally.

Helpful tips to make it a habit:

✓ Same time is key. It’s always easier to develop a habit when you do the same action at the same time. Keep this in mind when learning to conserve your utilities as well.
✓ Trigger your mind. Keep a large note with words “POWER DOWN” on it somewhere visible. That way, you won’t be able to forget about it no matter what.
✓ Let the app help. This app can ring you up when it’s time to wind down on utility usage. You may also track your progress in the calendar app and see how many days you forget to power down.
✓ Reward yourself. With the first bill that comes in smaller, celebrate this occasion by putting the difference between previous and current bill into savings and watch it grow every month.
✓ Celebrate small victories. Every time you perform this habit, congratulate yourself! Say “I’m awesome” or “I’m so cool” out loud and with a smile on your face.

Tips for beginners:

✓ Cooling yourself. Sometimes, up to a certain point, you can just as easily cool yourself on hot summer days by opening the window instead of going for the air conditioning. That unit takes a toll on your electricity bill and should be used sparingly.
✓ Light and darkness. Save some energy by simply keeping the blinds open longer and letting the sun in instead of tuning on the light.
✓ Turn off water heating. If you’re leaving for longer period of time, even a couple of days, turn off the water heater. Once you come back, it’s going to be cheaper to wait an hour for the water to warm up rather than pay 2 days worth of electricity.