It may seem like the costs associated with your senior care journey with your aging loved ones are always growing, but fortunately there are ways that you can keep these expenses under control just by making a few simple adjustments to your lifestyle and care efforts. One of these ways is trimming energy costs. For many households, utility bills represent a tremendous drain on the finances, but are also some of the easiest costs to eliminate, helping you to save money while also doing your part to take care of the planet.
January 10 is National Cut Your Energy Costs Day, the perfect opportunity for you to evaluate your aging loved ones’ home and your senior care efforts to find places where you can cut down on your energy usage in simple, effective ways.
Try some of these ideas, and share then with your parents’ home care provider, to trim your loved ones’ energy use and costs on National Cut Your Energy Costs Day and throughout the rest of the year:
• Unplug chargers. Leaving chargers for cell phones, tablets, computers, and other electronics plugged in when they are not in use may seem like a convenient way to keep track of where they are, but this one habit can be racking up major charges on your energy bills. Even when there is no appliance plugged into the charger, there is still energy going to that charger, which means that you are paying to use electricity for nothing. Make sure that you unplug any chargers as soon as you are finished using them and keep them easily accessible by dedicating a basket or drawer to them.
• Bump up the blankets. Nobody wants to shiver their way through the night, but keeping the heating system blasting while you sleep is a draw on your utilities. This can also cause headaches, dry out your sinuses, and increase the risk of illness and infection. Instead, turn your parents’ thermostat down to no more than 55 degrees at night and add a few layers of blankets to keep them warm. If they have a timer on their thermostat, set it to warm up the home half an hour before they get up in the morning.
• Cook efficiently. Do not peek inside the oven while you are cooking or allow the preheating period go on past the time when the appliance reaches the desired temperature. This uses up extra energy to maintain the temperature and makes it necessary to cook the food for longer. Instead, use the oven light to show what is going on inside the appliance and put the food in to cook as soon as the oven preheats.
• Dry responsibly. Clothes dryers are often the biggest pull on energy resources. According to the National Resources Defense Council, a misused dryer can use up as much energy as a refrigerator, dishwasher, and clothes washing machine combined each year. To help cut down on this major energy draw, only dry full loads, do not add wet laundry to partially dry laundry, and make sure that the lint trap is clean before each load.
Source
http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/genergy.asp
For all of your senior care needs in Mt. Laurel, NJ and the surrounding areas call and talk to us at Home to Stay Healthcare Solutions (856) 321-1500.
