Protect your household budget from successive price increases! What are the NG habits that increase electricity and gas bills in winter?

In the fall of 2021, the prices of food and oil products increased one after another. As the price of crude oil soars, not only food but also gasoline prices are rising. In order to protect the household budget from repeated price increases, we want to reduce the increase in electricity and gas bills as much as possible this winter.

Utility costs are higher in winter

In winter, the hours of daylight are shorter and the temperature drops, so you need to use lighting and heating equipment longer. Utility costs such as electricity and gas bills in winter usually increase compared to spring and autumn. In households where the family spends time at work or school during the daytime, it is thought that utility costs are somewhat reduced. On the other hand, if you spend more time at home, such as weekends when work or school is closed, or months with many holidays, the amount of electricity and gas you use will increase, and your utility bills will rise.

Negative habits that increase electricity and gas bills in winter

Before you give up on increasing electricity and gas bills in winter, are there any NG habits that increase utility bills? Check out ■NG Habit 1: Leaving lights and heaters on is the most NG habit. Failure to turn off the lights in the entrance, toilet, and washroom frequently, and going to bed with the kotatsu and electric blanket on are typical NG habits that increase your electricity bill. For example, in areas such as entrances, toilets, and washrooms, where the lighting is on for relatively short periods of time, you can switch to lighting fixtures with motion sensors so that they turn off automatically. Let's review the NG habits by setting an off timer on. NG Habit 2: You may open the windows several times a day for ventilation in a room with long ventilation, but if you worry too much about ventilation and leave the windows open for a long time in the winter, It is a NG habit for saving expenses. In some restaurants where an unspecified number of people come and go, there are cases where ventilation is done every 30 minutes even in winter. As a result, air conditioners and gas fan heaters automatically operate strongly to raise the room temperature to a comfortable temperature again, consuming a lot of electricity and gas. If only family members go in and out of the house, it is a good idea to ventilate for 5 to 10 minutes every 1 to 2 hours. ■Negative Habit 3: Different living hours It is an NG habit that the family's living hours and the place to relax in the house are different. If you eat at different times, you will have to reheat the food, and in the case of bathing, you will have to reheat the water many times and use electricity or gas each time. Also, when each family member is in their own room, each room uses lighting and heating equipment. When children grow up or work schedules change, it is inevitable that the time spent in each other's life will be different. Let's save electricity and gas bills with a little ingenuity, such as spending time in the same room.

Let's reduce even one bad habit

First, check your home for bad habits such as leaving lighting and heating equipment on. In addition, even in households where these are common habits such as not leaving the lights on all the time, ventilating at appropriate times, eating together as a family, and taking baths continuously, check the kitchen and washrooms and find other Check if there are any places where you can save electricity or gas. In winter, you have more opportunities to use electricity and gas than in other seasons. Author: Shoko Sugiura Financial Planner/Industrial Counselor/Career Consultant

Financial Field Editorial Department