Why Am I Using So Much Electricity Overnight? (5 Typical Reasons)

Nothing compares to the feeling of opening up your monthly electricity bill to be met with a shockingly high number. Even if you do your best to limit the power you use, you may notice that your bill is still increasing.

While we all know how much power we use during the day, we often forget that even if we are fast asleep, the power company is still up and working.

So, if you are alarmed by your increasing electricity bills, here are some reasons why you may be using excessive electricity while you sleep:

Charging Your Electronics

Between laptops, phones, charging banks, and even battery packs, leaving them all charging overnight at the same time will multiply that 5-watt use over and over, wasting a lot of power and energy.

Switching from nighttime to daytime charging is a great solution for cutting down on overnight electricity use when you charge up electronics.

Limiting the number of electronics that charge overnight to just one, for example, your primary phone will greatly reduce your energy usage at night. This isn’t the only reason you should save your daily charging.

Most electronics only need a few hours to charge up completely, and while they stop charging when the battery is full, you are still using electricity by keeping them plugged in.

When you charge during the day, you can remove the charger from the outlet once the charging cycle has completed, saving you from wasting energy.

Your House Has Poor Insulation

Running temperature-controlled devices like heaters and air conditioners is one of the fastest ways to increase your monthly electricity bills.

These devices use as much as 1,000 watts of energy which is 200x more than simply charging your phone.

If you haven’t already, it is always a good idea to lock in your temperature settings overnight. Keeping your temperature at a comfortable level will prevent you from having to wake up and turn on your heater when it gets too cold.

You should also note that you can set this comfort setting at a lower temperature at night.

However, if you lock in your overnight comfort settings but still notice that you are using a lot of electricity overnight, your house may have a major insulation problem.

If your house is poorly insulated, it will take your heater much longer to warm up your house, and you may not even notice that it is running since chances are you are asleep.

This is because heat and air conditioning can leak out when the house is not insulated properly.

Replacing the insulation in your home can be quite a large expense; however, there are other simple fixes you can do to ensure that your heating stays in the home.

First, use draft protectors under your doors. While it is important to block the draft from entryways, using a draft she’d on your bedroom door will help keep you warm, so you won’t even need to re-adjust your heat.

Another great tip is to install plastic wind blockers over any drafty windows.

Not only do these small changes save you electricity overnight, but they will also keep your daytime electricity usage low.

Dated Appliances

Modern and new appliances have an internal sensor that helps to control energy usage. This is especially an important feature to have when your appliances are not currently in use.

Older appliances do not have any energy-saving features, and even if you are not currently using them, they still can suck up a ton of energy.

For example, having a vintage stove is a really cool conversation piece in your home, but even at night, when you are not using it, it is still pulling from your electricity source.

To avoid wasting money and energy on appliances that are eating up your electricity throughout the night, it is always a good idea to look for appliances with a high energy star rating.

Consider The Lights You Use In Your Home

While our parents may have passed down some less-than-desirable habits, this one is a great tip for keeping your energy usage low.

A great place to start is to make sure that all of your lightbulbs have been switched to ones that are energy efficient.

To take it one step further, you can even use “smart bulbs” that work with your home’s internet to give you a completely customizable experience.

These lightbulbs pair with your phone to turn off lights from anywhere. With “smart bulbs,” you don’t have to leave the comfort of your bed to save energy at night.

Instead of wasting energy on hallway and nightlights, try switching to battery-operated lights for when you need to move around at night.

These lights can be turned on with a simple press of a button and will light your way. To take it one step further, you can even get battery-operated motion lights that will turn on when motion is detected.

Appliances That Are Not In Use

A great way to shut down all of your appliances that do not currently have a “sleep mode” down at night all at once is to use power strips or outlet mounts with a timer.

Newer strips and mounts have a digital timer that you can control with your phone, which will trigger the power strip’s short circuit to stop the electricity flow to appliances plugged into it.

Making a habit of removing all appliances from a power source before you go to bed is a great way to not only reduce the amount of electricity that you use but will also be reflected in your monthly power bill.

Sources:

Reasons For An Increase In Electricity Usage

12 Reasons Why Your Energy Bill Is Going Up