Why is your electric bill high in winter?

By on December 23, 2016

Electric bills rise over winter as households in Japan use more electric appliances. Even with Christmas lights running all night long in December and people using tumble dryer more frequently in winter, a survey conducted by I Grid Solutions Co., Ltd. reveals that the biggest culprit when it comes to energy usage is your heating system.

The survey conducted on 400 people in Japan further shows that 1 in 2 people run their heaters all day long and an increase by ¥5,000 or more on monthly electric bills in winter is a common usage pattern regardless of the number of household members.

If you are concerned about your home energy usage, here are some useful tips to keep warm and reduce your monthly bills.
After all, keeping warm in long winter months is more costly than keeping cool in the summer.
1. Wear layers at home. Choose wool and fleece material and wear them over turtle neck thermal shirts. Wear a down vest for maximum heat.
2. Wear thick socks and room slippers.
3. Insulation of some Japanese houses and apartments is bad. It gets too cold in winter. Shut down all ventilation holes.
4. Use self-adhesive foam tape to block cold air seeping through leaky doors and sides of glass windows. You can find this at some 100 yen stores.
5. Warm the bed with an electric blanket 30 minutes before going to sleep. This heats the bed faster than relying on the heater.
6. Always clean the lint filter of your tumble washer after every load. This helps the dryer use less power to dry clothes. Make sure you dry clothes of the same weight together.
7. Take a hot bath before you go to bed.
8. Set your heater at 20~22℃ on automatic at all times.


About Ted Tanaka