How to Avoid Wasting Money While Watching TV
It happens to the best of us – after a long day at work, a hearty dinner, and a slightly dull movie, we suddenly find ourselves dozing off. While it feels like a guilty pleasure, it can have financial repercussions. Fortunately, there are simple solutions to prevent your TV from running up your energy bill while you catch some Z’s.
Utilize a Sleep Timer
A Sleep Timer is an excellent feature that allows your TV to automatically turn off after a designated period. This is particularly useful if you suspect you might fall asleep during a movie. By setting a Sleep Timer for two hours, you can avoid unnecessary charges and conserve energy. Here’s how to access the Sleep Timer on your Fire TV Stick:
- Press and hold the Home Button on the Voice Remote for three seconds to open the Quick Access Menu.
- Scroll down and select Sleep Timer.
- The Sleep Timer function allows you to set the TV to turn off in increments of 5, 10, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, or 240 minutes.
- You can also navigate to Home > Settings > Sleep Timer to configure this option.
Activate Low Power Mode
Low Power Mode is another efficient way to cut down on energy consumption. This feature reduces the energy usage of your Fire TV devices while they are in sleep mode. Newer models of the Fire TV Stick automatically turn off the TV after a certain period of inactivity. Alternatively, you can manually put the device to sleep through the settings menu. For older devices, you can enable a setting known as “No Signal” sleep mode.
Understanding ‘No Signal’ Sleep Mode
This feature helps to switch off HDMI signals during sleep mode, effectively reducing energy consumption. To enable this power-saving setting, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings
- Select Display & Sounds
- Choose Display
- Open Sleep Mode Behaviour
- Select No Signal
Strategies to Save on Streaming Services
There are numerous ways to cut costs while enjoying your favorite shows and movies without resorting to piracy. The rise of FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) platforms means that free content is more accessible than ever. Consider exploring these options:
- Tubi
- Pluto TV
- Xumo (available for Sky customers)
- UKTV
- BBC iPlayer
- ITVX
- The Roku Channel (for Roku users)
- Samsung TV Plus (for Samsung device users)
- Fawesome TV
- Plex TV
Consider Ad-Supported Plans
Ad-supported streaming plans are often more affordable than their Standard or Premium counterparts. If you don’t mind sitting through a few advertisements, switching to an ad-supported tier can be a smart way to save money.
Evaluate Your Subscriptions
Take a moment to list all your current subscriptions and assess whether you’re utilizing them regularly. If you find that you’ve exhausted the best content on a particular platform, it might be time to cancel that subscription.
Switch Between Services
If you find yourself engrossed in a binge-worthy series, you’re likely only focusing on one streaming service at a time. Instead of maintaining multiple subscriptions, consider signing up for one service at a time to reduce your overall streaming expenses.
