Tariffs are increasing and utility bills are increasing every month. It's time to think about how you can save electricity in your apartment. Using simple methods, it is not difficult to achieve savings of 25%. Is there no reason to think about saving energy?
General recommendations
Big savings start with small habits. Many people know how to save energy in the house, it is difficult to accustom the family to these simple rules. Turning off the lights when leaving the room, unplugging chargers when charging the device, using household appliances more efficiently, watching TV in less time - small lifestyle changes can save a lot of money.
Light can be saved both with the help of restrictions and with the help of the techniques used by the Swedes and Scandinavians. The rejection of heavy curtains, tulle on the windows gives the best lighting. Light walls and floors reflect up to 80% of the sun's rays, which means you should turn on the lights less often.
It is also important to wash the windows regularly, to wipe the dust from light bulbs, lampshades on chandeliers and sconces - pollution obscures the light by a third. Windows and doors with good thermal insulation, modern wiring and appliances are a waste, but will pay off quickly with reduced utility bills.
Basic ways to save energy
In an apartment and a private house you can save electricity for lighting, cooking and household appliances - in each direction it is necessary to reduce costs. It is convenient to work, you can read with a table lamp without illuminating a chandelier with 3-5 horns. You will need to clean less often if you regularly get rid of carpets and dust. Proper use of household appliances, the choice of energy-saving lamps and devices, the calculation of tariffs are the main resources for spending money wisely.
Proper use of electrical appliances
Knowing the secrets will save you a lot of money. How to properly use household appliances so as not to pay much for electricity?
- Devices that do not require uninterruptible power supply, such as a refrigerator, are best turned off at night. For this it is convenient to use network filters with switches.
- Do not leave your computer, laptop, printer, or other equipment in standby mode. This will reduce payment costs to 200 kW per year.
- Only place the refrigerator away from heaters. To teach the family to look at it simply - the energy consumption for cooling after opening the door increases by 5%.
- Run the washing machine, dishwasher only when fully charged. Use high quality household chemicals and low temperature conditions.
- Iron things that require delicate handling, after switching off, with a cooling iron. Iron your clothes only after you have accumulated a few sets, so as not to heat the iron many times. Bed linen is easily straightened after washing and folds neatly.
- Refuse to buy unnecessary equipment - electric fireplaces, coffee makers, thermo pots, decorative lamps do not contribute to savings. Their functions are often duplicated with other techniques.
Device shutdown control is a hassle, but cost savings will delight the responsible owner. Saving energy in your home is as easy as creating new habits.
Purchase of energy saving household appliances
Buying the right appliances is an important part of saving. Modern technology will save money on electricity. What is important to consider?
- Energy efficiency class. It is better to choose A or B. The class A refrigerator consumes from 130 to 300 kWh, categories D and C will increase this figure 2-3 times.
- Size. A family of three will hardly need a large refrigerator, it will stand half empty and you will have to pay for its energy consumption.
- Modern technologies. Induction hobs heat only the bottom of the cookware, their efficiency reaches 95%!
Portable solar batteries will charge a smartphone, such batteries are also used to charge flashlights, which are used instead of a night light. Energy saving modes are built into modern computers, tablets, it is important not to be lazy and to understand how to use it properly. Disabling and removing unnecessary applications will increase the running time of your smartphone by 15-20%, which means that you will have to charge it less often.
LED Lamp Applications
Light is an affordable way to save money, many people know how to do it. Incandescent bulbs need to be replaced with energy-saving ones. The incandescent lamp consumes 60 W, the fluorescent lamp - 15 W, and LED - 8 W. The choice is obvious. You need to buy LED lamps from reliable manufacturers, they are more expensive, but due to long-term use they justify the cost and give tangible savings. What other advantages do they have?
- Turn on immediately.
- The base / ceiling does not heat up.
- Bases E27 and E14 are suitable for most luminaires.
- You can choose hot or cold light - this is indicated on the package.
Replacing all light bulbs is the fastest way to see energy savings. Within a month, the saved kilowatts will reduce electricity costs by 2 times.
Set a two-tariff counter
Ranges of meters with two tariffs: from 7. 00 to 23. 00, from 23. 00 to 7. 00. The installation will pay off in one year, if there are many electrical appliances at home that can be turned on duringat night - washing machine and dishwasher, underfloor heating, air conditioning, and also if the owners come home late or work on the computer at night.
Save in the kitchen
The most energy consuming appliances are in the kitchen. This is a stove, kettle, refrigerator, microwave. How can energy costs be reduced here?
- Defrost the refrigerator regularly if it is not equipped with a No Frost system.
- If possible, connect a gas stove.
- Buy dishes with thick sides and bottom - the food is exhausted in it when the heating is turned off, there will be time to cook and it will stay warm longer
- Boil water without reserve - as many glasses as you plan to drink.
- Use a thermos. If you fill it in the morning with boiling water, there will be enough water for the whole day.
- Steamer or multicooker allows you to cook several dishes at once.
A wise housewife knows how to save energy without compromising the quality of life. Regular descaling, closing the pot when cooking, using a pressure cooker are simple recipes for home savings.
Other ways to save
There are various methods on the Internet to reduce the cost of paying bills. Puzzled how to save electricity in an apartment with folk remedies, you can find household tricks used by residents to avoid paying for electricity. This is the use of a magnet, wire to block the meter. When asked how to save energy in the house, recommendations for grounding the zero contact and other illegal methods may be issued. The consequences of using them can be too unpleasant to seriously advise such experiments.
Energy saving devices
Which technique will help you use less electricity? All energy-saving devices are designed to turn off equipment or lights in a timely manner.
Is it possible to save money with their help and how the owners of apartments and private houses think about it. What must be done?
- Install motion and presence sensors in places where a person stays for a short time: closet, hallway, toilet.
- Use switches to pass: at the beginning and end of the stairs, a long corridor, they put switches to turn off the lights when leaving the room.
- Use a time relay. It is convenient to program flower lamps, fan heaters, even boilers with a volume of 30-40 liters, which will work in a certain period. You no longer need to monitor their timely shutdown.
- Configure the thermostats. You can save electricity at home by setting the water temperature in the boiler, the floor heating mode or the electric boiler.
You can save money by installing useful devices in your apartment or house. If the owners are not there during the day, the heating for this period can be reduced by a few degrees so that the thermostat raises the temperature an hour or two before the owners arrive.
How to save electricity in a private house
All the methods listed for apartments work for individual residential buildings, but due to the larger area they may have their own characteristics. Saving electricity in a private house is not more difficult than in an apartment, you just need to know how. Heating accounts for most of the costs. Underfloor heating, it is better to replace an electric boiler with gas or solid fuel heating. Well-insulated walls will limit heat loss. The Russian stove, fireplace will warm the room and add originality to the interior.
Thrifty homeowners know how easy it is to save electricity in a private home. During the construction phase, they plan a cellar or basement to replace the refrigerator, as well as a summer kitchen where they cook with the help of an oven or grill. You need to install solar lanterns in the local area. The sun will heat the water in the summer and the outdoor shower is without energy.
Villa owners know how to save energy in a private house - the installation of solar panels gives 120 kW per 1 sq. m. The system requires investment, but can become a serious help to reduce the cost of resources.
Economy and respect for the environment are current priorities. Reasonable energy consumption will save money on leisure or study. Many people around the world are concerned about saving electricity, which means conserving the planet's resources.