The presence of a large number of lighting devices and many units of household appliances that consume electricity is a common phenomenon in a city apartment. It is quite understandable that modern man wants to live comfortably, interestingly and comfortably. But all these benefits of civilization are becoming more and more "insatiable", while the resource itself is becoming more expensive. Monthly electricity bills are becoming huge. After receiving the next receipt, many have to think about how to save electricity in the apartment so as not togive a significant part of your budget to the state. If you approach this problem responsibly, then it is quite possible to do so.
Pay attention to lighting if you want to save energy
To save electricity, start by converting old lighting fixtures and the interior of your apartment. By habit, most people use the central overhead light from large and bulky chandeliers, which are powered by several bulbs. At the same time, outdated incandescent models are used. It gets dark early in the winter, which means you have to turn on the lights for a long time. As a result, monthly electricity bills are increasing.
And this is a reason to save light and replace ordinary light bulbs with energy-saving fluorescent or LED bulbs. They cost much more, but differ favorably in that they do not consume much electricity for their work and at the same time are designed for long service life. In this way, one-time acquisition costs become sustainable savings in the future.
In addition, to reduce total kilowatt hours:
- keep lamps, glass and windows clean;
- make the most of natural light;
- glue the walls with light wallpaper;
- turn off the lights in the room when no one is around for a long time.
Use local area lighting and low-power lighting. If necessary, install motion sensors that will turn off the light in an empty room. This will help you save a lot of energy in your home.
Save energy for the most powerful consumers
The refrigerator is the most extravagant household appliance in terms of energy consumption, as it has to work around the clock to save food. To save electricity in the apartment, use one of the modern models with low energy consumption (marked by manufacturers as class A). With that in mind, you don't have to buy the biggest device. Choose the right amount of equipment according to the needs of the family.
You can pay less with an old refrigerator if replacing it is not yet possible. About this:
- Defrost the freezer regularly (except for models with the "No Frost" system).
- Periodically check the tightness and tightness of the door seals.
- Only place dishes and pots that have cooled to room temperature inside.
- Ventilate the kitchen if the temperature rises above 30 degrees.
- Place the refrigerator away from heaters.
- Provide adequate and constant ventilation at the rear of the device.
The electric stove is another powerful consumer of electricity, but in this case there are a few tricks that can help reduce costs. I'm saving money:
- Preheat the oven strictly at the time specified in the recipe, not in advance.
- Turn off the hob a few minutes before the food is ready, using the heat of the hob for cooking.
- Use flat-bottomed pans exactly the size of the heating element.
- Do not use excess water to prepare immediate meals; cover the pots with lids.
- Use an electric kettle to make tea water.
By following these simple rules, the savings can be significant.
Bathroom appliances can consume less electricity
The washing machine is an indispensable electrical appliance in everyday life, but represents up to 20% of the electricity consumed. This is provided that all the possibilities of the technique are used incorrectly. At the same time it is quite possible to save electricity in the apartment, but it is quite possible to wash it by hand. To do this, first wash the stains. Load the trimmer to the maximum allowed, but do not overload it. Choose the washing mode that suits the fabric:
- cotton;
- synthetics;
- wave.
Give preference to fast and economical washing mode. Set the thermostat to 30-40 degrees if the laundry is not very dirty. This will help reduce energy consumption and hence the amount of payment.
Another device is an electric water heater. It allows you to always have hot water on hand, but to make heating water really economical, you need to install and adjust it correctly. To do this, install the boiler as close as possible to the bathroom so that the liquid does not cool when passing through a long water pipe. Optimize the operation mode of the boiler by adjusting the switching on and off time of the heating element. Clean the heating element of the scale from time to time, increasing its heat output.
Don't pay for what you don't use
Today you can have free time and fun without even leaving your own apartment. That's why there are color TVs, personal computers, laptops, stereos and DVD players.
To save energy, turn them on only when necessary and turn them off when you are away from the room for a long time. A few hours of unnecessary work - and in a month, depending on the model of the device, can "leak" a few dozen extra kW.
Therefore, turn off the TVs with the remote control and put them in standby mode:
- overnight;
- when starting work.
In case of prolonged absence, it is better to disconnect the cable completely.
Computers are a technique that can be found in almost every home. There are rules for saving electricity for this category of electrical appliances. Powerful components such as a processor, graphics card, and widescreen monitor typically require a significant amount of power in a stationary device. In this regard, laptops are much more economical.
To avoid paying too much and saving energy, set the desired value in the computer's power settings. If you do not want to turn off programs, put your computer to sleep. Connect all peripherals connected to it via the surge protector:
- printers;
- scanners;
- modems.
Turn them off at the end of the session. Turn off your laptop or computer completely if you do not use it for a long time. Savings on electricity and money will be visible soon.
Do not heat, but warm
The central heating in the apartments has one feature. Turn it on on schedule and the coolant does not always meet the required temperature. For this reason, many are accustomed to using electric heaters, convectors, etc. The early onset of cold weather, old radiators and frames that are not glued for the winter, can also force them to include additional heat sources.
All this contributes to the fact that the apartment becomes cold and uncomfortable. The heaters are convenient in that their small size allows you to quickly heat the air in the room to the required temperature, but at the same time the devices consume very expensive electricity for their operation. The power of an installation is measured in a few kilowatts, so it is not difficult to calculate how many rubles a month can cost such heating per apartment.
Therefore, in order to save energy, it is more profitable to take measures to increase the energy efficiency of the house: replacing old frames and doors, insulating walls, washing or installing new heating radiators. Of course, this requires a serious investment in the initial stage, but in the long run it is profitable, as you will have to pay less for light.
Install new meters to save energy
Saving electricity in an apartment with an electricity meter is also possible thanks to the meters. The old meters, known to all, are designed for one tariff, regardless of what time of day the resource is consumed. For those who have few connected consumers in the house and do not use often, it does not matter. Owners of large apartments and numerous equipment can benefit from the installation of modern two-tariff meters.
Due to the lower price of 1 kilowatt at night, the use of powerful equipment is much cheaper. Includes primarily installations with heating elements - washing machines and dishwashers, bakeries, water heaters. Such devices can be easily programmed to work at a convenient time and you will have to pay less. Energy savings can reach about 25% of the amount of the previous payment, which is undoubtedly beneficial.
