The price of energy carriers is rising regularly, so the question of how to save electricity at home is becoming increasingly important. It should be noted that if about ten or fifteen years ago the average family of three did not think much about it, because the cost of utilities did not eat the lion's share of the budget, now the situation has changed dramatically.
At the same time, using all modern energy-saving options, it is not necessary to use low light, refuse to turn on the necessary devices and "rewind" the meter readings, which threatens violators with impressive fines. to take for granted the need to save money and to adhere to this principle in a way that is very accessible to each of us.
Today on the agenda - how and how much you can save on electricity. We all sometimes ask ourselves the question - "Do I pay a lot for light (or electricity)? Is it possible to somehow reduce these payments? " But as a rule, the question does not go beyond the conversation. But in fact not everything is so scary and difficult. Try to apply the rules described below (or at least some of them) and you will immediately notice the difference.
There are two ways to reduce electricity bills:
- to change our behavior slightly
- we use modern energy saving technologies
In the first case, everything will depend only on us, ie compliance with certain rules will reduce energy costs. The second method involves investing in the purchase of equipment and devices that can significantly reduce electricity consumption. But. . . . . once you invest, you can relax, technology will do everything for you. And in most cases, the costs are paid within a year.
If we turn to the statistics, then the approximate cost in an average apartment of electricity is distributed as follows:
- 25% - electric stove, kettle, microwave and other kitchen appliances
- 21% - refrigerator
- 20% - lighting
- 9% - washing machine, dishwasher
- 11% TV, computer
- 14% - others
Using this data, you can roughly calculate how much and from what you can start saving. Before you start, I advise you to write down how much energy you consume per month. For what? This will allow you to find out how much you really save by applying certain methods. The result will be visible immediately, and this will give you an extra incentive.
Let's start saving energy:
Turn off the light when you leave
Everyone knows the expression, only. . . . . for some reason we don't use it at home. In vain this is the easiest and most affordable way to save energy. Make it a rule to turn off the lights when you leave the room. The dish can also be attributed just like a working TV. Such "surpluses" cost us about 30% of all lighting costs.
Energysaving lamps
Old incandescent lamps consumed 100 watts, energy-saving - 20 watts. Save energy consumption 5 times. Now popular LED lamps with a power of 5 watts. Of course, they are more expensive than both, but with the same brightness of lighting consume MUCH less energy and last longer. Don't be stingy and buy. The main thing is to choose those that have a large warranty - about 2 years. Within one year, LED lamps are paid in retaliation.
More natural light
Rooms with white or light wallpaper are brighter (sorry for the pun) as they reflect 90% of the light. For example, dark tones (closer to black) absorb up to 90% of the light that hits them. Keep windows and lamps clean. They are not very clean, dusty, they are able to retain up to 30% of light. Do not cover the window sill with flowers and other nonsense. Place your workspace near a window. If you do not have enough light, use a low-power table lamp.
Multi-tariff meters (day-night)
The advantage is that many appliances are always on (refrigerator) or in sleep mode (computers, TV, etc. ). Accordingly, in the evening-night, the cost of energy consumption will decrease. If you transfer some energy-intensive operations to the evening (laundry, cooking, ironing), the savings will become even more noticeable.
Turn off all appliances
First of all, this is equipment that works in standby mode: computer, TV, microwave. air conditioning, boiler and much more. Count how many hours (or even minutes) a day you use this or that device. Microwave for 15 minutes, TV - say 2-3 hours, etc.
It turns out that in standby mode the devices work almost around the clock - 20 - 23 hours. And all this time they are slowly "stealing" our energy, and hence money. Each individual, of course, does not consume much, but takes in quantity. In one year, standby costs us about 3000 rubles.
Few people know, but many devices still consume power, even if they are turned off but not unplugged: hair dryer, phone charger.
intelligent technology
Use devices with energy class A (respectively, the most energy is class G). The difference in energy consumption, even in modern models, can vary considerably. What can we say about obsolete equipment (originally from the 90s and older). The difference in energy consumption can vary, no, not sometimes. Dozens of times!
Many models have an automatic recording mode. For example, in washing machines and dishwashers, depending on the load, the system uses the optimal amount of water and energy, thus reducing consumption by 30-40 percent. If you still do not plan to change the equipment, we will save on what we have.
Appliances
Refrigerator
Proper installation away from direct sunlight, central heating and stoves will save 20-30%. Additional measures: leave a gap between the refrigerator and the wall for free air circulation. Defrost more often - the more freezing, the higher the energy consumption. No hot dishes in the fridge. Always cover all liquid dishes (soups, compotes). Remember that higher humidity equals higher energy consumption.
Dishwashers and dishwashers
- Only work at full load.
- In fast and economical washing mode.
- Low temperature washing (where high temperature washing is not required)
cooking
- If you have gas in your apartment, you are in luck. It is several times more economical than electricity.
- Cook with the lid closed.
- Always boil water only as much as necessary.
- The pre-poured cooking water in the pan itself is warmed to room temperature and the stove needs less energy to heat it and boil it further.
- Residual heat. Turn off the stove 10-20 minutes before the end of cooking. The prepared dish itself will reach the desired state.
- Heat the dish in the microwave at once in a large plate - then you can divide it into portions for everyone.
ironing
- Dried and insufficiently dried laundry is increased energy consumption. We use the golden mean.
- Turn off the iron 5-10 minutes before the end of ironing. We iron the residual heat.
- Use an iron with an automatic shut-off function.
I'm warming up
Up to 50% of heat loss in an apartment occurs through windows and doors. Our actions are either plastic windows (they reduce heat consumption by 80% at a time), or a more economical option - we close all cracks in windows and doors (we use seals). If the house is cool (not cold), do not rush to turn on the heater immediately - sometimes it is enough to wear something warmer than clothes.
As you can see, it's not that hard to start saving electricity. You can easily save 30-50%, if you get a little confused, then you can usually reduce payments by 2-2, 5 times. The main thing is to turn on the energy saving mode in your head. You will immediately notice that payments will decrease. Good luck with all your savings.