Today, many homeowners are looking to cut down on bill payments. In particular, the question is relevant: how to save electricity at home? To achieve maximum savings, it is important to use several methods at once. Using them in combination, you will be able to significantly reduce the cost of paying electricity bills.
The need to save electricity has recently been discussed more and more often - the growing consumption of energy resources is depleting natural mineral reserves, and harmful emissions of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide from thermal power plants lead to global warming and environmental pollution.
Therefore, saving electricity in everyday life at the level of an apartment, a private house or a country cottage has a double beneficial effect - on the cost of monthly utility bills for light and heating and on the temperature balance of the entire planet.
Tips for using household appliances
To reduce the amount you pay each month for electricity consumption, you need to start with the correct use of household appliances. First of all, you need to find out which of them consume the most energy. These include boilers and storage tanks with the function of heating water, electric floor heating systems, air conditioners, electric kettles.
Also, a washing machine, which is equipped with both heating elements and an electric motor, consumes a lot of energy. Many people use washing machines too often, loading them only halfway or even less. If you turn on the machine once a week, loading it up to the maximum allowable weight, you will be able to save a decent amount over the year.
Replace all the lamps in the apartment with energy-saving ones that consume 5 times less energy than conventional incandescent lamps. Energy-saving lamps are more expensive. But the cost is fully paid off in the first few months after the installation of such lamps.
When you turn on the air conditioner, close all windows and doors so that energy is not wasted. Otherwise, the split system will work much harder to cool neighboring rooms.
Instead of traditional systems, it is better to choose inverter-type air conditioners, since their power consumption is 50% less, and in terms of performance they are not inferior to traditional models.
An electric stove consumes a lot of electricity. Electricity is wasted if the size of the pot or pan is much smaller than the diameter of the burner. The bottom should be the same size or slightly larger than the burner. When preparing first courses or cooking something, cover the pan with a lid. With intensive evaporation of water, the cooking time increases by 30%, respectively, much more energy is consumed.
As for TVs, it is recommended to give preference to modern plasma or LCD models, as they are the most economical in terms of energy consumption. Most TVs are equipped with a power saving function. Activate it if it is not set to active automatically. Do the same with the PC monitor.
When charging your phone or other gadget, do not forget to unplug the charger from the outlet after reaching the desired battery level. Otherwise, if you leave it plugged in, 95% of the energy will be wasted. In order to save money for charging gadgets, you can purchase a portable solar battery that can transform into a charger. The device transfers the accumulated solar energy to the battery via a USB cable.
To ensure that your vacuum cleaner consumes as little power as possible, empty the bag or trash can and filters regularly.
High energy consumption may be due to improper installation and use of the refrigerator. It should not be placed near the stove or in a place that receives direct sunlight. Also, do not put hot or warm food in the refrigerator. Defrost your freezer periodically. The thicker the layer of ice and hoarfrost in it, the more intensively the cooling system has to work, which increases energy consumption.
Devices
You can reduce energy consumption with the help of special devices. A large number of such developments are available for sale. These include:
- automatic switches;
- relay;
- transformers.
By installing such devices, you will pay 8 times less for electricity. There are different schemes of devices to reduce energy consumption. Today, devices - savers are becoming more and more popular. With a load of up to 19 kW, such devices are able to reduce the consumption of the meter by 15%. All you need to reduce energy consumption is to connect the device to the outlet, which is located near the meter. Otherwise, if you plug the device into a different outlet, it will simply become an additional load on the network. However, when deciding to purchase such a device, be extremely careful. Fakes are often found on sale, and sellers of such devices simply cash in on the trust of the buyer. It is recommended to watch the video before choosing and installing.
To control power consumption, buy a special adapter. There are several types of adapters on sale that are designed to calculate the electricity consumed. They plug into an outlet. By inserting a plug from a TV or any other equipment into such an adapter, you will see how much energy it consumes and understand which devices should be used more economically.
Circuit breakers are a very profitable purchase for those who live in a private house or apartment. Installing such devices will solve the problem of wasted light. This type of switches has built-in motion sensors that give the appropriate signal when they detect the approach of a person or the absence of movement for some time. The timer can be set to a specific time. On sale there are switches that react to the absence or presence of daylight.
In a private house, in order to save on utility bills, the best solution would be to install alternative energy sources. Of course, this will require considerable financial costs. But later they will fully pay off and allow you to significantly save on utility bills. If there is a river or stream with a fairly fast current near the house, a water generator is an excellent choice. You can also consider mounting a wind generator.
Please note that such installations require regular maintenance and inspections. Use solar collectors to heat water in a private house. This will save you from having to use an electric kettle. And by installing a warm water floor, you can save on heating bills.