The price of energy carriers is growing regularly, so the question of how to save electricity at home is becoming more and more relevant. It should be noted that if some ten or fifteen years ago the average family of three did not particularly think about it, since the cost of utilities did not eat up the lion's share of the budget, now the situation has changed dramatically.
At the same time, using all the modern possibilities for energy saving, it is not at all necessary to use dim light, refuse to turn on the necessary devices and "rewind" the meter readings, which threatens violators with impressive fines. It is important to simply recognize and take for granted the need to save money and 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 - "Am I paying a lot for light (or electricity)? Is it possible to somehow reduce these payments? "But as a rule, the matter does not go further than conversations. 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:
- slightly change our behavior
- we use modern energy saving technologies
In the first case, everything will depend only on us, i. e. adhering to 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 . . . . . having invested once, you can relax, the technique will do everything for you. And in most cases, the costs pay off within a year.
If we turn to statistics, then the approximate costs in an average apartment of electricity are distributed as follows:
- 25% - electric stove, kettle, microwave oven and other kitchen appliances
- 21% - refrigerator
- 20% - lighting
- 9% - washing machine, dishwasher
- 11% TV, computer
- 14% - other
Using this data, you can roughly calculate how much and on what you can start saving. Before starting, I advise you to write down how much energy you consume per month. What for? This will allow you to understand how much you really save by applying certain methods. The result will be visible immediately, and this will give you an additional incentive.
Let's start saving energy:
Turn off the light when you leave
Everyone knows the expression, only . . . . . for some reason we do not 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 court can also be attributed just like a working TV. Such "excesses" cost us about 30% of all lighting costs.
Energy-saving lamps
Old incandescent lamps consumed 100 watts, energy-saving - 20 watts. Saving in energy consumption by 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, they consume MUCH less energy and last longer. Don't be stingy and buy. The main thing is to choose those that have a big guarantee - about 2 years. Within a year, LED lamps pay off with a vengeance.
More natural light
Rooms with white or light-colored wallpaper are lighter (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. Not very clean, dusty, they are able to retain up to 30% of the light. Do not clutter up the window sill with flowers and other nonsense. Position your workspace near a window. If you don't have enough light, use a low-wattage table lamp.
Multi-tariff meters (day-night)
The benefit is that many appliances are always on (refrigerator) or in sleep mode (computers, TV, etc. ). Accordingly, in the evening-night time, the cost of energy consumption will decrease. If you transfer some energy-intensive operations to the evening (washing, cooking, ironing), the savings will become even more noticeable.
Turn off all appliances
First of all, this is equipment that works in standby mode: a computer, a TV, a microwave oven. air conditioning, water heater and many others. Count how many hours (or even minutes) a day you use this or that device. Microwave for 15 minutes, TV - let's say 2-3 hours, etc.
It turns out that in the standby mode, the devices work almost around the clock - 20 - 23 hours. And all this time they are slowly "stealing" energy from us, and therefore money. Each individual, of course, does not consume very much, but they take in quantity. For a year, the standby mode costs us about 3, 000 rubles.
Few people know, but many devices still consume energy even if they are turned off, but not pulled out of the network: hair dryer, phone charger.
smart technology
Use devices with energy class A (respectively, the most energy-consuming is class G). The difference in energy consumption, even among modern models, can vary significantly. What can we say about outdated equipment (originally from the 90s and older). The difference in power consumption may differ, no, not at times. Dozens of times!
Many models have an automatic saving mode. For example, in washing machines and dishwashers, depending on the workload, the system uses the optimal amount of water and energy, thereby reducing consumption by 30-40 percent. If you do not plan to change equipment yet, we will save on what we have.
Appliances
Fridge
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 frost, the higher the energy consumption. No hot meals in the fridge. Always cover all liquid dishes (soups, compotes). Remember, higher humidity equals higher energy consumption.
Washing and dishwashers
- Work only at full load.
- In the mode of fast and economical washing.
- Washing (washing) at low temperature (where washing at high temperatures is not needed)
Cooking
- If you have gas in your apartment, you are in luck. It is several times more economical than electricity.
- Boil with the lid closed.
- Always boil water only as much as needed.
- Pre-poured water for cooking in the pan itself heats up to room temperature and the stove needs less energy to further heat and boil it.
- Residual heat. Turn off the stove 10-20 minutes before the end of cooking. The cooked dish itself will reach the desired condition.
- Heat the dish in the microwave at a time in one large plate - then you can divide it into portions for everyone.
Ironing
- Over-dried and under-dried laundry is an increased energy consumption. We use the golden mean.
- Turn off the iron 5-10 minutes before the end of ironing. We iron on the residual heat.
- Use an iron with an automatic shut-off function.
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 once), or a more economical option - we close all the cracks in windows and doors (we use seals). If the house is cool (not cold), do not rush to immediately turn on the heater - sometimes it is enough to wear something warmer from clothes.
As you can see, it is not so difficult to start saving on electricity. You can easily save 30-50%, if you get confused a little, then you can generally 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.