Many people are concerned about the question: how to save energy at home.You can do this in different ways:
- rationally using natural lighting and insulating the house;
- buying new electrical appliances and modern technical devices;
- giving up some household appliances and doing the work manually.
Why save energy?
If saving money on electricity bills is not a strong incentive for you, then look at the problem differently.Electricity is produced by thermal power plants, which daily emit many harmful substances into the atmosphere by burning natural fuels: coal, oil and gas.Environmental pollution leads to global warming and, as a result, natural disasters.Efficient use of electricity will help preserve nature.If every person consciously addresses environmental issues, we can save the planet for our children.We bring to your attention the best ways to effectively save energy at home.
Lighting in the home - ways to save energy
Lighting costs when using incandescent lamps are approximately one third of all electricity costs.
How to reduce energy consumption by using natural lighting
Try to make the most of natural light during the day: open curtains, raise blinds.Light transparent curtains will make the house brighter and more comfortable.Natural light doesn't damage your eyesight and helps you cope with bad moods, so let it into your home.Make the most of daylight hours.Move some tasks from late evening to morning to avoid artificial lighting.
Place the sofa and desk near the window.This way you can read without an additional light source.You can equip a relaxation area on the glassed-in balcony.Try to keep windows from being obscured by tall indoor plants.There should also be no tree branches outside the window.
If you are renovating or building a house, then plan in advance the location of large windows, light guides, and glass roofs.Choose the right doors for your premises.For example, glass inserts in doors can let light into a dark hallway.
How to effectively save energy by zoning rooms
Divide the space into zones with different brightness of lighting.Use various light sources in the apartment: chandeliers, table lamps, sconces, night lights.Arrange them depending on your light needs.For example, the hall can accommodate:
- a large chandelier with several bulbs, the light in which is regulated by a two-key switch;
- floor lamp near the reading chair;
- table lamp with a daylight source on the desktop.
It is more effective to add light in the desired area than to turn on bright general lighting.Just do not replace the main lighting with additional light sources, as this can damage your vision.There should be no darkness in the room; dim light can negatively affect your health: lead to migraines and depression.Let's look at how you can save electricity and keep your home bright by choosing the right light bulbs.
What light bulbs to use for lighting to reduce energy costs
If you use regular incandescent lamps, look where in the apartment you can replace them with less powerful ones.Better yet, replace this type of light bulb with a more modern one.
Energy-saving lamps consume several times less electricity than their predecessors.They are more expensive, but have a long service life.The investment will pay off within a year.
Types of energy-saving light bulbs:
- Mercury bulbs.They consume 4 times less energy than incandescent light bulbs.The only downside is that used lamps must be disposed of properly.
- LED light bulbs.They have appeared on the market recently, but have already proven themselves to be reliable and economical.They last even longer than mercury ones and do not contain harmful substances.The disadvantages of these lamps include their high cost.
How to get rid of the bad habit of leaving the lights on
The easiest way to avoid wasting electricity is to not leave the lights on when leaving the room.The habit of not turning off the electricity often leads to the fact that the light bulb is on even when a person leaves for work.You can combat this with reminder notes stuck on the front doors.The inscription could be: “Before leaving, turn off the lights!”, “Check the lights, water, iron, gas!”It is very convenient if there is a switch near the door that can be used to turn off the power to all the light bulbs in the house.
How you can save on home lighting using new technologies
- Motion sensors that turn on lights when a person appears;
- Light sensors that do not allow artificial lighting to be turned on during the day;
- A switch with a timer that lights the light bulb for a certain time;
- Programs that turn on electricity in zones, depending on the level of illumination and time of day.
- Remote controls allow you to turn off the lights from anywhere in the room.
- Switches that can be turned to adjust the brightness of the lighting.
- Light bulbs that store electricity during the day.
Electricity and heat in the house.How to reduce energy consumption?
With the onset of cold weather, people are increasingly turning on electric heaters.Insulating your home will help keep it at a comfortable temperature before turning on the central heating, without using electrical appliances.
Start insulating your rooms by replacing old windows with modern plastic structures with double-glazed windows.If this is not possible, then use mounting tape to insulate window and door openings.Covering windows for the winter will eliminate heat loss and drafts.
Owners of private houses should take care of good thermal insulation of external walls and roofs.If the house is well insulated, this will help keep the room warm during the cold season.In hot summer weather, such a house will be cool, so you won’t have to turn on the air conditioning.Thus, insulating the house helps to save energy both in winter and summer.
Maintain the optimal temperature in the room.It should not exceed 21 degrees.Do not turn on the heater unless the temperature drops below this mark.This way you will not dry out the air in the room and, as a result, you will suffer less from ARVI.It is better to dress a little warmer if you are not comfortable in the room at this temperature.
How to save energy in your apartment by using electrical appliances
First, let's figure out which electrical appliances consume the most energy.These data are very approximate, but they allow you to find out which equipment has the greatest impact on the amount of electricity spent per month.
| Device | Operating time, hours/day | kWh per day |
|---|---|---|
| TV | 3 | 0.5 |
| computer | 12 | 4 |
| iron | 2 | 1 |
| microwave | 1 | 1 |
| multicooker, steamer | 6 | 1 |
| hood | 8 | 1 |
| oil heater | 12 | 6 |
| fan heater | 2 | 5 |
| hair dryer | 1 | 0.5 |
| electric stove | 4 | 3 |
| water heater 60-70 liters | 1 | 1 |
| dishwasher | 1 | 2 |
| washing machine | 2 | 2 |
| fridge | 24 | 1 |
| freezer | 24 | 1.2 |
| electric kettle | 1 | 1 |
| incandescent lamp, 100W | 8 | 0.8 |
Unplug equipment you don't use
Leaving appliance plugs plugged into sockets wastes electricity.Equipment in standby mode continues to use it.When leaving home, unplug:
- kettle;
- coffee maker;
- TV;
- computer;
- sound speakers;
- phone chargers;
- hair dryer;
- food processor and other appliances.
This way you will not only save energy, but also protect your equipment from power surges and short circuits, which can lead to a fire.Your efforts will pay off at the end of the month with significant savings.
Replace old equipment with new models with a high energy saving class
Previously, manufacturers did not set themselves the goal of producing household appliances that would save energy.Today the situation has changed dramatically; energy consumption by appliances continues to decline.Devices that consume minimal electricity are among the best in their class.They are also not cheap, but the money invested in them pays off in a couple of years.Therefore, it makes sense to replace large household appliances with new models.First of all, it is advisable to change the refrigerator and washing machine.For maximum energy savings, choose a Class A appliance whenever possible.
Use electrical appliances wisely
- Some simple rules will help reduce your electricity costs.
- Load the dishwasher full instead of washing dishes in small batches.
- Make sure that the refrigerator door closes tightly and do not leave it open for long periods of time.
- When cooking in an electric oven, do not open the oven door too often so as not to reduce the heat inside the oven.Additional electricity will be needed to restore the previous temperature.
- Set aside one day for laundry.This way you can fully load your washing machine and save money by not doing daily laundry.
- Don't heat a full electric kettle if you only need one cup of boiling water.
Do not use electrical appliances unless necessary
Nowadays advertising forces people to buy many household appliances.Some of them really make homework easier, while others we actually don't need at all.You can prepare dinner for two every day without the help of a food processor.But it will come in handy when you make preparations for the winter.
Instead of a yogurt maker, you can use a thermos.It also does a good job of keeping the milk at a constant temperature.Instead of an electric air freshener, it is useful to use aromatic oil or simply ventilate the room more often.
Instead of using an electric clothes dryer, you can hang your laundry on the balcony.
If the house has a gas stove, then it is better to replace the electric kettle with a regular one.If you are afraid that you will forget to turn it off, then buy a kettle with a whistle.
There are many such examples.After all, our parents used to do housework without the help of sophisticated equipment.Think about what devices you can do without.
How to save electricity when heating water
The boiler not only heats the water, but also maintains its temperature at the same level all day.If you do not control the consumption of hot water, then you will have to pay a significant amount to heat it at the end of the month.
How to save hot water:
- Do not set the temperature on the boiler too high, this way you can reduce the energy consumption for heating water during the day.
- Good thermal insulation of the boiler will help keep the water hot for a long time without additional heating.
- If you take a shower instead of a bath, you can reduce your water consumption by three times.This is provided that you spend no more than 20 minutes in the shower.
- It is more economical to wash dishes once a day.But if you don't like the mess, wash your plates with hot water in a bowl and then rinse them with cold running water.
Search for alternative energy sources
In a private home, solar panels can be used as an alternative energy source.When installing them, you need to take into account the climate of the area and the number of sunny days per year.In the southern regions of the country, solar panels are successfully used in large houses.Electricity stored in batteries connected to solar panels can be used to light the house and heat water.
Conclusion
Energy saving methods don't have to be a hassle.As you can see, there are many ways to avoid wasting electricity.Efficient use of electricity will not limit your freedom, because you can take care of nature and its resources and at the same time benefit from the achievements of progress.As a bonus for reducing your energy consumption, you will receive a significant reduction in utility bills at the end of the month.