To understand how to save energy in an apartment, you need to be prepared for an integrated approach. There is no such way to get the minimum bills at the touch of a button. And living without light is somehow not comfortable at all.
The importance of saving energy
Although energy sources were cheap, no one thought about saving energy. But since then, as payrolls have risen sharply, the public has shown considerable interest in ways to save electricity and other resources. Villagers are worried about how to save electricity in a private house, while city dwellers are looking for information on how to save energy in an apartment.
Rising tariffs are entirely justified because the planet is rapidly depleting its depletable energy resources and, on the contrary, the cost of producing them is rising. Unfortunately, the salaries of ordinary residents do not show such a frantic increase, so there is no other way out than to look for effective solutions to save electricity.
There is another reason for the savings - the huge load on the transformer substations. Every year, more and more electrical appliances appear in people’s homes. Of course, electrical wiring and substations may not be resistant, they need to be repaired or replaced with stronger ones.
In addition, energy savings reduce the emissions of processed products into the atmosphere and water sources. Resource-saving people make modest contributions to conserving rivers, lakes, and forests, and contribute to preserving the health of the nation.
Effective and legal ways to save
Demand reduction
How to reduce energy consumption without appliances and additional investment? It's very simple. We just need to think about how much light we need and use the following tips from experienced innovators:
- Try to use less electric light. This does not mean a return to primitive times when the activities of life took place only in daylight. You can simply try to do all the things that require strong light during the day and limit yourself to just one lamp in the evening to illuminate the rest of the work.
- Regarding the issue of saving light in the apartment, you should know that the amount of lighting depends on the cleanliness of the luminaires. If the lampshade in the kitchen is covered with a "century-old" layer of grease and dust, you should not expect strong light from it. And if the ceiling is clean, light will penetrate it perfectly, which means you can use a smaller light bulb.
- Windows should also be washed more often, as this will allow daylight hours to last a little longer and allow you to turn on the power later.
- In multi-bulb chandeliers, you can turn on one or two at a time. For table work, use a table lamp in combination with low overhead lighting.
- A very useful invention is the dimmer. Allows you to adjust the lighting level of each lamp.
- Replace standard bulbs with energy-saving ones. Recently, many have begun to worry about the question: are LED lights energy efficient? Experts are convinced that the future belongs to LED lamps, as they consume little energy, emitting enough light.
- Turn off the lights when you leave the room. This is of course quite difficult when there are children in the house who are very difficult to get used to in such a simple way of saving.
Use multiple tariff meters
Electricity can be charged differently at different times of the day. This is due to the fact that it is consumed in large quantities during the day and the power plants are virtually idle at night. Therefore, you can measure electricity with a meter that calculates the energy consumed during the day at the usual price and pays 30% less for the night.
If the house has appliances used around the clock (refrigerator, electric heating, etc. ), a multi-tariff meter will help reduce your electricity bill. Washing can be started at night and at the same time the performance of the heaters can be increased so that they can be switched off completely during the day.
Rational use of technology
Every home has devices that never unplug. But not everyone knows that even in "sleep" mode, they draw electricity. Each device has very little such supporting power, but they reach an impressive amount in a month. To avoid unnecessary waste, simply unplug all devices from their outlets "during their idle time. "
Note:The use of old, low-quality wires, as well as many extension cords and assorted T-shirts, also increases household electricity consumption.
Technical News
People who want to know how to intelligently reduce the cost of electricity in their home should appreciate all their appliances. After all, old types of refrigerators and TVs consume a lot of energy, twice as much as modern models. Gradually try to replace all obsolete appliances with low-power models. Labels usually indicate the degree of economy, with Class A being the most profitable.
More recently, more economical energy consumption classes have emerged, such as A +, A ++.
Smart devices are already on sale, able to independently calculate the amount of detergent or detergent based on the weight of the dishes or bedding, and regulate water consumption. Refrigerators can enter a super economical mode during owners ’holidays.
Vacuum Cleaner
In order to prevent the vacuum cleaner from drawing more energy from the mains than it needs, it must be cleaned regularly and in time of accumulated dust layers, because as it is full, its consumption increases by 15-20%. And don’t turn the vacuum cleaner on / off too often - it puts most of your energy into these activities.
Refrigerator
Probably a million articles have been written about the proper installation of the refrigerator and thousands of videos have been shot, but our people continue to stubbornly continue to put this unit near the heater, the stove and the sunny side. But in this case, the refrigerator heats up quickly from nearby heat sources and consumes much more electricity. We also recommend that you leave some space between the refrigerator and the wall to ensure the necessary airflow.
It is also desirable that the room where the refrigerator is located be cool. Remember to defrost the cooling unit as needed and rid it of accumulated ice, making the appliance easier to work with and reducing its "energy cravings". Be careful not to damage the door.
When thinking about how to reduce your energy bill, when buying a new refrigerator, don’t “swing” the largest and most spacious model if 2-3 people live in the house all the time. After all, such a "colossus" consumes a lot of energy.
Electric stove
An electric stove is a very energy consuming device. You can reduce your energy costs by following these costs:
- If the recipe for a dish does not indicate that the oven needs to be preheated the moment the pan is placed, do not turn it on in advance.
- Turn off the hob 5-10 minutes before the end of the cooking time. There will be enough residual heat for cooking.
- Containers should always be covered with a lid.
- When boiling eggs and vegetables, add enough water to cover the food.
- It is important to use good, flat-bottomed pans. Ideal for electric stoves - thick-bottomed pots and pans.
- To boil water for tea or coffee, use an electric kettle instead of a stove, as this consumes much less energy for this process.
- For a quick meal, use the microwave or multicooker, not the oven.
Washing machine
It's very hard to imagine modern life without a washing machine, but it also "eats" a lot of electricity - about 15% of total consumption. Use these tricks to save money:
- Washing in fast and economical ways.
- Do not wash 2-3 items at a time, but undermine the item until it is completely loaded. But you can't overload the car either.
- Use the low temperature settings for normal washing.
Air conditioners
To prevent the air conditioner from consuming too much power, operate it properly:
- Set the optimum temperature just so that the room cools down and does not freeze.
- Do not operate the air conditioner with the windows or doors open.
- When buying an air conditioner, be sure to calculate the area of the room where it will cool down. Do not take too much power into a small room as this will waste power.
- Be sure to clean the air conditioner fans, filters, and grilles so that you do not have to run at high speeds.
Heaters
In the fall, winter, and early spring, we often need to bring a variety of heaters out of our tank. After all, the heating is often turned on and off for a very long time. So we use energy consuming radiators, although such heat is very expensive.
To reduce the need for heating equipment, even in relatively warm weather, provide all possible insulation: windows, walls, floors. It is best to replace old windows with plastic. And if that’s not possible, at least try to close all the cracks and microcracks in the frames and next to the glass. Up to 50% of the heat passes through them. Do the same with the front doors.
If the heater is already on and the batteries are still discharged, you should call a wizard to check if there is any water in them.
Solar Energy Consumption
Solar energy has long been actively used in countries with warm climates. Some of them managed to completely abandon all other sources. Technology is very attractive, but without government support, it often turns out to be an overwhelming task for individual households, as solar panels and other structural elements are expensive and pay for themselves over many years.
It is advisable to read the special literature and determine the necessary characteristics of the solar station at the design stage. Many try to create the entire structure on their own, but don’t take into account all the nuances and complexities, so they often fail.
Wind energy
Home wind generators in regions with high air mass activity can significantly reduce electricity costs, and if they have a special meter, they can also make money on the electricity they produce. But such devices as well as solar panels cost a lot of money and are needed from professionals.
Sometimes the owners of such power plants miscalculate the performance of wind currents, leading to forced shutdowns of expensive equipment.
Smart Home System
Probably everyone has seen the movies in which the hero clashes his hands or prompts for a password, and then the lights turn on or off, the window curtains open, and the fireplace starts working. This is the “Smart Home” system.
Special equipment and computer programs are used to automate the operation of all devices in the house, which also control the level of energy consumption. Sensors are placed in the house that take readings and determine the amount of electricity used in each room. The computer analyzes and suggests solutions to optimize power consumption.
The system will not work on its own, it must be programmed for a specific house or apartment. But when all the occupants of the house are scattered about their affairs in the morning, the system turns off the air conditioning or lights in the kitchen, closes the door, or starts washing.
Install motion sensors
Instead of buying a rather expensive "Smart Home" system, you can thrive on "little blood" and install motion sensors in your room. After all, we often forget to turn off the lights when we leave the house or fall asleep with the light. But if the rooms are equipped with motion sensors, they will turn off the lights themselves.
Can be set so that the light goes out only 5-10 minutes after a person leaves the room. After all, children are constantly running back and forth, and adults can move around the house very quickly.
Such a sensor is very useful in a hallway where light is only needed to pass through another room. In order not to keep turning the switch all the time, or to keep the light on the hallway constantly lit, you can place the sensor and live comfortably. Energy-saving lamps with built-in motion sensors are now for sale.
It’s not too hard to save electricity, you just have to tune in and agree with every member of the household. The main obstacle is ourselves and our beliefs. As soon as he realizes the need for savings, it immediately becomes clear that it has happened that the light bills are small.