The need to save energy will never lose its relevance. Who wouldn't want a reduction in their electricity bill? And it turns out that saving is not that difficult. No ultra-modern appliances or technologies are needed; Simple and proven methods will suffice.
At the same time, it is important to know not only how to save energy, but also why you should do it. And it's not just about saving the family budget. By turning off the lights behind you and using energy-efficient solutions, you help preserve nature. But let's talk about everything in order.
The importance of saving energy
Many people do not understand why save energy. First of all, this way you can save money in the family budget. Secondly, many irreplaceable resources are spent every day on energy production: coal, oil, gas and emissions from thermal power plants pollute the atmosphere.
In recent years, the volume of greenhouse gases, which appear due to the release of carbon into the environment, has increased rapidly. Its accumulation leads to global warming and natural disasters that affect everyone on Earth.
If everyone on the planet thinks about how to save energy and starts using resources efficiently, there is a chance to preserve nature for future generations. Let's look at the best ways to save energy at home.
4 simple ways to save energy
Anyone can take care of nature, it just takes a little. Let's find out more about what saves you energy.
Use LED lamps instead of conventional ones
LED lamps consume 6 to 10 times less energy than incandescent lamps. At the same time, its service life is up to 50 times longer. LED lamps are 1. 5 to 3 times more economical than energy-saving bulbs and shine 10 times brighter.
Types of energy-saving lamps:
- Mercury bulbs. They consume 4 times less electricity than incandescent lamps. After use they cannot be thrown away, but must be disposed of in special containers.
- LED bulbs. These are new generation consumables. They work much longer than mercury ones, consume little electricity and do not contain toxins. The only drawback of light bulbs is their high cost.
Turn off the lights when you don't need them.
The first way to save energy is to use the resource as needed. Sometimes, the lack of good habit of flipping the switch causes the light to be on even during the day or when everyone has left the house. To remind you to turn off the power, you can place a reminder note in visible places. For example: "Check the electricity, gas, water! " You can also turn off the power to the entire apartment using a common switch before leaving home.
Heat water in a kettle on a gas stove, if available.
This is another way to save energy at home. It takes many kilowatts to boil water in an electric kettle. This appliance is quite powerful, some options have more than 2 kW. Compared to an LED bulb, it consumes about 10 watts per hour. This is 200 times less than a teapot.
If you have a gas stove in your apartment, you can heat a kettle on it. This will reduce electricity consumption.
Using motion sensors
If you have a large private house and an area that needs lighting, you can install motion sensors. They will turn on the lights when someone enters the area. The devices do not react to animals. In a private house, a lot of electricity is spent lighting the area.
It is worth placing the sensors so that the light turns on according to the person's movement and turns off when they have passed further away. The device works at a distance of three meters. Motion sensors are one of the effective ways to save energy in a private house.
Similar devices are also available for indoor use. They automatically turn on the light in the room when a person enters. The sensor notices changes in the capacitive component and the light turns on.
Zoning rooms as a great way to save energy
Organize effective lighting of premises through appropriate zoning of space. Use different light sources in different functional parts of the room: chandeliers, table lamps, bedside lamps, sconces. Each area has its own lighting methods. For example, in the living room install:
- A large chandelier in the center of the room with a two-key switch for adjustment.
- Floor lamp in the recreation area.
- Table lamp on desk.
If you need light in a separate area, you can simply turn it on there, instead of always using the main lighting. To maintain normal vision, the room should not be dark when doing creative work or reading. In addition, the lack of light negatively affects the nervous system, causing depression or headaches.
Saving electricity through a multi-rate meter
If you are thinking about how to save electricity in your apartment, you can install a multi-tariff meter. It will help reduce your electricity costs. Ordinary consumers have access to two- and three-rate meters.
Two-rate electricity meters calculate daytime and nighttime energy consumption separately. The night rate for electricity is lower than the day rate. To save money, you can start washing machines and dishwashers after midnight by setting them to a delayed start mode.
Not all areas have the possibility of changing to two rates. With this service you can save up to 70% of your energy consumption.
By having a two-rate meter, you can use devices such as a bread maker or a multicooker, which will prepare delicious meals for you in the evening, saving energy.
For people who use a boiler to heat water, using a two-phase meter will be a good way to save energy appropriately. You can set a timer to operate the device only at night, from 11 p. m. m. to 7 a. m. m.
There are counters that divide the day into three periods: "night" – from 11: 00 p. m. to 7: 00 a. m. , "peak" – from 7: 00 a. m. to 10: 00 a. m. and from 5: 00 p. m. to 9: 00 p. m. , "mid peak" – from 10: 00 a. m. to 5: 00 p. m. and from 9: 00 p. m. to 11: 00 p. m. Electricity costs are lowest at night and most expensive during peak hours. Installing meters with multiple rates has a number of advantages:
- Use electricity when the cost is minimal.
- The cost of the device is justified if an adequate distribution of the load in the network is observed.
- Three-rate counters cannot be hacked or reconfigured.
- Possibility of transmitting readings over the Internet.
The option of using two-rate meters is often found. Three-tariff devices should be purchased by those who spend a lot of electricity during the day. By avoiding load on the network during peak hours, you can save electricity, because the morning and evening hours are the most expensive according to the tariff - the cost increases by 70%.
People who live in private houses and heat them with electric boilers must reduce the power of the device during peak hours, otherwise they will not be able to reduce energy costs.
Ways to save energy with a boiler and electric water heater
All owners of cottages and private houses are worried about how they can save electricity if heating is carried out with an electric boiler, and water is heated with a water heater. It looks like the boards will be huge. It all depends on your efforts.
It is necessary to carefully consider the heating and hot water supply system.
- Good home insulation. For this, different thermal insulating materials are used. Insulated walls, floors and roofs will retain heat better and you will have to spend less on electricity.
- Installation of an additional heat accumulator. The device is integrated into the heating system so that it accumulates thermal energy during the period of minimum electricity cost and releases it when the boiler is turned off during the phase of maximum energy consumption. The system works through automatic on and off controls.
- Installation of ventilation systems with recovery., which helps retain heat and return it to the room, in addition to preventing the entry of cold air from the street.
- Maintain the normal temperature in the apartment at the same level.. To do this, it is necessary to install special equipment that will automatically control the temperature in the room when the indicators change outside.
- Using double-circuit boilers., allowing water to be heated in boilers to a comfortable temperature without overheating it, since this increases the load on the electrical network.
- Install a boiler with good thermal insulation that will keep the water hot for a long time. As a result, water can be heated at night, saving energy costs.
Is it possible to save energy in class A+ appliances?
Home appliances are divided into energy efficiency classes. The advertisement claims that a class A+ refrigerator or washing machine will help you save on electricity costs. Is really?
It is worth comparing the actual power consumption of equipment from different categories to make sure that all models consume approximately the same amount of electricity during operation. The only advantage of higher class appliances is that with the same number of kilowatts, the refrigerator freezes more and the oven heats up faster. Therefore, replacing equipment will not globally solve the problem of how to save energy at home.
That is, with the same energy consumption, high-end models use electricity more efficiently in terms of doing their job.
Let's look at an example. A Class B refrigerator consumes 485 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. A model of equipment with the same volume and number of class A+ cameras consumes 272 kilowatt-hours per year.
To find out how much money you save if you install a high-end refrigerator, you need to multiply the kilowatt-hours by the average tariff, for capital it is 5. 38 rubles. It turns out that you can save 1146 rubles a year.
If a new refrigerator costs 30 thousand rubles, it will pay off in 30 years. If you already have a device that you bought many years ago, but that works correctly, buying another one will not bring you any savings. In case of serious damage and the need to replace the refrigerator with a new one, choose models taking into account your own financial capabilities. Purchasing a more expensive, energy-efficient option does not guarantee a reduction in electricity costs.
Consequences of illegal energy savings
Illegal actions can cause problems:
- If the electricity meter is damaged or magnetized, the owner will be obliged to pay for the use of energy in accordance with the rates and rates adopted by the Resolution. As a result, the cost of electricity will be much higher than when paying by meter.
- The owner will have to purchase a new electricity meter costing from one and a half to four thousand rubles.
- The violator will be subject to an administrative fine of 10 to 15 thousand rubles (Article 7. 19). If a person steals electricity worth more than 250 thousand rubles, he faces a criminal penalty.
- The owner will be civilly liable if the energy supply company's claim is satisfied and must pay fines and interest.
Advertisements for special devices that help reduce energy consumption by 25-30% are published on various information resources. But you shouldn't think that there is a device that can do this using legal methods. There are real facts confirming that this device will not help save electricity:
- This is not profitable for resource provider organizations; They won't allow it.
- According to the laws of physics, this is impossible: you consume as much energy as your equipment consumes one kilowatt from the grid.
You should not allow yourself to be deceived or commit crimes in order to obtain profits. Better use legal methods to save energy. This way you will spend less money on electricity bills and will also help reduce your harmful impact on the environment. To do this, you just have to be smart in the consumption of resources.