Many people are worried about the question: how to save energy at home.You can do this in different ways:
- rationally use natural lighting and insulate the house;
- buy new modern household appliances and technical devices;
- give up some appliances and do the work manually.
Why save energy?
If saving money on electricity bills is not a big incentive for you, then look at the problem another way.Electricity is produced in 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.The efficient use of electricity will help preserve nature.If every person consciously addresses environmental issues, we can save the planet for our children.We inform you about the best ways to effectively save energy at home.
Lighting at home: ways to save energy
Lighting costs when using incandescent lamps account for 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 the curtains, raise the blinds.Transparent and light curtains will make the house brighter and more comfortable.Natural light does not harm your eyesight and helps you cope with a bad mood, so let it enter your home.Make the most of the hours of light.Move some tasks from late afternoon 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 glazed balcony.Try to prevent tall indoor plants from darkening your windows.There should also be no tree branches outside the window.
If you are renovating or building a home, plan ahead for the placement of large windows, light guides, and glass ceilings.Choose the right doors for your facility.For example, glass inserts in doors can let light into a dark hallway.
How to save energy effectively by zoning rooms
Divide the space into zones with different lighting brightness.Use several light sources in the apartment: chandeliers, table lamps, sconces, night lights.Arrange them depending on your lighting needs.For example, the room can house:
- a large chandelier with several bulbs, the light of which is regulated by a two-key switch;
- floor lamp near the reading chair;
- Table lamp with natural light source on the desk.
It is more effective to add light to the desired area than to turn on bright general lighting.Just do not replace the main lighting with additional light sources, as this can harm your vision.There should be no darkness in the room;Dim light can negatively affect health: cause migraines and depression.Let's see how you can save electricity and keep your home bright by choosing the right light bulbs.
What light bulbs to use to illuminate and reduce energy costs
If you use regular incandescent lamps, find where in the apartment you can replace them with less powerful ones.Better yet, replace this type of 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 lifespan.The investment will be amortized in one year.
Types of energy-saving bulbs:
- Mercury bulbs.They consume 4 times less energy than incandescent bulbs.The only drawback is that used lamps must be disposed of properly.
- LED 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 simplest 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 goes to work.You can combat this with reminder notes posted 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 with which you can turn off all the light bulbs in the house.
How you can save on home lighting using new technologies
- Motion sensors that turn on the lights when a person appears;
- Light sensors that do not allow artificial lighting to be turned on during the day;
- A timer switch that turns on the bulb for a set time;
- Programs that turn on electricity in zones, depending on the lighting level and time of day.
- Remote controls allow you to turn off the lights from anywhere in the room.
- Switches that can be rotated to adjust the lighting brightness.
- Light bulbs that store electricity during the day.
Electricity and heat in the house.How to reduce energy consumption?
With the arrival of cold weather, people increasingly turn on electric heaters.Insulating your home will help keep it at a comfortable temperature before turning on the central heating, without the need to use electrical appliances.
Start insulating your rooms by replacing old windows with modern plastic structures with double-glazed windows.If this is not possible, use mounting tape to insulate door and window openings.Covering your windows during the winter will eliminate heat loss and drafts.
Owners of private houses should take care of good thermal insulation of external walls and ceilings.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 there will be no need to turn on the air conditioning.Thus, insulating the house helps save energy both in winter and summer.
Maintain 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 the air in the room and, as a result, you will suffer less from ARVI.It is best to dress a little warmer if you do not feel comfortable in the room at this temperature.
How to save energy in your apartment using appliances
First, let's find out which electrical appliances consume the most energy.These data are very approximate, but they allow us to know which equipment has the greatest impact on the amount of electricity used per month.
| Device | Operating time, hours/day | kWh per day |
|---|---|---|
| television | 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 unused equipment
Leaving appliance plugs plugged into outlets wastes electricity.The computer in standby mode continues to use it.When leaving home disconnect:
- 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 you will also protect your equipment from power surges and short circuits, which can cause 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 the goal of producing energy-saving household appliances.Today the situation has changed dramatically;The energy consumption of household appliances continues to decrease.Devices that consume a minimum amount of electricity are among the best in their class.They are not cheap either, but the money invested in them pays for itself in a couple of years.Therefore, it makes sense to replace large 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 appliances wisely
- A few simple rules will help you reduce your electricity costs.
- Load the dishwasher completely instead of washing dishes in small batches.
- Make sure 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 a day to do laundry.This way you can fully load your washing machine and save money by not doing laundry daily.
- Don't heat a full electric kettle if you only need a cup of boiling water.
Do not use electrical appliances unless necessary.
Nowadays advertising forces people to buy many appliances.Some of them really make the task easier, while others we really 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 preparing for 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 advisable to use aromatic oil or simply ventilate the room more frequently.
Instead of using an electric dryer, you can hang clothes on the balcony.
If there is a gas stove in the house, it is better to replace the electric kettle with a regular one.If you are afraid of forgetting to turn it off, buy a kettle with a whistle.
There are many examples of this type.After all, our parents used to do household chores without the help of sophisticated equipment.Think about the 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 throughout the day.If you do not control the consumption of hot water, 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 boiler temperature too high, this way you can reduce energy consumption to heat water during the day.
- Good thermal insulation of the boiler will help keep water hot for a long time without additional heating.
- By showering instead of bathing, you can reduce your water consumption three times.This as long as you don't spend more than 20 minutes in the shower.
- It is more economical to wash the dishes once a day.But if you don't like the mess, wash your dishes with hot water in a bowl and then rinse them under cold running water.
Search for alternative energy sources
In a private house, solar panels can be used as an alternative energy source.When installing them, the climate of the area and the number of sunny days per year must be taken into account.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.The efficient use of electricity will not limit your freedom, because you will be able to take care of nature and its resources and at the same time benefit from the achievements of progress.As an added benefit of reducing your energy consumption, you will receive a significant reduction in your utility bills at the end of the month.