The need to save energy will never lose its relevance. Who wouldn't want a reduction in their electricity bill? And saving, it turns out, is not that difficult. You don't need ultra-modern appliances and technologies; simple, proven methods will suffice.
At the same time, it is important to know not only how to save energy, but also why it should be done. 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 don't understand why they need to save energy. Firstly, this way you 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 arise due to the release of carbon into the environment, has increased rapidly. Their 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 will be 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; just a little bit. Let's find out more about what allows you to save energy.
Using LED bulbs instead of conventional ones
LED lamps consume 6 to 10 times less energy than incandescent lamps. At the same time, its useful life is up to 50 times longer. LED lamps are 1. 5-3 times more economical than energy-saving lamps and shine 10 times brighter.
Types of energy saving lamps:
- Mercury lamps. They consume 4 times less electricity than incandescent lamps. After use, they cannot be discarded, but must be disposed of in special containers.
- Led lamps. These are new generation consumables. They work much longer than mercury ones, consume little electricity and do not contain toxins. The only disadvantage of lamps is their high cost.
Turn off the lights when not necessary
The first way to save energy is to use the resource as needed. Sometimes, the lack of a good habit of flipping the switch means the light stays 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 in visible locations. For example: "Check the electricity, gas, water! " You can also turn off the power to the entire apartment using a common switch before leaving the house.
Heat water in a kettle on the 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. That's 200 times less than a pot of tea.
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 to be illuminated, 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 on lighting the area.
It is worth positioning the sensors so that the light turns on according to the person's movement and turns off after they have passed more. The device operates at a distance of three meters. Motion sensors are one of the effective ways to save energy in a private home.
Similar devices are also available for indoor use. They automatically turn on the light in the room when a person enters. The sensor detects changes in the capacitive component and the light turns on.
Room zoning as a great way to save energy
Organize effective lighting of the premises through appropriate zoning of the space. Use different light sources in different functional parts of the room: chandeliers, table lamps, bedside lamps, sconces. Each zone 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 leisure area.
- Table lamp on the desktop.
If light is needed 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 during creative work or reading. Furthermore, a lack of light negatively affects the nervous system, which leads to depression or headaches.
Saving electricity using a multi-tariff meter
If you are thinking about saving electricity in your apartment, you can install a multi-tariff meter. This will help reduce your electricity costs. Ordinary consumers have access to two- and three-tariff meters.
Dual-tariff electricity meters calculate daytime and nighttime energy consumption separately. The nighttime electricity tariff is lower than the daytime tariff. 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 opportunity to switch to two tariffs. With this service you can save up to 70% of your energy consumption.
With a two-tariff meter, you can use appliances such as a bread maker or a multicooker, which will prepare delicious meals for you in the evening, saving energy.
For those 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 only operate the device at night, from 11pm to 7am.
There are meters that divide the day into three periods: "night" – from 23: 00 to 7: 00, "peak" – from 7: 00 to 10: 00 and from 17: 00 to 21: 00, "half peak" – from 10: 00 to 17: 00 and from 21: 00 to 23: 00. Electricity costs are lowest at night and most expensive during peak hours. Installing multi-tariff meters has a number of advantages:
- Use electricity when the cost is minimal.
- The cost of the device is justified if the correct distribution of the load on the network is observed.
- Three-tariff meters cannot be hacked and reset.
- Possibility of transmitting readings via the Internet.
The option of using two-tariff meters is often found. Appliances with three tariffs should be purchased by those who use a lot of electricity during the day. By avoiding grid load at peak times, you save electricity, as morning and evening times 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 boiler
All owners of cottages and private houses are concerned about the question of how they can save electricity if the heating is carried out using an electric boiler and the water is heated using a water heater. It looks like the plates 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 purpose, various thermal insulation materials are used. Insulated walls, floors and roofs will retain heat better and you will have to spend less on electricity.
- Installing an additional heat accumulator. The device is integrated into the heating system so that it accumulates thermal energy during the period of minimum electrical energy consumption and releases it when the boiler is turned off during the maximum peak energy consumption phase. The system operates using automatic on and off controls.
- Installation of ventilation systems with recovery, which helps retain heat and return it to the environment, as well as preventing cold air from entering 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 room temperature when external indicators change.
- Using double-circuit boilers, allowing to heat the water in the boilers to a comfortable temperature without overheating it, as this increases the load on the electrical network.
- Install a boiler with good thermal insulation that keeps water hot for a long time. As a result, water can be heated at night, saving energy costs.
Is it possible to save energy on class A+ appliances?
Household 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. It's really?
It is worth comparing the actual energy 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 for 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.
In other words, with equal energy consumption, high-end models use electricity more efficiently to carry out their work.
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 the capital it is 5. 38 rubles. It turns out that you can save 1, 146 rubles per year.
If a new refrigerator costs 30 thousand rubles, it will pay for itself in 30 years. If you already have equipment purchased many years ago, but it works correctly, purchasing another one will not save you money. In case of serious damage and the need to replace the refrigerator with a new one, choose models taking into account your financial capabilities. Purchasing a more expensive and highly energy-efficient option does not guarantee a reduction in electricity costs.
Consequences of illegal energy saving
Illegal actions can lead to 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 tariffs adopted by the Resolution. As a result, the cost of electricity will be much higher than when paying by meter.
- The owner will need to purchase a new electricity meter worth 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 will face criminal punishment.
- The owner will be held civilly liable if the energy supplying entity's claim is satisfied and will have to 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-supplying organizations; they will not allow it.
- According to the laws of physics, this is impossible - you spend as much energy as one kilowatt is consumed from the network by your equipment.
You must not be deceived and commit crimes in pursuit of profit. It is better to use legal methods to save energy. This way, you will spend less money on electricity bills and will also help reduce the harmful impact on the environment. To do this, you just need to be smart about resource consumption.