Many people are concerned about the question: how to save energy at home.You can do this in different ways:
- rationally use natural lighting and insulate the house;
- purchase of new electrical appliances and modern technical devices;
- give up some appliances and do the work manually.
Why save energy?
If saving money on your electricity bills isn't a strong incentive for you, look at the problem differently.Electricity is produced by thermoelectric plants, which daily emit many harmful substances into the atmosphere through the burning of 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 at home – ways to save energy
Lighting costs when using incandescent lamps represent approximately one third of all electricity costs.
How to reduce energy consumption using natural lighting
Try to make the most of natural light during the day: open the curtains, raise the blinds.Light, sheer curtains will make your home brighter and more comfortable.Natural light doesn't harm your vision and helps you deal with a bad mood, so let it into your home.Make the most of summer time.Move some tasks from late evening to morning to avoid artificial lighting.
Place the sofa and table 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 prevent 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 home, plan ahead for the location of large windows, light guides, and glass roofs.Choose the right doors for your installations.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 lighting brightness.Use several light sources in the apartment: chandeliers, table lamps, sconces, night lights.Arrange them according to your light needs.For example, the hall can accommodate:
- a large chandelier with several lamps, the light of which is regulated by a two-key switch;
- floor lamp near the reading chair;
- table lamp with natural light source in the work area.
It is more effective to add light in the desired area than to turn on strong general lighting.Just don't 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 your health: cause migraines and depression.Let's look at how you can save electricity and keep your home bright by choosing the right light bulbs.
What lamps to use for lighting to reduce energy costs
If you use regular incandescent bulbs, see 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 service life.The investment will pay off within a year.
Types of energy saving lamps:
- Mercury lamps.They consume 4 times less energy than incandescent lamps.The only downside is that used bulbs must be disposed of properly.
- LED lamps.They 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 causes the lamp to stay on even when the person leaves for work.You can combat this with reminders posted on 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 all the lamps 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;
- Switch with timer that turns on the lamp for a certain 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 turned to adjust the lighting brightness.
- Lamps that store electricity during the day.
Electricity and heating in the house.How to reduce energy consumption?
With the onset 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 using electrical appliances.
Start insulating your rooms by replacing old windows with modern double-glazed plastic structures.If this is not possible, use mounting tape to insulate window and door openings.Covering your windows during the winter will eliminate heat loss and drafts.
Owners of private houses must ensure 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, this house will be cool, so you won't need to turn on the air conditioning.Thus, insulating the house helps to save energy in both winter and summer.
Maintain the ideal 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's best to dress a little warmer if you don't feel comfortable in an environment at that temperature.
How to save energy in your apartment using household 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 |
| heater with fan | 2 | 5 |
| hairdryer | 1 | 0.5 |
| electric stove | 4 | 3 |
| water heater 60-70 liters | 1 | 1 |
| dishwasher | 1 | 2 |
| washing machine | 2 | 2 |
| refrigerator | 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, turn off:
- kettle;
- coffee maker;
- TV;
- computer;
- sound speakers;
- phone chargers;
- hairdryer;
- food processor and other appliances.
This way, you will not only save energy, but also protect your equipment against power surges and short circuits, which can cause fire.Your efforts will be rewarded at the end of the month with significant savings.
Replace old equipment with new models with high energy saving class
Previously, manufacturers did not aim to produce energy-saving home appliances.Today the situation has changed dramatically;energy consumption by household appliances continues to decline.Devices that consume minimal electricity are among the best in their class.They are not cheap either, but the money invested in them pays off in a few 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
- A few simple rules will help reduce your electricity costs.
- Load the dishwasher full 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 to reduce the heat inside the oven.Additional electricity will be required 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 washing clothes 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 household appliances.Some of them really make homework easier, while others are not necessary.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 frequently.
Instead of using an electric dryer, you can hang your clothes on the balcony.
If the house has a gas stove, 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 did household chores 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 the temperature at the same level throughout the day.If you don't control your hot water consumption, 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 for heating water during the day.
- Good thermal insulation of the boiler will help keep water hot for a long time without additional heating.
- If you shower instead of showering, you can reduce your water consumption by three times.This is 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 the dishes with hot water in a bowl and then rinse under cold running water.
Search for alternative energy sources
In a private house, solar panels can be used as an alternative source of energy.When installing them, it is necessary to take into account the climate of the region 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 energy consumption, you will receive a significant reduction in your electricity bills at the end of the month.