Electricity takes a big place in your daily life. Almost every appliance you need around the house runs on electricity: from ovens to refrigerators and freezers to lighting. Nevertheless, a few simple rules can effectively reduce electricity costs. Here are 10 practical tips to reduce your electricity consumption.
1 – Buy energy efficient appliances
If you want to save electricity, you don’t need to immediately replace all your electrical appliances. You can just keep in mind that it would be good occasionally to replace your old models with new energy-saving ones. Do it gradually. Unless the entire modernization of your interior makes sense. For new purchases, give preference to the most energy-efficient model, even if it is generally a little more expensive in terms of purchase price. For example, if you buy an energy-saving refrigerator, you can save hundreds of dollars over its lifetime.
2 – Avoid “sleep” mode
Disabling sleep mode can also work wonders on many devices. Many are in continuous operation – and as a consumer you hardly pay attention to them. Many appliances remain powered on when not in use. All so-called entertainment devices such as stereos or televisions. You can plug them all into a multiple socket and in the evening when you go to bed turn off the multiple socket. The same goes for your computers, printers and other desktop monitors. You only need to press a single button to save money. Otherwise, even simpler: unplug the devices rather than placing them in “sleep” mode. By proceeding, it’s a safe bet that you will save at least a hundred euros per year.
3 – Equip yourself correctly in terms of lighting
If you want to save energy when it comes to lighting in your house or apartment, you should get LED lamps. You can also think of automatic stops. This is often recommended in stairwells. The important thing is in the details, to gain brightness, consider choosing a white or light colored wall. Since light-colored walls reflect light better than dark-colored walls, savings are increased by white or light-colored siding. The same goes for light shades.
4 – Regularly defrost your fridge and freezer
Regular defrosting also keeps refrigerators and freezers efficient. If the layer of ice in the compartments is thicker than the size of your thumb, they need to be defrosted urgently! But be aware that even with thinner layers of ice, energy consumption increases.
5 – Do not place your refrigerator next to a heat source
Do not place your electrical appliances next to a heat source such as a stove and oven, washing machine and dishwasher or heating.
6 – Choose your pans carefully
When cooking, be sure to use the correct baking sheet. Your pan must be suitable for your cooking method. In addition, it must always remain tightly closed with a lid. If you use little water when cooking, you can also save because the water boils faster. High-quality pans can also help reduce your energy consumption.
7 – Turn off your oven before the end of the cooking time
Switch off your oven before the end of your cooking because the residual heat persists for a certain time and can therefore be used. It also works with preheating. If you turn off the oven about ten minutes before the end and avoid preheating, you can save a lot of money.
8 – Only operate full machines
By not completely filling your washing machine, dryer or dishwasher, you are running half-full machines. So you are wasting energy and money. Therefore, only start your machines when they are full. A lower wash temperature also results in lower energy consumption. If your appliance offers energy saving programs, they should be given priority over so-called “normal” programs.
9 – Opt for a fairly low washing temperature
As a general rule, modern detergents work very well at low temperatures. No need to run your washing machine at high temperatures frequently. When your laundry is really dirty, it can be justified. Otherwise, just like the pre-wash, it is useless and wastes energy.
10 – Also use residual heat when ironing
Just like using your oven, when ironing there is a rule similar to baking and baking: use residual heat. Unplug your iron a little before you have finished ironing so as to use the residual heat.