To understand how to save energy in the apartment, you need to be prepared for an integrated approach. There is no option to just press the button to get the minimum bill. And living without light is somehow uncomfortable at all.
The Importance of Saving Energy
Although energy resources are inexpensive, no one thinks about the need to save energy. But since then, as the amount of payments has increased, there has been a huge interest among the population for methods of saving electricity and other resources. Villagers are worried about how to save electricity in private homes, while city dwellers are looking for information on how to save electricity in an apartment.
Rising tariffs are fully justified, as the planet is rapidly depleting its depleted energy resources, and its production costs - on the contrary, are increasing. Unfortunately, the salaries of ordinary people do not reflect panic growth, so there is no way out other than to find effective methods to save electricity.
There is another reason to save - a huge load on the transformer substation. More and more electrical appliances are appearing in people's homes every year. Naturally, electrical ducts and substations may not be durable, they must be repaired or replaced with stronger ones.
Also, by saving electricity, the emissions of processed products into the atmosphere and water sources are reduced. People who save resources make a humble contribution to the conservation of rivers, lakes and forests and help protect the health of the country.
Effective and valid savings method
Reduced demand
How can you reduce energy consumption without additional equipment and investment? It is very simple. We just need to figure out how much light we really need and use the following advice from experienced innovators:
- Try to use less electric lights. This does not mean going back to primitive times, when life only happened during the day. You can only do all the things that require bright lighting during the day, and at night limit yourself to one lamp to illuminate the rest of the job.
- Studying the question of how to save light in an apartment, you need to know that the level of lighting depends on the cleanliness of the lamp. If the lamp shade in the kitchen is covered with a layer of oil and dust "a century old", then you can not expect bright light from it. And if the ceiling is clean, then the light penetrates it perfectly, which means that you can use a smaller light bulb.
- Windows also needs to be washed more often, because this way the daylight hours for you will last longer and you can turn on the electricity later.
- In a chandelier with several bulbs, you can light them not at once, but one or two. For table work, use a table lamp combined with a low overhead lamp.
- A very useful invention is blur. It allows you to adjust the lighting level of each lamp.
- Change the standard bulb to an energy efficient one. Recently, many are beginning to worry about the question: do LED lights save energy? Experts are confident that the future belongs to LED lights, because they spend little energy, emitting enough light.
- Turn off the lights when leaving the room. This is of course quite difficult if there are children at home who find it very difficult to get used to the simple method of saving.
Using multi-tariff meters
The cost of electricity may vary at different times of the day. This is due to the fact that during the day it is consumed in large quantities, and at night the power plant operates barely functioning. Thus, you can save electricity with a meter that calculates the energy consumed during the day at a normal price, and for the night - allows you to pay 30% less.
If the house has appliances used all the time (refrigerators, electric heating, etc. ), then multi-tariff meters will help reduce electricity bills. Cleaning can be started at night and at the same time the power of the heater can be increased to turn it off completely during the day.
Rational use of technology
In every home there is a device that never goes out of the socket. But not everyone knows that even in "sleep" mode, they use electricity. Each individual device has a very small amount of support, but an impressive amount is earned in a month. To avoid unnecessary waste, simply unplug all devices from the socket during their "idle time".
Note:Using old and low quality wiring as well as many connection cables and various types of tees will also increase household electricity consumption.
Technical news
People who want to know how to reduce the cost of electricity in an apartment wisely should evaluate each of their household appliances. However, older refrigerator and TV models use a lot of energy, 2 times more than modern models. Gradually try to replace all obsolete equipment with low energy models. Labels usually indicate the level of economy, class A is the most profitable.
Recently, more economical power consumption classes have emerged, such as A +, A ++.
Smart devices are now on sale, they can independently calculate the amount of detergent or detergent based on the weight of the plate or linen, and control water consumption. Refrigerators can enter super economy mode during owner vacations.
Vacuum cleaner
To prevent the vacuum cleaner from attracting more energy from the network, it must be cleaned periodically and in time from the accumulated dust layer, because, when full, its use increases by 15-20%. And also do not turn on / off the vacuum cleaner too often - it consumes the most energy to perform this action.
Refrigerator
A million articles may have been written about proper refrigerator installation and thousands of videos have been filmed, but our people are still stubbornly putting this unit near the heating battery, stove and on the bright side. But in this case, the refrigerator quickly heats up from a nearby heat source and consumes more electricity. It is also recommended to leave a small empty space between the refrigerator and the wall to provide the necessary air circulation.
Also desired is a room where the refrigerator is in the cold. Do not forget to dilute the cooling unit as needed and free it from the accumulated ice, making this tool easier to operate and reducing its "energy appetite". Make sure the door is not damaged.
If you are thinking of how to reduce your electricity bill, then when buying a new refrigerator, do not "swing" the largest and largest model if there are 2-3 people living permanently in this house. After all, such a "colossus" consumes a lot of energy.
Electric pot
An electric stove is an energy-efficient appliance. You can reduce energy costs by following these guidelines:
- If the recipe of the dish does not indicate that the oven should be heated at the time the dish is placed in it, then you cannot turn it on first.
- Turn off the hot plate 5-10 minutes before the end of cooking time. There will be enough heat residue to cook it.
- The pot must always be closed with a lid.
- While boiling eggs and vegetables, add enough water just to cover the food.
- It is important to use a good pan with a flat bottom. Suitable for electric stoves - pots and pans with a thick bottom.
- To boil water for tea or coffee, do not use a stove, but an electric kettle, as it will consume less electricity for this process.
- For fast food, use a microwave or multicooker, not an oven.
Washing machine
It is difficult to imagine modern life without a washing machine, but also "consumes" a lot of electricity - about 15% of total consumption. To save money, use this trick:
- Wash with Fast and Economical mode.
- Do not wash 2-3 items at a time, but ruin the laundry until it is full. But you also can not load the car.
- For regular washing, use the low temperature setting.
Air conditioning
To prevent the air conditioner from using too much electricity, use it correctly:
- Set the optimum temperature enough to cool, not freeze, room.
- Do not use air conditioning with windows or doors open.
- When buying air conditioning, be sure to calculate the area of the room to be cooled. Don’t be too loud for a small room, as this is a waste of electricity.
- Be sure to clean the air conditioner fan, filter and lattice so that it does not have to operate at high speeds.
Heater
In the fall, winter and early spring, we often get a variety of heaters from our bins. After all, heating is often turned on and off for a very long time. So we use heaters that use energy, even if the heat is very expensive.
To reduce the need for heating, even in relatively hot weather, be careful to protect everything you can: windows, walls, floors. It is best to replace the old windows with plastic ones. And if this is not possible, at least try to cover all the cracks and microcrats in the frame and next to the glass. Up to 50% heat through it. Perform the same manipulation with the front door.
If the heating is turned on, and the battery is still cold, then you need to contact a magician who will check if there is water in it.
Consumption of Solar Energy
Solar energy has long been actively used in many countries with warm climates. Some even managed to leave all other sources. This technology is very attractive, but without government support, it is often an extraordinary task for every household, as solar panels and other structural elements are expensive and costly for many years.
It is best to read the special literature and determine the features required of the solar station at the design stage. Many people try to create the whole structure on their own, but they do not take into account all the nuances and difficulties, so they often fail.
Wind power
Home wind generators in areas with high air mass activity can significantly reduce electricity costs, and if there are special meters, they can also make money from the electricity generated. But, devices like solar stations require a lot of money and require installation by experts.
Coincidentally, the owners of such power plants do not properly calculate the wind flow strength, and this causes the shutdown of expensive equipment to be turned off.
Smart Home System
Everyone may have seen movies where heroes clapped or called for words, and by this time the lights were on or off, the curtains on the windows were open, the fireplace was starting to work. This is a "Smart Home" system.
To automate the operation of all home devices, special equipment and computer programs are used that also control the level of energy consumption. Sensors are placed throughout the house that take readings and determine the amount of electricity used in each room. Computers analyze and suggest solutions to optimize energy consumption.
The system will not work on its own, it needs to be programmed for a specific house or apartment. But when all the occupants of the house spread the news of their business in the morning, the system would turn off the air conditioning or lights in the kitchen, lock the door or start washing.
Installation of motion sensors
Instead of buying a relatively expensive "Smart Home" system, you can get with "a little blood" and install motion sensors on the premises. However, we often forget to turn off the lights when leaving the house or falling asleep with the light. But if the rooms are equipped with motion sensors, they themselves will turn off the lighting.
They can be adjusted until the light goes off only 5-10 minutes after someone leaves the room. After all, children keep running back and forth, and adults can move around the house quickly.
Such sensors are very useful in corridors, where light is only needed to pass through other spaces. In order not to constantly switch switches or turn on the lights in the corridor all the time, you can install sensors and live comfortably. Now on sale are energy saving lamps with built-in motion sensors.
It is not so difficult to save electricity, you just have to follow and agree with all the members of the household. The main obstacle is ourselves and our beliefs. Once you realize the need to save money comes to us, immediately to ensure that the bill for light is small.