To understand how to save energy in an apartment, you need to prepare an integrated approach. Just pressing a button to get the minimum bill will not work. And living without light is somehow uncomfortable at all.
The importance of saving energy
Although energy resources are worth only dollars, no one thinks about the need to save electricity. But since then, as the amount of payments has increased, there has been a great deal of 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.
Tariff increases are fully justified, because the planet is rapidly depleting reserves of depleted energy resources, and the cost of its production - on the contrary, is increasing. Unfortunately, the salaries of ordinary people in our country do not show such panicked growth, so there is no way out other than to find effective methods to save electricity.
There is another reason to save - a large load on the transformer substation. More and more electrical appliances appear in people’s homes every year. Naturally, power lines and substations may not be durable, they must be repaired or replaced with more powerful ones.
Also, due to electricity savings, the emissions of processed products into the atmosphere and water sources are reduced. People who conserve resources make humble contributions to the conservation of rivers, lakes and forests and help preserve the health of the nation.
Economical and effective method
Reduce the need
How can you save energy at home without additional equipment and investment? It's very simple. You just have to think about how much light we really need and use the following advice from an experienced innovator:
- Try to use less electric lights. This does not mean going back to primitive times, when the activities of life only took place 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 work.
- Learning 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 lighting. If the lamp shade in the kitchen is covered with a layer of "century -old" oil and dust, then you can’t expect bright light from it. And if the plafond is clean, then the light penetrates it perfectly, which means that you can use smaller light bulbs.
- The windows also need 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 desk work, use a table lamp in combination with low overhead lighting
- A very useful creation is dim. It allows you to adjust the lighting level of each lamp.
- Convert standard incandescent bulbs for energy efficient models. Recently, many are starting to worry about the question: do LED lights save energy? Experts are convinced that the future belongs to LED lights, because they spend little energy, emitting a certain amount of light.
- Turn off the lights when leaving the room. This is of course quite difficult if there are children in the home who find it very difficult to get used to simple saving methods.
Using multi -tariff meters
Electricity costs can 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 almost idle. How to save energy with a meter that calculates the energy consumed during the day at a regular price, and for the night - allows you to pay 30% less? If the home has appliances in use around the clock (refrigerators, electric heating, etc. ), multi -tariff meters will help reduce electricity bills. Washing 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 house there is a tool that never goes off 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 incredible amount is gained in a month. To avoid unnecessary wastage, simply unplug all devices from sockets during "idle time".
Note: Using old, low -quality wiring and a large number of extension cables and various tees also increases electricity consumption in the home.
Technical innovation
People who dream of learning how to save electricity properly in an apartment should evaluate each of their household appliances. After all, old models of refrigerators and TVs use a lot of energy, 2 times more than modern models. Gradually try to replace all outdated appliances 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 laundry detergent based on the weight of dishes or linens, and control water consumption. The refrigerator can go into super economy mode during the owner’s vacation.
Refrigerator
Probably, a million articles have been written about the proper installation of refrigerators and thousands of videos have been filmed, but our people, the same, remain stubborn to continue to place these units near the heating batteries, the stove and on the sunny side. But in this case, the refrigerator quickly heats up from a nearby heat source and consumes more electricity. It is also advisable to leave a small empty space between the refrigerator and the wall to ensure the necessary air circulation.
It is also desirable a room where the refrigerator is in a cool state. Don’t forget to defrost the cooling unit as needed and free it from accumulated ice, making this appliance easier to operate and reducing its "energy appetite". Make sure the door is not damaged.
If you are thinking about how to reduce energy bills, then when buying a new refrigerator, do not "swing" the largest and largest model if there are 2-3 people living in the house permanently. After all, such a "colossus" consumes a lot of energy.
Vacuum cleaner
To prevent the vacuum cleaner from starting to release more energy from the network, it must be cleaned periodically and in a timely manner from the accumulated layer of dust, because, when full, it consumes 15-20% more. And don’t turn the vacuum cleaner on / off too often - it expends the most energy for this action.
Electric stove
An electric stove is a device that requires a lot of energy. You can reduce energy costs by following these suggestions:
- If the dish recipe does not indicate that the oven should be preheated at the time the dish is placed in it, then you cannot turn it on first.
- Turn off the stove 5-10 minutes before the end of cooking time. There will be enough residual heat to cook it.
- The pan must always be covered with a lid.
- While boiling the eggs and vegetables, add enough water 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 spend less electricity for this process.
- For fast food, use a microwave or multicooker, not an oven.
Washing machine
It is very 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 these tricks:
- Wash with Quick and Economy modes
- Do not wash 2-3 items at a time, but ruin the wash until full. But you also can't overload the car.
- Use a low temperature setting for regular washing.
Aircond
To prevent air conditioners from using too much electricity, use them properly:
- Set the temperature to the optimum temperature enough to cool, not freeze, the room.
- Do not operate the air conditioner with windows or doors open.
- When buying an air conditioner, 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 fan, filter and air conditioning grille 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 house barrels. After all, heating is often turned on and off for a very long time. Therefore, we use heaters that use energy, even though 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, etc. Old windows are replaced with the best plastic. And if this is not possible, at least try to cover all the cracks and microcracks in the frame and on the side of the glass. Up to 50% of the heat is released through them. Perform the same manipulation with the front door.
If the heating is already turned on, and the battery is still cold, then you need to contact the master who will check if there is water in it.
Solar energy consumption
Solar energy has long been actively used in many countries with warm climates. In fact some have managed to abandon all other resources entirely. The technology is very attractive, but without government support, it is often a big task for every household, as solar panels and other structural elements are very expensive and pay off for years.
To learn how to save electricity with the help of sunlight, it is recommended to read the special literature and determine the required features of the solar station at the project stage. Many people try to create the whole structure themselves, 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 the cost of electricity, and if there are special meters, they can also generate the electricity generated. But, such devices, as well as solar stations, require a lot of money and require installation by specialists.
Incidentally the owner of the power plant did not correctly calculate the strength of the wind flow, and this resulted in having to turn off expensive equipment.
Smart Home System
To automate the operation of all devices in the house, special equipment and computer programs are used, which 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 recommend solutions to optimize energy use.
The system will not work on its own, 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 will turn off the air conditioner or lights in the kitchen, lock the door or start cleaning.
Installation of motion sensors
Instead of buying a relatively expensive "Smart Home" system, you can get by with "a little blood" and install motion sensors on the premises. However, we often forget to turn off the lights when out of the house or fall asleep by the light. But if the room is equipped with motion sensors, they themselves will turn off the lighting. They can be adjusted until the light goes out just 5-10 minutes after the person leaves the room. After all, children keep running back and forth, and adults can move around the house quickly.
Such sensors are especially useful in corridors, where light is only needed to enter other rooms. In order not to keep turning on the switch or keep turning on the lights in the corridor, you can install sensors and live comfortably. Now on sale there are energy saving lamps with built -in motion sensors.
Saving electricity is not so difficult, you just have to agree to it and agree on this with all members of the household. The main obstacle is ourselves and our beliefs. Once realizing the need to save money came to us, it was immediately possible to work up to small lighting bills.