To understand how to save energy in an apartment, you need to prepare for an integrated approach. Just pressing a button to get the minimum bills won't work. And living without light is somehow not comfortable at all.
The importance of energy saving
While the energy resources were worth a few cents, no one thought about the need to save electricity. But since then, as payment amounts have grown a lot, there has been considerable interest among the population in ways to save electricity and other resources. Villagers are concerned about how to save electricity in a private house, while city dwellers are looking for information on how to save electricity in an apartment.
The increase in tariffs is completely justified, because the planet is rapidly reducing the reserves of exhaustible energy resources and the cost of their production - on the contrary, it is growing. Unfortunately, the salary of ordinary residents of our country does not show such a frenzied growth, so there is no other way out than to look for effective ways to save electricity.
There is another reason to save: the colossal loads on transformer substations. More and more electrical appliances appear in people's homes every year. Of course, power lines and substations may not withstand, they need to be repaired or replaced with more powerful ones.
Furthermore, thanks to the saving of electricity, emissions of processed products into the atmosphere and water sources are reduced. People who conserve resources make their humble contribution to the conservation of rivers, lakes and forests and help preserve the health of the nation.
Effective and legal ways to save
Reduce the need
How to save energy at home without appliances and additional investments? It's very simple. You just have to think about how much light we really need and use the following tips from experienced innovators:
- Try to use less electric light. This does not mean a return to primitive times, when the activity of life took place only in the light of day. You can just try to do all the things that require bright lighting during the day and in the evening limit yourself to one lamp to illuminate the rest of the work.
- Studying the question of how to save light in an apartment, it is necessary to know that the degree of illumination depends on the cleanliness of the lighting fixtures. If the lampshade in the kitchen is covered with a "century old" layer of grease and dust, you shouldn't expect bright light from it. And if the ceiling is clean, the light passes through it perfectly, which means you can use a smaller bulb.
- The windows also need to be washed more often, because that way the daylight hours will last a little longer and you can turn on the electricity later.
- In chandeliers with multiple bulbs, you can light them not all at once, but one or two. For desk work, use a desk lamp in combination with low lighting.
- A very useful invention is a dimmer. Allows you to adjust the degree of lighting of each fixture.
- Replace standard incandescent bulbs with energy efficient models. Recently, many have begun to worry about the question: do LED lamps save energy? Experts are convinced that the future belongs to LED lamps, as they consume a small amount of energy, emitting a fair amount of light.
- Turn off the lights when you leave the room. This, of course, is quite difficult if there are children in the house who are very difficult to get used to such an easy way to save.
Use of multi-tariff meters
Electricity can cost differently 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 plants work almost idle. How to save energy with a meter that calculates the energy consumed during the day at the normal price and for the night - allows you to pay 30% less? If the house has appliances that are used around the clock (refrigerator, electric heating, etc. ), a multi-tariff meter will help reduce the electricity bill. Washing can be started at night and at the same time it is possible to increase the power of the heating devices to turn them off completely during the day.
Rational use of technology
In every home there are devices that never turn off the sockets. But not everyone knows that even in "dormant" mode they draw electricity. Every single device has a very small amount of that support power, but a staggering amount is achieved in a month. To avoid unnecessary waste, simply unplug all devices from their sockets during their "idle time".
Note: Using old, low-quality cables and a large number of extension cords and various T-fittings also increases your electricity consumption at home.
Technical innovations
People who dream of learning how to properly save electricity in an apartment should evaluate each of their household appliances. After all, the old models of refrigerators and TVs consume a lot of energy, 2 times more than modern models. Try to gradually replace all outdated appliances with low-energy models. The labels usually indicate the degree of economy, class A being the most profitable.
Recently, cheaper energy consumption classes have appeared, such as A +, A ++.
Smart devices have begun to appear on sale, they are able to independently calculate the amount of laundry detergent or detergent based on the weight of dishes or laundry and control water consumption. Refrigerators can go into super-economy mode during the owners' holidays.
Fridge
Probably a million articles have already been written on the correct installation of the refrigerator and thousands of videos have been shot, but our people, all the same, stubbornly keep putting this unit near the heating coil, the stove and on the sunny side. But in this case, the refrigerator quickly heats up from nearby heat sources and consumes much more electricity. It is also advisable to leave a small free space between the refrigerator and the wall to ensure the necessary air circulation.
It is also desirable that the room where the refrigerator is located is cool. Do not forget to defrost the refrigeration unit as needed and free it from accumulated ice, facilitating the operation of the appliance and reducing its "energy appetite". Check that the door is not damaged.
If you are thinking about how to reduce your energy bills, when buying a new refrigerator, do not "swing" on the larger and more capacious model if there are 2-3 people living permanently in the house. After all, such a "colossus" consumes a lot of energy.
A vacuum cleaner
To prevent the vacuum cleaner from starting to draw more energy from the network than it should, it must be regularly and promptly cleaned of accumulated layers of dust, because, being full, it consumes 15-20% more. Also, don't turn the vacuum cleaner on / off too often - it spends most of its energy on these actions.
Electric stove
An electric stove is a device that consumes a lot of energy. You can reduce your energy costs by following these tips:
- If the recipe of the dish does not indicate that the oven must be preheated when the dish is inserted, it is not necessary to turn it on in advance.
- Switch off the plate 5-10 minutes before the end of the cooking time. There will be enough residual heat to cook it.
- Pans must always be covered with lids.
- When boiling eggs and vegetables, add just enough water to cover the food.
- It is important to use good flat-bottomed pans. Ideal for an electric stove - 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 much less electricity for this process.
- For quick meals, use a microwave or multicooker, not an oven.
Washer
It is very difficult to imagine modern life without a washing machine, but it also "consumes" a lot of electricity, about 15% of total consumption. To save, use these tricks:
- Wash with the Quick and Economic modes
- Do not wash 2-3 items at a time, but undermine the laundry until it is fully loaded. But you can't overload the car either.
- Use low temperature settings for normal washing.
Air conditioners
To prevent the air conditioner from consuming too much electricity, make it work properly:
- Set the temperature to an optimal temperature just enough to cool, not freeze, the room.
- Do not operate the air conditioner with open windows or doors.
- When buying an air conditioner, be sure to calculate the area of the room that will cool. Do not take too powerful for a small room, as this is a waste of electricity.
- Be sure to clean the fans, filters and grilles of the air conditioner so that it does not have to run at high speeds.
Heaters
In the fall, winter, and early spring, we often have to source various heaters from household bins. After all, the heating is often turned on and off for a long time. So we use energy-consuming heaters, although such heat is very expensive.
To reduce the need for heaters, even in a relatively hot period, take care to insulate everything you can: windows, walls, floors, etc. It is better to replace old windows with plastic ones. And if this is not possible, then at least try to close all cracks and micro-cracks in the frames and near the glass. Up to 50% of the heat is removed through them. Do the same manipulations with the front doors.
If the heating has already been turned on and the batteries are still cold, then you need to call a master who will check if there is water in them.
The use of solar energy
Solar energy has long been actively used in many countries with warm climates. Some have even managed to completely abandon all other sources. The technology is very interesting, but without government support, it often turns out to be an overwhelming task for individual households, as solar panels and other structural elements are very expensive and pay off for many years.
In order to know how to save electricity with the help of the sun, it is advisable to read the special literature and determine the necessary characteristics of a solar station at the design stage. Many people try to make the whole structure on their own, but they do not take into account all the nuances and difficulties, so they often fail.
Wind energy
Domestic wind generators in regions with a high activity of air masses can significantly reduce electricity costs, and if there is a special meter, they can also make money from the generated electricity. However, such devices, as well as solar stations, cost a lot of money and require installation by specialists.
It happens that the owners of such power plants incorrectly calculate the power of wind flows, and this leads to forced downtime of expensive equipment.
Smart home system
To automate the operation of all devices in the house, special equipment and a computer program are used, which also controls the level of energy consumption. There are sensors throughout the house that take readings and determine the amount of electricity used in each room. The computer analyzes and proposes solutions to optimize the use of energy.
The system will not work by itself, it must be programmed for a specific house or apartment. But when all the inhabitants of the house disperse in the morning for their business, the system turns off the air conditioner or lighting in the kitchen, closes the door or starts the washing.
Installation of motion sensors
Instead of buying a rather expensive "Smart Home" system, you can get by with "little blood" and install motion sensors on the premises. After all, we often just forget to turn off the light when we leave the house or fall asleep with the light. But if the rooms are equipped with motion sensors, then they themselves will turn off the lighting. They can be adjusted so that the light goes out only 5-10 minutes after the person has left the room. After all, children are constantly running back and forth, and adults can move around the house very quickly.
Such a sensor is very useful in the hallway, where light is needed only for passing into another room. In order not to constantly operate the switch or keep the light in the corridor constantly on, you can put the sensor and live comfortably. Now on sale there are energy-saving lamps with integrated motion sensors.
Saving electricity is not very difficult, you just need to tune in and agree on this with all family members. The main obstacle is ourselves and our beliefs. As soon as you realize the need to save money, you immediately discover that it has been made so that your electricity bills are small.