Saving electricity is not only good for the environment, but also for the wallet. Fortunately, the whole household has great savings potential. This is particularly true this year as the Russian war on Ukraine has sparked great tensions on energy prices.
There’s a lot of tips about how to improve your house insulation and so one, but a lot of the time, there are costly solutions that are challenging to implement quickly and without breaking the bank.
We present to you 7 easy tricks that you might have not thought of yet, or have forgotten.
Be smart with your fridge
The best thing is to start saving energy with the fridge. You can turn it down a few degrees. Indeed, it is often set at too low a temperature, which increases electricity consumption.
Temperatures between 5 and 7 degrees are sufficient to keep food fresh. For every degree that you save in refrigeration, you consume almost 10% less energy.
It is absolutely necessary to replace leaky or broken seals in the fridge, otherwise the cooling energy is lost in the kitchen.
The washing machine also needs your attention
The economy button on the washing machine is supposed to reduce consumption when the machine is half full. But this only works very partially. Indeed, pressing this button generally saves only 20 to 30% of the energy needed for a full machine.
If you have the possibility, giving up the dryer and drying your laundry outside saves a lot of energy. Drying clothes in winter can also be done outside. So you not only save your clothes, but you also save a lot of energy for the dryer
About the Water Heater
If you heat the water in your home with an electric water heater, you should turn off the tap more often to reduce electricity consumption. In fact, water heaters consume about as much electricity each year as all household appliances and lighting combined.
Also pay attention to the temperature of the water heater. Set it to your usual temperature, no higher. Turn off the water heater when you go on a trip for several days or weeks.
"Knock out" instead of "stand by".
Skipping sleep mode for your TV, extension cords and others to save energy at home is also recommended. It is equally convenient to use electrical switches that you can control via your smartphone to turn off all connected devices at once.
Save electricity with small dishes
Saving electricity by using the right pans for cooking.
Each pan has its lid. If this is also the case in your kitchen, you can save a lot of electricity. In fact, if you cook with the right size lid, you can save up to half the energy. Choose the corresponding size baking tray on the hob for each pan. The hob can be a bit smaller than the saucepan, this provides additional energy savings.
Purge your heaters
If, at the beginning of the cold season, the heater makes bubbles and gurgling sounds, there is air in it. And this air drives up electricity consumption. You could save a lot of energy - and nerves - by purging the heater. It's a lot simpler than you might think.
Store heat to save energy
In winter, if you are not at home during the day, you should close the blinds or shutters and, if you have them, the curtains at night. This applies in particular to windows that are not directly exposed to the sun. You will be able to better retain the heat in the apartment and you will have to heat less.