To understand how to save energy in an apartment, you need to prepare for an integrated approach. There is no such thing as simply pressing a button to get the minimum bills. And living without light is somehow not at all comfortable.
Importance of Energy Saving
While energy resources were cheap, no one thought about the need to save energy. But since then, as payment amounts have risen sharply, there has been considerable interest among the population in methods of saving electricity and other resources. Villagers are worried about how to save electricity in a private home, while city dwellers are looking for information on how to save electricity in an apartment.
The increase in tariffs is fully justified, because the planet is rapidly reducing the reserves of inexhaustible energy resources, and the cost of their production - on the contrary, is increasing. Unfortunately, the salaries of ordinary residents do not show such a frantic increase, so there is no other way out but to look for effective ways to save electricity.
There is another reason for saving - colossal loads on transformer substations. More and more electrical appliances show up in people’s homes every year. Of course, power lines and substations may not resist, they need to be repaired or replaced with more powerful ones.
Also, by saving electricity, emissions of processed products into the atmosphere and water sources are reduced. People who save resources make their humble contribution to the preservation of rivers, lakes and forests and help protect the health of the nation.
Effective and legal ways of saving
Demand reduction
How can you reduce energy consumption without any additional equipment and investment? Summer very simple. We just need 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 going back to primitive times, when life activity took place only in daylight. You can simply 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.
- When studying the question of how to save light in an apartment, you should know that the degree of illumination depends on the cleanliness of the lighting equipment. If the lampshade in the kitchen is covered with a layer of grease and "old" dust, then you should not expect bright light from it. And if the ceiling is clean, then light penetrates through it perfectly, which means you can use a smaller lamp.
- Windows should also be washed more often, as this way the daylight hours for you will last a little longer and you can turn on the electricity later.
- In multi-lamp chandeliers, you can light not all at once, but one or two at a time. For desk work, use a table lamp in combination with low lighting.
- A very useful invention is fading. Allows you to adjust the brightness of each lamp.
- Replace standard light bulbs with energy efficient ones. Recently, many began 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 plenty of light.
- Turn off the lights when you leave the room. This, of course, is quite difficult if there are children at home who are very difficult to learn with such a simple way of saving.
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 operate almost without work. Therefore, you can save energy with a meter that calculates the energy consumed at the usual price during the day, and allows you to pay 30% less for the night.
If the house has appliances that are used all the time (refrigerator, electric heating, etc. ), then the multi-tariff meter will help reduce the electricity bill. Washing can start at night and at the same time can increase the power of heating appliances to turn them off completely during the day.
Rational use of technology
Every apartment has appliances that never go off the ground. But not everyone knows that even in the "sleeping" mode, they draw electricity. Each individual device has a very small amount of such support power, but an impressive amount is obtained within a month. To prevent unnecessary loss, just pull the plugs of all the devices from the sockets during their "idle time".
Note:Using old, poor quality wires and lots of extension cords and different tees will also increase household electricity consumption.
Technical news
People who want to know how to intelligently reduce the cost of electricity in an apartment should evaluate each of their home appliances. After all, older models of refrigerators and TVs consume 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 degree of economy, class A is more profitable.
Recently, more economical energy consumption classes have emerged, such as A +, A ++.
Smart devices have started appearing on sale now, they are able to independently calculate the amount of detergent or laundry detergent based on the weight of the dishes or line and control water consumption. Refrigerators can enter super economy mode during the owners vacation.
vacuum cleaner
To prevent the vacuum cleaner from drawing more power from the mains than it should, it should be cleaned regularly and in a timely manner from the accumulated layers of dust, because, being full, its consumption increases by 15-20%. And also do not turn on / off the vacuum cleaner too often - it consumes more energy to perform these actions.
Refrigerator
A million articles have probably been written about the correct installation of the refrigerator and thousands of videos have been filmed, but our people still stubbornly place this unit next to the heating coil, stove and on the sunny side. But in this case, the refrigerator heats up quickly from nearby heat sources and consumes much more electricity. It is also recommended to leave a small free space between the refrigerator and the wall in order to ensure the necessary air circulation.
It is also desirable that the room where the refrigerator is located be cool. Remember to melt the cooling unit as needed and free it from the accumulated ice, making the 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 "shake" the larger and wider model if 2-3 people live permanently in the house. After all, such a "colossus" consumes a lot of energy.
Electric stove
An electric stove is a device that consumes a lot of energy. You can reduce energy costs by following these guidelines:
- If the recipe for a dish does not indicate that the oven should heat up the moment the pan is placed in it, then you should not turn it on beforehand.
- Turn off the hot plate 5-10 minutes before the end of cooking time. There will be enough heat left to cook it.
- Pots should always be covered with a lid.
- When boiling eggs and vegetables, add enough water just to cover the food.
- important it is important to use a good pan with a flat bottom. Ideal for an electric stove - pot and pan with a thick bottom.
- To boil water for tea or coffee, do not use a stove, but an electric kettle, because it will consume much less electricity for this process.
- For quick meals, use the microwave or multicooker, not the oven.
Washing machine
It is very difficult to imagine modern life without a washing machine, but it also "eats" a lot of electricity - about 15% of total consumption. To save some money, use these tricks:
- Wash with Quick and Economy modes.
- Do not wash 2-3 items at a time, but damage clothes until they are fully loaded. But you can not overload the car either.
- For normal washing, use the low temperature settings.
Air Conditioners
To prevent the air conditioner from consuming too much electricity, work properly:
- Set the optimum temperature so that the room cools, not freezes.
- Do not use 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. Do not get too powerful for a small room because it is a waste of electricity.
- Be sure to clean the fans, filters and air conditioner grilles so that they do not have to run at high speed.
Heaters
In autumn, winter and early spring, we often have to get different heat from our baskets. After all, the heat often turns on and off for a very long time. So we use heaters that consume energy, even though such heat is very expensive.
To reduce the need for heating, even in relatively warm weather, take care to insulate everything you can: windows, walls, floors. It is best to replace old windows with plastic ones. And if that's not possible, then at least try to close all the cracks and crevices in the frames and near the glass. Up to 50% of the heat passes through them. Do the same manipulations with the front doors.
If the heater is already on, and the batteries are still cold, then you should call a magician who will check for water in them.
Using solar energy
Solar energy has long been actively used in many countries with warm climates. Some even managed to completely abandon all other sources. Technology is very attractive, but without government support, it often turns out to be an overwhelming task for individual households, as solar panels and other structural elements are expensive and pay for many years.
It is advisable to read specific literature and determine the necessary characteristics of a solar station at the design stage. Many people try to do the whole structure on their own, but they do not take into account all the nuances and complexity, so they often fail.
Wind energy
Home wind generators in regions with high air mass activity can significantly reduce electricity costs, and if there is a special meter, they can also make money on the electricity produced. But 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 currents, and this leads to the forced cessation of expensive equipment.
Smart home system
Everyone has probably seen the movies in which the hero claps his hands or calls out a password, and at this time the lights go on or off, the curtains on the windows open, the fireplace starts working. This is the "Smart Home" system.
To automate the operation of all appliances in the house, special equipment and a software program are used that also controls the level of power consumption. Sensors are placed throughout the house that take readings and determine the amount of electricity used in each room. The computer analyzes and proposes solutions to optimize energy use.
The system will no longer work on its own, it must be programmed for a specific house or apartment. But when all the occupants of the house are dispersed in the morning for their business, the system will turn off the air conditioner or lighting in the kitchen, lock the door or start washing.
Installation of motion sensors
Instead of buying a rather expensive "Smart Home" system, you can switch to "less blood" and install motion sensors indoors. After all, we often simply 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 leaves 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 passage to another room. In order not to constantly roll the key or keep the light on in the hallway all the time, you can place the sensor and live quietly. Now on sale are energy saving lamps with integrated motion sensors.
It's not very difficult to save electricity, you just have to tune in and agree with all the members of the house. The main obstacle is ourselves and our beliefs. Once the realization of the need to save money comes to us, it immediately turns out to be done so that the bills for light are small.