The presence of a large number of lighting devices and many units of household appliances that consume electricity is common in a city apartment. It is perfectly understandable that a modern person would want to live comfortably, interestingly, and comfortably. But all these advantages of civilization are becoming more and more "guzzling" as the resource itself becomes more expensive. The monthly electricity bills are enormous. After receiving the next receipt, many will have to think about how to save electricity in the apartment so as not to give a significant part of their budget to the state. If you approach the solution to this problem responsibly, it is entirely possible.
Pay attention to the lighting if you want to save energy
To save electricity, first upgrade old lighting fixtures and the interior of your home. Out of habit, most people use the central overhead light from large and bulky chandeliers powered by multiple lightbulbs. At the same time, outdated models with a glow coil are used. In winter it gets dark early, which means that you have to turn on the lights for a long time. This increases the monthly electricity bills.
And that's a reason to save light and replace ordinary lightbulbs with energy-saving fluorescent or LED lamps. They cost significantly more, but advantageously differ in that they do not consume a lot of electricity for their work and at the same time are designed for a long service life. In this way, the one-off acquisition costs will be saved in the long term.
To additionally reduce the total kilowatt hours:
- Keep lamps, glass shades and windows clean;
- make optimal use of natural light;
- stick with light wallpaper over the walls;
- Turn off the lights in the room if no one is around for a long time.
Use localized area lighting and low power lighting fixtures. If necessary, install motion detectors that turn off lights in an empty room. This will save you a lot of energy in your home.
Save energy for the heaviest consumers
The refrigerator is the most wasteful home appliance in terms of energy consumption as it has to work around the clock to save food. To save electricity in the apartment, use one of the modern, low-energy models (labeled as Class A by manufacturers). That being said, you shouldn't be buying the biggest device out there. Choose the right amount of equipment based on the family's needs.
You can pay less with an old refrigerator if it is not yet possible to replace it. Therefore:
- Defrost the freezer regularly (except for models with the "No Frost" system).
- Regularly check the tightness and tightness of the door seals.
- Only put crockery and pots in it that have cooled down to room temperature.
- Ventilate the kitchen if the temperature rises above 30 degrees.
- Move the refrigerator away from heating equipment.
- Provide adequate and constant ventilation at the rear of the device.
The electric stove is another heavy consumer of electricity, but in this case there are several tricks that can help reduce costs. To save money:
- Preheat the oven at exactly the time indicated in the recipe, not in advance.
- Turn off the stove a few minutes before the meal is ready and use the heat of the hotplates to cook.
- Use pans with a flat bottom that is exactly the size of the heating element.
- Do not use excess water for cooking ready meals, cover pots with lids.
- Use a kettle to boil water for tea.
If you follow these simple rules, the savings can be significant.
Bathroom appliances can use less electricity
A washing machine is an indispensable electronic device in everyday life, but it accounts for up to 20% of the electricity consumed. The prerequisite is that all possibilities of technology are used incorrectly. At the same time, it is quite possible to save electricity in the apartment, but it is quite possible not to wash it by hand. To do this, first wash the stains. Charge the clipper to the maximum amount allowed, but do not overload it. Select the washing mode that matches the fabric:
- Cotton;
- Synthetic;
- wool.
Prefer the fast and economical washing mode. Set the temperature regulator to 30-40 degrees if the laundry is not heavily soiled. This helps to reduce energy consumption and therefore the amount of the payment.
Another device is an electric boiler. So you always have hot water on hand, but to make heating with water really economical you need to position and position it correctly. To do this, install the boiler as close as possible to the bathroom so that the liquid does not cool down when passing through a long water pipe. Optimize the boiler operating mode by adjusting the switch-on and switch-off times of the heating element. Clean the heating element from the balance from time to time and increase the heating power.
Don't pay for what you don't use
Today you can look after leisure and entertainment without leaving your own home. There are color televisions, PCs, laptops, stereos and DVD players for this purpose.
To save energy, turn them on only when you need them and turn them off when you are not in the room for a long time. A few hours of work are unnecessary - and in one month, depending on the device model, several dozen more kW can "run up".
Therefore, switch off the televisions with the remote control and also put them into standby mode:
- all night;
- when you go to work.
If you are going to be absent for a longer period of time, it is better to pull the cable out of the socket completely.
Computers are a technology that can be found in almost every household. There are power saving rules for this category of electrical appliances. Powerful components such as the processor, graphics card and widescreen monitor normally require a lot of power in a stationary device. In this regard, notebooks are significantly more economical.
In order not to pay too much and to save energy, set the desired value in the settings of the PC power consumption. If you don't want to quit programs, put your computer to sleep. Switch on all peripheral devices connected via the surge protection:
- Printer;
- Scanner;
- Modems.
Turn them off after the session ends. Completely unplug your laptop or computer if you will not be using it for a long period of time. The savings in electricity and money will soon be visible.
Not heat, but warm
Central heating in apartments has a function. You turn it on according to the schedule and the coolant does not always reach the required temperature. Because of this, many are used to using electric heaters, convectors, etc. The cold that sets in early, old radiators and frames that have not been glued together for the winter can also force you to switch on additional heat sources.
All of this helps make the apartment cool and uncomfortable. Heaters have the advantage that, with their small dimensions, you can quickly heat the air in the room to the required temperature, but at the same time the devices consume a lot of expensive electricity for their operation. The power of an installation is measured in several kilowatts, so it is not difficult to calculate how many rubles a month such heating an apartment can cost.
Therefore, in order to save energy, it is more profitable to take measures to increase the energy efficiency of the house: replace old frames and doors, insulate walls, wash or install new radiators. Of course, this requires a serious investment in the initial stages, but it is worth it in the long run as you will have to pay less for light.
Install new meters to save energy
Measuring devices can also be used to save electricity in an apartment with a meter. The well-known meters are designed for a tariff, regardless of the time of day the resource is consumed. For those who only have a few connected consumers in the house and do not use them often, this does not matter. Owners of large apartments and numerous devices can benefit from the installation of modern two-tariff meters.
Due to the lower costs of 1 kilowatt at night, the use of powerful devices is significantly cheaper. It mainly includes installations with heating elements - washing machines and dishwashers, bread makers, water heaters. Such devices can easily be programmed to work at a convenient time and you will have to pay less. The energy savings can be up to 25% of the previous payment amount, which is undoubtedly an advantage.
