Many homeowners today are trying to reduce bill payments. In particular, the question is relevant: how to save electricity at home? In order to achieve maximum savings, it is important to use several methods at the same time. Using them in combination can significantly reduce the cost of paying utility bills.
The need to save electricity has been discussed more and more recently - the growing consumption of energy resources is depleting natural mineral resources, and harmful emissions of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide from thermal power plants are causing global warming and pollution.
Therefore, saving electricity in everyday life at the level of an apartment, a detached house or a country house has a double positive effect - on the costs of the monthly utility bills for light and heating and on the temperature balance of the entire planet.
Tips on using household appliances
To reduce your monthly electricity bills, you need to start using home appliances properly. First you need to find out which of them consume the most energy. These include boilers and accumulators with the function of heating water, electric underfloor heating, air conditioners, water heaters.
Even a washing machine equipped with both heating elements and an electric motor consumes a lot of energy. Many people use washing machines too often and only half load them or less. If you turn on the machine once a week and load it up to the maximum weight, you can save a lot throughout the year.
Replace all the lamps in the home with energy-saving lamps that use 5 times less energy than traditional incandescent lamps. Energy-saving lamps are more expensive. But the cost is fully recouped in the first months after installing such lamps.
When you turn on the air conditioning, close all windows and doors to avoid wasting energy. Otherwise, the split system will work much harder to cool neighboring rooms.
Instead of conventional systems, it is better to choose inverter air conditioners, since their power consumption is 50% less, and in terms of performance they are not inferior to conventional models.
An electric stove uses a lot of electricity. Electricity is wasted when the size of the pot or pan is much smaller than the diameter of the burner. The bottom should be the same size or slightly larger than the burner. When preparing first courses or cooking something, cover the pan with a lid. With intensive water evaporation, the cooking time increases by 30% or significantly more energy is used.
When it comes to televisions, it is advisable to give preference to modern plasma or LCD models, since they are the most economical in terms of energy consumption. Most televisions are equipped with a power saving function. Activate it if it is not automatically activated. Do the same with the PC monitor.
When charging your phone or other device, don't forget to unplug the charger after reaching the desired battery level. Otherwise 95% of the energy will be wasted if you leave it plugged in. To save money on charging devices, you can buy a portable solar battery that turns into a charger. The device transfers the stored solar energy to the battery via a USB cable.
To ensure that your vacuum cleaner consumes as little energy as possible, empty the bag or dustbin and filter regularly.
High energy consumption can be due to improper installation and use of the refrigerator. It should not be placed near the stove or in a place exposed to direct sunlight. Also, do not put hot or warm food in the fridge. Defrost the freezer regularly. The thicker the layer of ice and frost in it, the more intensively the cooling system has to work, which increases energy costs.
equipment
Special devices allow you to reduce energy consumption. A large number of such developments are for sale. These include:
- automatic switches;
- Relay;
- transformers
By installing such devices, you will pay eight times less electricity. There are several device schemes for reducing energy consumption. Today, devices - savers are becoming increasingly popular. With a load of up to 19 kW, such devices can reduce the consumption of the meter by 15%. To reduce energy consumption, you just need to plug the device into the outlet, which is located near the meter. Otherwise, if you plug the device into another outlet, it will simply become an additional load on the network. However, be extremely careful if you decide to purchase such a device. Often fakes are found on sale, and sellers of such devices simply rob the buyer of their trust. It is recommended to watch the video before choosing and installing.
Buy a special adapter to control power consumption. There are several types of adapters that can be used to calculate power consumption. You plug into an outlet. By inserting a plug from a TV or other device into such an adapter, you can see how much energy it consumes and understand which devices should be used more sparingly.
Circuit breakers are a very profitable purchase for those who live in a private house or apartment. Installing such devices will solve the problem of wasting light. This type of switch has built-in motion sensors that give the appropriate signal when they detect the approach of a person or the absence of movement for some time. The timer can be set to a specific time. There are switches on the market that react to the absence or presence of daylight.
In a private home, installing alternative energy sources would be the best solution to save on utility bills. Of course, this requires a significant financial outlay. However, later they will pay off in full and allow you to significantly save on utility bills. If there is a river or stream with a fairly fast current near the house, a water generator will be an excellent choice. You can also consider installing a wind generator.
Please note that such installations require regular maintenance and inspection. Use solar panels to heat water in a private home. This saves you having to use a kettle. And by installing a warm water floor, you can save on heating costs.