The need to save energy will never lose its relevance. Who doesn't want to reduce their electricity bill? And saving money, as it turns out, isn’t all that difficult. You don't need state-of-the-art home appliances and technology; simple, proven methods are sufficient.
It is important to know not only how to save energy, but also why you should do it. It's not just about saving the family budget. By turning off the lights behind you and using energy-efficient solutions, you are helping to preserve nature. But let's talk about everything in turn.
The importance of saving energy
Many people don't understand why energy should be saved. Firstly, this way you can save money in the family budget. Secondly, many irreplaceable resources are spent on energy production every day: coal, oil, gas and emissions from thermal power plants pollute the atmosphere.
In recent years, the amount of greenhouse gases produced by the release of carbon into the environment has increased rapidly. Their accumulation leads to global warming and natural disasters that affect every inhabitant of the earth.
If everyone on the planet thinks about saving energy and using resources efficiently, there is a chance to preserve nature for future generations. Let's look at the best ways to save energy at home.
4 easy ways to save energy
Everyone can take care of nature, it just takes a little. Find out more about how you can save energy.
Using LED bulbs instead of traditional bulbs
LED bulbs use 6-10 times less energy than incandescent bulbs. At the same time, their lifespan is up to 50 times longer. LED lamps are 1. 5-3 times more economical than energy-saving lamps and last 10 times longer.
Types of energy saving lamps:
- Mercury bulbs. They use four times less electricity than incandescent lamps. After use, they must not be thrown away but must be disposed of in special containers.
- LED light bulbs. These are new generation consumables. They work much longer than mercury, use little electricity and contain no toxins. The only disadvantage of incandescent bulbs is their high cost.
Turn off the light when not needed
The first way to save energy is to use the resource as needed. Sometimes the lack of habit of turning on the switch results in the light remaining on even during the day or when everyone has left the house. To remind you to turn off the power, you can post a reminder note in a prominent place. For example: "Check electricity, gas, water! "You can also turn off the electricity for the entire apartment using a common switch before leaving the house.
Heat water in a kettle on a gas stove if available.
This is another way to save energy at home. It takes many kilowatts to boil water in a kettle. This household appliance is quite powerful, some options have more than 2 kW. Compared to an LED light bulb, it uses around 10 watts per hour. That's 200 times less than a teapot.
If you have a gas stove in your apartment, you can heat the kettle on it. This reduces power consumption.
Use of motion sensors
If you have a large private house and need to illuminate an area, you can install motion sensors. They turn on the lights when someone enters the area. The devices do not react to animals. In a private house, a lot of electricity is spent on lighting the area.
It is worth positioning the sensors so that the light turns on according to the person's movement and turns off again as the person continues to walk past. The device works at a distance of three meters. Motion detectors are one of the most effective ways to save energy in a private home.
Similar devices are also available for indoor use. They automatically turn on the lights in the room when a person enters. The sensor detects changes in the capacitive component and the light turns on.
Zoning rooms is a great way to save energy
Organize effective lighting of the premises through the correct layout of the room. Use different light sources in different functional areas of the room: chandeliers, table lamps, bedside lamps, sconces. Each zone has its own lighting methods. For example, install in the living room:
- A large chandelier in the middle of the room with a two-button switch for adjustment.
- Floor lamp in the recreation area.
- Table lamp on the desk.
If light is needed in a separate area, you can simply turn it on there instead of always using the main lighting. To maintain normal vision, the room should not be dark when doing creative work or reading. In addition, lack of light has a negative effect on the nervous system, leading to depression or headaches.
Save electricity with a multi-tariff meter
If you are thinking about how to save electricity in your apartment, you can install a multi-tariff meter. It will help reduce your electricity costs. Ordinary consumers have access to two-tariff and three-tariff meters.
Two-tariff electricity meters calculate energy consumption separately for day and night. The night tariff for electricity is lower than the day tariff. To save money, you can turn on washing machines and dishwashers after midnight by setting them to a delayed start mode.
Not all areas have the opportunity to switch to two tariffs. With this service you can save up to 70% of your energy consumption.
With a two-tariff meter, you can use devices such as a bread maker or a multicooker that will prepare you delicious meals at night while saving energy.
For people who use a boiler to heat water, using a two-phase meter is a great way to really save energy. You can set a timer to run the device only at night from 11: 00 p. m. to 7: 00 a. m.
There are counters that divide the day into three periods: "night" - from 11 p. m. to 7 a. m. , "peak time" - from 7 a. m. to 10 a. m. and from 5 p. m. to 9 p. m. , "Half-time" – from 10: 00 a. m. to 5: 00 p. m. and from 9: 00 p. m. to 11: 00 p. m. The cost of electricity is lowest at night and most expensive at peak times. Installing multi-tariff meters has a number of advantages:
- Use electricity when costs are minimal.
- The cost of the device is justified if attention is paid to proper load distribution in the network.
- Three-tariff meters cannot be hacked and reconfigured.
- Possibility of transmitting measured values via the Internet.
The possibility of using two-tariff meters is often encountered. If you use a lot of electricity during the day, you should buy devices with three tariffs. By avoiding the load on the network at peak times, you can save electricity, because the morning and evening hours are the most expensive according to the tariff - the costs increase by 70%.
Those who live in private houses and heat them with electric boilers have to reduce the power of the device during peak times, otherwise they will not be able to reduce energy costs.
Ways to save energy with boilers and electric boilers
All owners of summer cottages and private houses are concerned with the question of how to save electricity when heating with an electric boiler and water is heated with a water heater. It seems like the boards are huge. It all depends on your efforts.
It is necessary to carefully examine the heating and hot water supply system.
- Good house insulation. Different thermal insulation materials are used for this purpose. Insulated walls, floors and roofs retain heat better and you spend less on electricity.
- Installation of an additional heat storage unit. The device is built into the heating system in such a way that it stores heat energy during the period when electricity costs are minimal and releases it again when the boiler is switched off in the phase with maximum peak energy consumption. The system works with automatic on and off controls.
- Installation of ventilation systems with recovery, which helps to retain and return heat to the room, while preventing the penetration of cold air from the street.
- Maintaining normal temperature in the apartment at the same level. To do this, it is necessary to install special devices that automatically regulate the temperature in the room when the indicators outside change.
- Use of double-circuit boilersThis allows you to heat water in boilers to a comfortable temperature without overheating it, as this increases the load on the electrical network.
- Install a boiler with good thermal insulation that will keep the water warm for a long time. This allows the water to be heated at night, saving on energy costs.
Can you save energy with class A+ household appliances?
Household appliances for the home are divided into energy efficiency classes. Advertising says that a refrigerator or washing machine of class A+ will help save on electricity costs. Is that real?
It is worth comparing the actual energy consumption of devices in different categories to ensure that all models use approximately the same amount of power when operating. The only advantage of higher-end appliances is that the refrigerator freezes harder and the oven heats up faster for the same kilowatt output. Therefore, replacing appliances will not solve the problem of how to save energy at home across the board.
This means that with the same power consumption, models in the higher category use electricity more efficiently for their work.
Let's look at an example. A Class B refrigerator uses 485 kilowatt hours of electricity per year. A device model with the same volume and the same number of chambers in class A+ consumes 272 kilowatt hours per year.
To find out how much money you will save by installing a high-end refrigerator, you need to multiply the kilowatt-hours by the average tariff, for the capital it is 5. 38 rubles. It turns out that you can save 1146 rubles a year.
If a new refrigerator costs 30, 000 rubles, it will pay off in 30 years. If you already have a device that was purchased many years ago but works perfectly, purchasing another device will not bring you any savings. In case of serious damage and the need to replace the refrigerator with a new one, choose models taking into account your own financial capabilities. Purchasing a more expensive option with high energy efficiency does not guarantee a reduction in electricity costs.
Consequences of illegal energy saving
Illegal actions can lead to problems:
- If the electricity meter is damaged or magnetized, the owner is obliged to pay for energy consumption in accordance with the rates and tariffs established in the resolution. This means that the electricity costs are significantly higher than if you pay by meter.
- The owner will have to purchase a new electric meter, which costs from one and a half to four thousand rubles.
- An administrative fine of 10, 000 to 15, 000 rubles is imposed on the offender (Article 7. 19). If a person steals electricity worth more than 250, 000 rubles, he will be punished criminally.
- The owner will be held civilly liable if the utility's claim is satisfied and will have to pay penalties and interest.
On various information sources, advertisements are placed for special devices that help reduce energy consumption by 25-30%. But you shouldn't think that there is a device that can do this using legal methods. There are real facts confirming that this device does not help save electricity:
- This is not profitable for resource supply organizations; they will not allow this.
- According to the laws of physics, this is impossible - you will use as much energy as your devices consume a kilowatt from the grid.
You should not allow yourself to be deceived and do not commit crimes out of greed for profit. It is better to use legal methods to save energy. This way, you will spend less money on electricity bills and also help reduce your harmful impact on the environment. To achieve this, you just need to be smart about resource consumption.