The presence of a large number of lighting devices and many units of household appliances that consume electricity is a common occurrence in a city apartment. It is quite understandable that a modern person wants to live comfortably, in an interesting and practical way. But all these benefits of civilization are becoming more and more "greedy", while the resource itself becomes more and more expensive. Monthly electricity bills are getting huge. After receiving the next receipt, many need to think about how to save electricity in the apartment, so as not to give a large part of their budget to the state. If you approach the solution of this problem responsibly, it is very possible to do so.
Pay attention to the lighting if you want to save energy
To save electricity, start by converting old light fixtures and the interior of your apartment. Out of habit, most people use the center ceiling light coming from bulky bulky chandeliers powered by multiple bulbs. At the same time, obsolete models with an incandescent spiral are used. In winter, it gets dark early, which means you have to turn on the lighting for a long time. As a result, monthly electricity bills increase in size.
And this is a reason to save light and replace ordinary bulbs with energy saving fluorescent or LED bulbs. They cost much more, but they 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, one-time acquisition costs translate into lasting savings in the future.
In addition, to reduce the total kilowatt hours:
- keep lamps, glass shades and windows clean;
- make the most of natural light;
- paste on the walls with light wallpaper;
- turn off the light in the room when no one has been there for a long time.
Use localized area lighting and low wattage light fixtures. If necessary, install motion detectors that will turn off the light in an empty room. It will help you save a lot of energy in your home.
Save energy for the most powerful consumers
The refrigerator is the most wasteful household appliance in terms of energy consumption, since it has to run 24 hours a day to save food. In order to save electricity in the apartment, use one of the modern models with low power consumption (marked by manufacturers as class A). That being said, you shouldn't be buying the bigger device. Choose the right amount of equipment based on the family's needs.
You can pay less with an old refrigerator if its replacement is not yet possible. For that:
- Defrost the freezer regularly (except for models with the "No Frost" system).
- Periodically check the tightness and tightness of the door seals.
- Place only dishes and pots that have cooled to room temperature inside.
- Ventilate the kitchen if the temperature exceeds 30 degrees.
- Place the refrigerator away from heaters.
- Ensure adequate and constant ventilation at the rear of the appliance.
Another powerful consumer of electricity is the electric cooker, but in this case there are several tips that can help keep costs down. To save money:
- Preheat the oven strictly at the time indicated in the recipe, not in advance.
- Turn off the heat a few minutes before the food is ready, using the heat from the hotplates for cooking.
- Use flat bottomed pans exactly the size of the heating element.
- Do not use excess water for cooking instant meals; cover the pans with lids.
- Use an electric kettle to boil water for tea.
By following these simple rules, the savings can be significant.
Bathroom appliances can use less electricity
A washing machine is an essential electrical device in everyday life, but it represents up to 20% of the current consumed. Provided that all the possibilities of the technique are misused. At the same time, it is quite possible to save electricity in the apartment, but it is quite possible to wash it not by hand. To do this, first wash off the stains. Load the mower to the maximum permitted, but do not overload it. Choose the washing method that suits the fabric:
- cotton;
- synthetic;
- oldest boy.
Prefer the quick and economical washing mode. Set the temperature controller to 30-40 degrees if the laundry is not heavily soiled. This will help to reduce the energy consumption, and therefore the payment amount.
Another device is an electric boiler. It allows you to always have hot water on hand, but to make heating water really economical you need to place and configure 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 inlet. Optimize the boiler's operating mode by adjusting the heating element on and off times. Clean the heating element of limescale from time to time, increasing its heat output.
Don't pay for what you don't use
Today, you can indulge in leisure and entertainment without even leaving your own apartment. For this there are color televisions, personal computers, laptops, stereos and DVD players.
To save energy, turn them on only when needed, and turn them off when you are away from the room for a long time. A few hours of work unnecessarily - and in a month, depending on the model of the device, several tens of additional kW can "fly away".
Therefore, turn off TVs with the remote control and also put them in standby mode:
- All night long;
- leaving for work.
For a prolonged absence, it is better to unplug the cord completely.
Computers are a technique that can be found in almost every home. Electricity saving rules exist for this category of electrical devices. Powerful components such as a processor, graphics card, and widescreen monitor typically require a significant amount of power in a stationary device. In this regard, laptops are much more economical.
In order not to overpay and save energy, set the desired value in the PC power consumption settings. If you don't want to close programs, put your computer to sleep. Turn on all devices connected to it through the surge protector:
- printers;
- scanners;
- modems.
Turn them off when the session is over. Completely unplug your laptop or computer if you will not be using it for a long time. The electricity and money savings will soon be visible.
Do not heat, but reheat
The central heating in the apartments has a feature. They turn it on on schedule and the coolant does not always reach the required temperature. For this reason, many are accustomed to using electric heaters, convectors, etc. The early onset of cold weather, old radiators and frames that are not glued for winter can also force them to turn on additional heat sources.
All this contributes to the fact that the apartment becomes cool and uncomfortable. Radiators are convenient, because with their small dimensions they allow you to 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 per month such heating of an apartment can cost.
Thus, in order to save energy, it is more profitable to take measures to increase the energy efficiency of the house: changing old frames and doors, insulating the walls, washing or installing new heating radiators. Of course, this requires a serious investment in the beginning, but in the long run it pays off because you will have to pay less for the light.
Install new meters to save energy
Saving electricity in an apartment with a meter is also possible thanks to measuring devices. Old meters familiar to everyone are designed for a tariff, regardless of the time of day when the resource is consumed. For those who have few connected consumers in the house and are not used often, it does not matter. Owners of large apartments and many facilities can benefit from the installation of modern meters at two tariffs.
Due to the lower cost of 1 kilowatt at night, the use of powerful equipment is much cheaper. It mainly includes installations with heating elements - washing machines and dishwashers, breadmakers, water heaters. Such devices can be easily programmed to work at a convenient time, and you will have to pay less. The energy savings can amount to around 25% of the amount of the previous payment, which is undoubtedly beneficial.
