The need to save energy will never lose its relevance. Who wouldn’t want a reduction in their electricity bill? And it turns out that saving isn’t that hard. You don’t need state-of-the-art appliances or technology: simple, proven methods will suffice.
At the same time, it is important to know not only how to save energy, but also why it should be done. And it’s not just about saving the family budget. By turning off the lights behind you and using energy-saving solutions, you help preserve nature. But let's talk about everything in order.
The importance of saving energy
Many people don't understand why to save energy. Firstly, this way you can save money on the family budget. Second, many irreplaceable resources are spent every day on energy production: coal, oil, gas and emissions from thermal power plants pollute the atmosphere.
In recent years, the volume of greenhouse gases, which appear due to the release of carbon into the environment, has increased rapidly. Their accumulation leads to global warming and natural disasters which affect all inhabitants of the Earth.
If everyone on the planet thinks about how to save energy and starts 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 only takes a little time. Let's find out in more detail what helps you save energy.
Use LED lamps instead of conventional lamps
LED lamps consume 6 to 10 times less energy than incandescent lamps. At the same time, their service life is up to 50 times longer. LED lamps are 1. 5 to 3 times more economical than energy-saving bulbs and shine 10 times longer.
Types of energy-saving lamps:
- Mercury bulbs. They consume 4 times less electricity than incandescent lamps. After use, they cannot be thrown away but must be disposed of in special containers.
- LED bulbs. These are new generation consumables. They work much longer than mercury ones, consume little electricity and do not contain toxins. The only drawback of light bulbs is their high cost.
Turn off the lights when you don't need them
The first way to save energy is to use the resource according to its needs. Sometimes the lack of good habit of pressing the switch leads to the fact that the light remains on even during the day or when everyone has left the house. To remember to turn off the power, you can place a reminder note in visible places. For example: "Check the electricity, gas, water! "»You can also turn off the power supply to 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 a lot of kilowatts to boil water in an electric kettle. This household appliance is quite powerful, some options have more than 2 kW. Compared to an LED bulb, it consumes 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 there. This will reduce electricity consumption.
Use motion sensors
If you have a large private home and an area that needs lighting, you can install motion sensors. They will 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 depending on the movement of the person and turns off after their passage. The device works at a distance of three meters. Motion detectors are one of the effective ways to save energy in a private house.
Similar devices are also available for indoor use. They automatically turn on the light in the room when a person enters. The sensor notes changes in the capacitive component and the light turns on.
Room zoning as a great way to save energy
Organize effective lighting of premises through appropriate zoning of space. Use different light sources in different functional parts of the room: chandeliers, table lamps, bedside lamps, sconces. Each area has its own lighting methods. For example, in the living room install:
- A large chandelier in the center of the room with a two-touch switch for adjustment.
- Street 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, rather than always using the main lighting. To maintain normal vision, the room should not be dark when doing creative work or reading. Additionally, lack of light negatively affects the nervous system, leading to depression or headaches.
Save electricity with a multi-tariff meter
If you are thinking about saving electricity in your apartment, you can install a multi-tariff meter. This will help reduce your electricity costs. Ordinary consumers have access to two- and three-tariff meters.
Two-tariff electricity meters calculate energy consumption for day and night separately. The night rate for electric current is lower than the day rate. 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 option of switching to two tariffs. With this service you can save up to 70% of your energy consumption.
Having a two-rate meter, you can use appliances such as a bread maker or a multicooker, which will prepare delicious meals for you in the evening, while saving energy.
For people who use a boiler to heat water, using a two-phase meter will be a good way to save energy. You can set a timer to operate the device only at night, from 11: 00 p. m. to 7: 00 a. m.
There are meters that divide the day into three periods: "night" – from 11: 00 p. m. to 7: 00 a. m. , "peak" – from 7: 00 a. m. to 10: 00 a. m. and from 5: 00 p. m. to 9: 00 p. m. , "half peak" – from 10: 00 a. m. to 5: 00 p. m. and from 9: 00 p. m. to 11: 00 p. m. . Electricity costs are lowest at night and most expensive during peak hours. Installing multiple tariff meters has many advantages:
- Use electricity when the cost is minimal.
- The cost of the device is justified if good distribution of the load on the network is respected.
- Three-tariff meters cannot be hacked and reconfigured.
- Possibility of transmitting statements via the Internet.
The option of using two-rate meters is often encountered. Three-tariff devices should be purchased by those who spend a lot of electricity during the day. By avoiding overloading the network at peak times, you can save electricity, as morning and evening hours are the most expensive depending on the tariff - the cost increases by 70%.
People who live in private houses and heat them with electric boilers must reduce the power of the device during peak hours, otherwise they will not be able to reduce their energy costs.
How to save energy with a boiler and electric boiler
All owners of cottages and private houses wonder how to save electricity if heating is carried out using an electric boiler, and water is heated using a water heater. It looks like the boards will be huge. It all depends on your efforts.
It is necessary to carefully examine the heating and hot water supply system.
- Good insulation of the house. For this purpose, different thermal insulation materials are used. Insulated walls, floors and roofs will retain heat better and you will have to spend less on electricity.
- Installation of an additional heat accumulator. The device is integrated into the heating system in such a way that it accumulates thermal energy during the period of minimum electrical cost and releases it when the boiler is turned off during the peak phase of maximum energy consumption. The system operates using automatic on and off controls.
- Installation of ventilation systems with recovery, which allows you to retain heat and release it into the room, while preventing the entry of cold air from the street.
- Maintain the normal temperature in the apartment at the same level. To do this, it is necessary to install special equipment that will automatically control the temperature in the room when the indicators change outside.
- Use of double-circuit boilers, allowing you to heat the water in the 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 hot for a long time. The water can thus be heated at night, saving on energy costs.
Is it possible to save energy on class A+ household appliances?
Household appliances for the home are divided into energy efficiency classes. The advertisement states that an A+ class refrigerator or washing machine will help you save on electricity costs. Is it really?
It is worth comparing the actual power consumption of equipment of different categories to ensure that all models consume approximately the same amount of electricity during operation. The only advantage of high-end appliances is that for the same amount of kilowatts, the refrigerator freezes more and the oven heats up faster. Therefore, replacing equipment will not generally solve the problem of saving energy at home.
In other words, for the same energy consumption, high-end models use electricity more efficiently to do their job.
Let's look at an example. A class B refrigerator consumes 485 kilowatt hours of electricity per year. An equipment model with the same volume and number of class A+ rooms consumes 272 kilowatt hours per year.
To find out how much money you save if you install a high-end refrigerator, you need to multiply the kilowatt hours by the average tariff, for capital it is 5. 38 rubles. It turns out that you can save 1, 146 rubles per year.
If a new refrigerator costs 30, 000 rubles, it will pay for itself in 30 years. If you already have equipment that you bought many years ago but is working properly, buying another one will not save you any money. 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 energy-efficient option does not guarantee lower electricity costs.
Consequences of illegal energy savings
Illegal actions can lead to problems:
- If the electric meter is damaged or magnetized, the owner will be required to pay for the use of energy according to the rates and tariffs adopted by the Resolution. As a result, the cost of electricity will be much higher than when paying by the meter.
- The owner will have to purchase a new electric meter, costing 1, 500-4, 000 rubles.
- The violator will be subject to an administrative fine of 10, 000 to 15, 000 rubles (article 7. 19). If a person steals electricity worth more than 250, 000 rubles, he or she faces criminal sanctions.
- The owner will be held civilly liable if the energy distribution organization's request is met and will have to pay penalties and interest.
Advertisements for special devices that allow you to reduce energy consumption by 25-30% are published on various information resources. But you should not think that there is a device capable of doing this using legal methods. There are real facts confirming that this device will not save electricity:
- This is not profitable for resource supply organizations, they will not allow it.
- According to the laws of physics, this is impossible - you spend as much energy as one kilowatt is consumed on the network by your equipment.
You should not allow yourself to be deceived and commit crimes for profit. 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 do this, you just need to be smart about resource consumption.