Energy saving tips – with little money and effort reduce energy consumption
Practical energy saving tips for the household.
What is the average composition of our energy consumption in the household??
Around 71% of the energy required by private households is used for heating, 15% for water heating, 8% for household appliances, 5% for process heat (cooking, etc.).) and about the 1% on the lighting. (Source: German Federal Statistical Office, 2019)
Even small measures that cost little time and money can reduce your household energy consumption – and that already!
Energy saving tips for household appliances/kitchen:
Freezers
Regular defrosting of freezers prevents the formation of an energy-consuming ice crust. To avoid this from the outset costs less effort and is faster than the later rescue attempt, when perhaps already the door of the freezer compartment can no longer be opened or closed properly because of all the ice. Even easier for you is to buy directly a freezer with automatic defrosting.
Refrigerator
Try not to linger too long in front of the open refrigerator. The escaping cold air has to be replaced, and that also costs electricity. You can also save cooling energy if your refrigerator is in a cool, shady place and well ventilated. Also, dust the back of the refrigerator regularly!
Oven
Use the residual heat of appliances: When the baking temperature is reached, you can already turn off the appliance. This is the way to save energy in gas and electric baking devices& save money.
Stove
Cooking times of dishes can be significantly shortened by using the appropriate lid when cooking. So no energy can escape unused from the pot. Your dishes will be cooked faster. By using pressure cookers you can save a little more time and energy.
Microwave
The right use of a microwave can save time and money, especially for small and medium portions. In addition, the use of a microwave oven is of course worthwhile when preparing frozen and ready meals.
Washing machine and dryer
You should always run both appliances at maximum load. Even if there are washing programs to save energy, half a load of clothes will consume much more than half of energy. Nowadays, thanks to modern detergents, you can almost always reduce the washing temperature to 30°. A maximum of 60° should be used for towels. Heavily soiled laundry is sufficient. Also, choose the highest speed when spinning, as this will reduce the amount of time left to run the dryer. This consumes a lot of electricity due to its heating elements. Should therefore always run only as short as possible.
Coffee maker
Don't leave your ready-made coffee on the coffee maker's hot plate when it's on, pour it into a thermos flask instead.
Dishwasher
Modern dishwashers consume significantly less water than a comparable wash-up by hand. However, make sure that the machine is always well filled. Only half-loaded machines consume just as much energy as full ones. Therefore, always load your appliances. Use additional efficient saving programs at low water temperatures.
Energy saving tips for heating/insulation:
Insulation
With good insulation on windows and doors, you can save valuable heating energy and thus reduce your heating costs. Only single-glazed windows can also be replaced by windows with thermal insulation glazing. You should also reconsider the installation of front windows and doors. The joints in the rebate of windows. Doors should also be sealed elastically.
Radiator
Do not place beds, sofas, armchairs, cupboards and chests of drawers too close to your radiators. Only through sufficient circulation is it possible to heat the air optimally. If it can be better distributed, an energy-saving thermostat setting is also sufficient for a comfortable indoor climate. Air your rooms briefly. With the window wide open! During this time set the heating thermostat very low or even better: turn it off completely. After closing the windows, set them higher again accordingly. Rooms in which you spend less time can be lowered to temperatures around 16-18 degrees.
Especially in winter you should close the shutters, blinds or curtains to save energy. The temperature in a room should not be lower than 12 degrees, otherwise you will use too much energy to heat it up again.
Energy-saving tips for the living/leisure area:
Computer, TV& Co.
Use the energy saving function of your computer! Over the course of a year, efficient PC settings can save up to 50 euros in electricity. A bulky desktop computer also consumes considerably more energy than modern notebooks with the same power output. In addition, with technical electrical appliances such as computers, televisions& Co. Turn them off completely after use. Do not stay in standby mode. By switching off sockets you make sure that the used devices are really switched off.
Lighting
Turn off lights in rooms that are not being used at the moment. Switching to energy-saving lights or LED lamps will also save you considerable amounts of electricity.
Water
Press the economy button when flushing the toilet. Consumption can thus be reduced by more than half. The general consumption of water in the home can also be reduced by using low-flow shower heads. Showering instead of bathing is another option.