How to save Electricity in Hosehold

Save Electricity

 

With the overall increase in energy prices, households are spending an increasing share of their domestic spending on their electricity bills. JeChange.fr offers you a few keys to reduce their cost.
While final energy consumption in the residential sector increased by only 1.7% between 2002 and 2013, electricity consumption exploded over the same period, with an increase of 23.7% , In spite of apparatuses less and less energy-consuming!
The increase in the number of electrical equipment in households, the increase in their size and their duration of use, but also the use that is not always very economical . What are the solutions to alleviate these bills without changing the way of life?

Decrease heating and hot water costs

Heating and hot water together account for almost 75% of the energy expenditure of a French household. Reducing the electricity consumption related to their operation is therefore a crucial issue to reduce the cost of your bill.
There are many effective ways to reduce your heating bill : strengthen your home ‘s thermal insulation , adjust the temperature to an adequate value, properly maintain your equipment …
In the same way, simple gestures can reduce the cost of your bill due to the water heater significantly. It is important to favor showers in baths, to adjust the temperature of the hot water tank between 55 and 60 ° C, or to install small equipment to reduce water consumption.

Adopting good behavior in the kitchen

Cooking represents on average 7% of household energy expenditure. Yet, several tips make it easy to reduce your energy consumption in the kitchen. Thinking about covering your pots and using cooktops appropriate to the size of the utensils will allow you for example a saving not negligible.
It is also important to adapt your utensils to your cooking habits :
• To boil water, prefer the kettle, not voracious in energy.
• To heat your dishes, the microwave oven will consume less than a conventional oven.
• For cooking your vegetables, the pressure cooker will be up to 60% more economical than pans.
Also, if you often use your cooktop for short periods, use induction cooking instead . Induction panels heating much faster, they offer a current saving of about 30% compared to glass-ceramic surfaces and 50% compared to conventional plates.

If you are more of an oven baker, use a rotating oven to cook several dishes at the same time. A combined oven (oven + microwave) will also reduce your electricity consumption from 66 to 75%.
Finally, a plate or a furnace continuing to heat after being switched off, use this heat during long cooking by turning them off a few minutes before the end of cooking.

Use the right gestures on a daily basis

Save Energy

Between 17 and 20% of the energy expenditure of an average household, the specific electricity, that is to say the electricity used for services operating only with this energy, is the second consumer item Of the fireplaces after heating . Considering the increase in the price of electricity , its constantly growing share makes the reduction of the expenses allocated to it an essential financial stake. For this, several solutions are available to you.

Limit consumption of your washing machines

All household appliances related to washing account for 33% of the specific electricity consumed by households with a dryer in addition to their washing machine and dishwasher.
The dryer consumes 17% of the specific electricity spent to reduce its electricity bill, it is strongly recommended to privilege the drying of clothes in the open air . If this is not possible, use a moisture sensor that stops or goes into standby automatically when drying is complete and wring out your laundry properly before placing it in the appliance.
Even if your washing machine consumes relatively little electricity, you can still limit the part of your bill due to it by not necessarily using prewash, usually unnecessary, and by favoring programs at low temperature .
Similarly, if the dishwasher is considered to be more economical than dishwashing by hand by letting the water run, it must be systematically filled before use. Consider using the “eco” program to reduce consumption by up to 45%.
Finally, do not forget to regularly clean the filters and the joints of your washers to ensure optimal operation.
Choose the most energy-efficient multimedia devices
As a second source of specific electricity consumption, multimedia devices are multiplying in households. To limit their electricity consumption, it is important to select the most economical appliances.
For example, LCD TVs consume less energy than those with a plasma display. In the same way, it is advisable to favor the use of laptops, requiring between 50 and 80% less energy than fixed stations, and inkjet printers that do not need preheating And require between 5 and 10 W , compared with 200 to 300 W for laser printers.
In general, multifunction equipment will consume less than the sum of the devices it replaces: a printer combining scanner, fax and photocopier will thus require 50% less energy than all of these devices individually.
Finally, with phone or laptop chargers likely to continue to consume electricity even if the charging is complete and they are no longer connected to a device, disconnect them routinely.

Track down the eve of your electrical appliances

Even when turned off, many appliances continue to consume electricity when they stay connected. TV, DVD player, game console and computer but also coffee maker, microwave, bread machine, washing machine and dishwasher: pay attention to the hidden watches!
To prevent them, you can use “cut-off” plugs, which stop the power supply when you switch off a device, so-called “intelligent” plugs, which stop it after a certain standby time, or Yet energy management software reduces the consumption of your computer by 40 to 60%.
Finally, in case of prolonged absence, disconnect all electrical appliances , including water heaters. Beware, however, of connected devices: for example, the watches of certain washing machines or dishwashers are connected to leak detection.

Optimize the operation of your refrigerating appliances

Refrigerators and freezers are very greedy in electricity. Their consumption depends on the temperature difference with the outside, to save energy, it is better to avoid placing them near a source of heat (radiator, oven, hob, sunny window …) . It is also imperative to leave space behind and above the unit so that the air circulates correctly.
If your freezer will fully acclimatize to an unheated cellar or garage, it is better to avoid such environments for your refrigerator. Each device is designed to operate within a certain range of ambient temperatures that can be found on the documentation and inside the device. Outside this range, its performance will be altered and it will over-consume or stop.
It is also preferable not to open these appliances too long and too often to avoid the loss of cold air and to place no hot food or uncovered liquids or vegetables in order to avoid evaporation, Accumulation of frost. A layer of frost exceeding 3 mm increases the consumption of your devices by almost 30%.
Finally, in addition to defrosting your appliances, to avoid over-consumption, you should also regularly clean your dust collectors and check that the seals on their doors are clean and tight.

Clearly illuminate

Numerous simple gestures allow you to reduce your electricity consumption devoted to lighting while maintaining optimum brightness.
For example, you can arrange your interior in such a way as to make the most of natural light. By directing your furniture in such a way as to avoid shady areas of shadows and to benefit from a maximum of luminosity where you need it most (desk, work surface, reading corner …), it is possible to save Up to one hour of daily lighting! Dressing your walls and ceilings in light colors that better reflect light is also a solution to limit the use of artificial lighting.
Consider fitting yourself into low-energy bulbs. Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or LED lamps are now adaptable to all types of luminaires. You can also adjust the brightness of your light bulbs as rooms : the living rooms require between 15 and 20 W per m 2 against between 10 and 15 W per m 2 for bedrooms and hallways and 5 W are enough to watch TV or computer.

Compare pricing options and supplier offers

Since the opening of the electricity market to competition, alternative suppliers offer market offers at prices often more attractive than the regulated tariffs of the incumbent EDF.
The Happ-e offers from GDF Suez and Online electricity from Direct Energie promise, for example, a saving of 8% on the price of kWh of electricity HT. To compare the various offers of electricity suppliers or simply inquire, consult our comparator of the best electricity tariffs .
Suppliers also offer various tariff options . Subscribing to an ” off-peak-hour ” option will allow you, for example, to make significant savings if you operate the maximum of your electrical appliances during off-peak hours, when the price of kWh of electricity is reduced. Some machines (washing machine, dishwasher …) are also equipped with a delayed start which makes it easy to take advantage of this advantage.

Connell
The author is an expert on occupational training and a prolific writer who writes extensively on Business, technology, and education. He can be contacted for professional advice in matters related with occupation and training on his blog Communal Business and Your Business Magazine.