Reducing the consumption of electricity or gas at home can mean significant savings on your bills. In the beginning, it will take a little time to research the ways to achieve your goal, but in the long term the effort will pay off. So how do we save energy at home?
What can we do to save energy at home?
To take the first step towards saving electricity at home, today we want to propose some simple actions and tricks. Take note and start saving on your bills!
1. Take advantage of natural light
The sun is a source of energy and at home, we can take advantage of its rays to reduce our consumption in many ways. How? If you work from home on your computer or do any other activity that requires good lighting, try to do it during daylight hours and stand near a window. In this way, it will not be necessary to turn on lights during the day. You can also take advantage of the heat of direct sunlight in the winter by opening the curtains during the central hours of the day.
2. Use candles, lamps, and spotlighting
How to save on electricity at home when you work remotely or need light at night? With confinement, telecommuting, and other situations resulting from the pandemic, many households have likely seen their electricity bill rise. When we spend many hours at home, it may be a good idea to opt for low-consumption solutions such as LED bulbs and the use of lamps or strategic lighting. The lamps for the work desk or some LED lights under the modules allow you to carry out tasks saving energy without giving up good lighting.
From time to time you can even choose to turn off the lights and light some candles and enjoy a cozy Danish-style atmosphere.
3. Turn off unnecessary lights
Turning off the lights before leaving the house is an obvious habit, but we also have to get used to turning off unnecessary lights when we are at home. It does not matter what type of bulbs you have, even if they are LED or low consumption, turning off the lights in rooms when we don’t need them saves energy at home.
4. Opt for solar charging light bulbs for the garden
We have an average of 300 days of sunshine a year. Why not take advantage of them? Solar charging bulbs can be a good option to illuminate outdoor areas without adding costs to the bill. If you have a terrace or a garden, outdoor lighting is essential for your safety, and take advantage of these spaces in your home for an aperitif or an outdoor dinner in good weather.
5. Take advantage of apps to control energy consumption
Your mobile can make your life easier when managing your home electronics remotely and also allows you to better understand your expenses and optimize energy use at home. There are many apps for energy control at home and most are free. From applications that allow you to detect your phantom expenses (of the appliances you consume even if you are not using them) to apps that indicate the price of kWh on the regulated market to program your appliances at the most convenient hours.
6. Unplug appliances when you’re not using them
A television, an electric toothbrush, or a computer in sleep mode continues to consume, although the energy they spend in this state is very little if you add up all the devices, at the end of the month you also pay for this energy consumption on the bill.
7. Choose efficient electrical appliances
Thanks to new technologies, household appliances are also more efficient in terms of savings. If you have to change a washing machine, refrigerator, boiler, or other appliance in your home before making your purchase, find out about the energy label of the appliance. Buying a category A appliance may be a bit more expensive, but it is equivalent to saving on your electricity bill.
8. Do regular maintenance
When it comes to appliances, buying the most advanced models may not be enough to save energy at home. Good use of electrical appliances is also key. Cleaning the air conditioning filters, avoiding covering the radiators, cleaning the refrigerator coil and other small maintenance gestures of the appliances will make them work more efficiently and last longer.
Home insurance also offers you options to save. Learn about the advantages of our Home Insurance with complementary services such as home improvement and breakdown of electrical appliances among others.
9. Maintain a proper temperature
Correctly regulating the temperature in the home is one of the actions that can make a difference in energy consumption and reduce the cost of your bills. An intelligent thermostat can help you program the air conditioning or heating and if it is connected with an app it will indicate the consumption that it supposes. Remember that an ideal temperature in the home should be around 19-21 degrees in the winter and 24-26 degrees in the summer. Airing properly in winter or using curtains on the windows in the summer are other habits that help you save energy at home and maintain a healthy temperature without unnecessary expenses.
10. Air the home strategically
The air exchange in the home is recommended to maintain a healthier and more pleasant environment. Doing it correctly allows you to avoid the accumulation of dust and allergens in the home and, of course, save energy. In winter, open the windows one room at a time for five minutes in the middle of the day. In summer, air out first thing in the morning or at night. In this way, you will reduce the dispersion of heat when it is cold outside and will keep the home cooler in summer. You will find more tips to keep the air clean at home in this post.
11. Take advantage of the residual heat from the oven
In the kitchen, it is also possible to create some habits that favor the use of energy and saving on the bill. A good practice is to plan a weekly menu and cook several dishes on the same day. In this way, you can take advantage of the oven to cook several foods and dishes at the same time or larger amounts of food that you will consume throughout the week. And those foods that do not need long cooking can be left for last and thus take advantage of the heat of the oven just turned off.
You can also take advantage of the same trick in vitroceramic kitchens. By the way, did you know that covering the pots when you cook reduces the cooking times of food?
12. Use cold wash programs
Using cold washes in the washing machine or dishwasher is another trick on how we can save energy at home. These appliances consume more electricity on long programs or in high temperatures. Of course, these programs are not recommended for washing very dirty clothes or dishes, but use them whenever possible and you will notice the difference in your electricity bill. Also, when the weather is nice you can hang your clothes in the air instead of using the dryer to reduce electricity consumption in your home.
13. Avoid consumption during peak hours
Using appliances during off-peak hours is another habit that you can include in your plan to save electricity in your home. Scheduling a washing machine, dishwasher, or organizing to iron at certain times also makes a difference. The off-peak time varies slightly depending on the period of the year, however, it usually coincides with the early hours of the morning and the early hours of the morning.
Which appliance uses the most energy at home?
The answer to this question is relative because it depends on how you use each electrical appliance in your home.
In any case, the refrigerator is usually at the top of the list of the most consuming appliances since it is always plugged in.
Even so, it is possible to reduce consumption also in these cases. In the specific case of the refrigerator, simple gestures such as regulating the correct temperature, performing a proper cleaning periodically, and avoiding leaving the doors open for a long time, will be key to saving electricity at home.
These are just some ways to save energy at home, you can start with one or two and implement little by little to have more control of consumption. Or perhaps adopt some other saving method that works best for you. However, if you are consistent, over time you will notice the difference in your bills.
