It is clear that for any of us, saving is very important and based on many small savings, we can achieve significant savings. Also in the case of energy, saving on your electricity bill, not only benefits your pocket, but you will also be helping to curb climate change.
The first thing we have to be clear about is that to save on the electricity bill there are two ways that are not mutually exclusive. The first is to install a solar panel system in our house so that we have an inexhaustible and free source of energy. The second way we can all do at home, from this moment, is to change our consumption habits. It is on this second path that we are going to focus in this article.
To make it easier for you, we recommend that
you try to implant them all at the same time, start with the ones that are
easier for you and gradually incorporate the rest gradually.
1. Take advantage of the sunlight
The most obvious way to save energy at home is by taking advantage of sunlight. How do we do this? Well, using the common sense that we all have, for example, as much as possible adjust your schedules to the sun, with work today it is not easy, but on weekends or holidays we can do it without problem.
You can also try not to have the blinds drawn or the curtains drawn, unless it is in summer and your house is facing west, since the sun on the glass will act as a magnifying glass and the temperature of the house will increase considerably.
2. Turn off the lights
This one is so simple and obvious that it doesn't need much explanation, but it doesn't cost us anything to turn off the light when we leave a room or simply when we don't need it.
Many people leave home and leave the lights on, or leave a light on overnight. Even if you have LED bulbs and they consume very little, what is the point of leaving them on? you will be throwing money silly.
3. Unplug the devices you don't use at the moment
Something that many of us are not aware of is that the 'stand by' of electronic devices is a vampire that consumes energy 24 hours a day without us noticing. It occurs when we leave connected devices turned off but still plugged in.
We give you some examples:
- Chargers of any type, although the mobile is the typical one that nobody unplugs
- Computers on standby instead of turning them off
- Heaters
- Coffee makers
- Digital gadgets
- Electronic brush
- Razors or hair cutters
- Router ... What's the point of it being on all night?
A good habit is to have the appliances plugged into switch strips instead of the plug directly, so you can turn off several at once and not be plugging in and unplugging all the time.
Another option, which I have heard about but have not tried, are smart plugs that are programmable and completely connect and disconnect appliances without unplugging them. Personally I am more of the strip that are very cheap and do not need an instruction manual ...
4. Consume in off-peak hours
Today all electricity supply companies have off-peak options, either at night or for example two hours of free consumption per day.
If you are aware of what they are in your case, make the most of them and connect the appliances at that time, washing machine, dishwasher, iron, or even for cooking (especially in the oven) etc.
5. Cook with covered pots and pans
Although it may seem silly, if you do not use the lids of the pots and pans, everything will take longer to heat up and therefore you will have a higher energy consumption.
It is also a good option to get used to cooking with the pressure cooker, you will not lose quality in the result of the food, but you will reduce the energy consumption time for cooking in a long time.
In the same way, when you are going to use the oven to cook anything, you can organize yourself and take the opportunity to prepare the next day's food at the same time.
6. Take advantage of the residual heat from the vitro and oven
If you have a ceramic hob, as when you turn it off it does not lose heat immediately, you can use this residual heat to turn it off 5 minutes before finishing cooking, it is best to do tests to take the appropriate time in each case.
It goes without saying that in the case of the oven, this is even more applicable and with greater consumption savings, for example if you are cooking a roast chicken and you have it for an hour at 200 degrees, you can perfectly turn off the oven about 15 minutes before Maybe you have to leave it for a little more than an hour, but it will be with residual heat and you will not consume energy. The best thing is to do tests because each oven is different.
7. Use your appliances rationally
In this area there are several things that we can do, to make it easier to read we are going to put them in a list.
When buying a new appliance make sure it has a good energy rating and never less than A +.
Do a continuous maintenance to all appliances so that they work properly.
- Clean the refrigerator coil once a year
- Clean the air conditioning filters regularly and following the manufacturer's instructions
- Clean the vacuum cleaner filters well
- Dust the fan blades
- Iron clothes in one go
- Always fill the dishwasher and the washing machine and, as far as possible, choose the eco program that today the most modern appliances have
- Before opening the fridge or freezer, think carefully about what you need, so that you have the doors open for as little time as possible
- Try to keep the temperature constant in your house, to give you an idea, the comfort temperature in summer is between 22º and 24º and in winter between 20º and 23º
- etc.
As a general rule, in the instruction manual of each appliance, you will have the instructions for use and maintenance, I know that almost nobody reads them (I speak in 1st person), but it is worth it since in addition to saving money on energy, you will be able to lengthen the useful life of these appliances.
Conclusion and one last tip
If you think about it, the only thing you have to have is common sense when it comes to saving on the electricity bill, they are small changes in habits that added to each other you will notice it on your monthly bill, your economy will appreciate it and even if it is small the environment will also appreciate it.
The advice that we want to give you is that if you live in a house, whether individual, semi-detached or semi-detached, seriously consider installing a solar panel energy system, you will get a free and inexhaustible source of energy for the rest of your life, on top of those Banks are happy to finance this type of project, so your pocket will not be affected, as you will change the payment of electricity for the payment to the bank.
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