To prevent you from overpaying on this bill, we give you 10 ways to save energy at home.
Due to the coronavirus crisis, which has caused the government to decree the state of alarm that limits the free movements of citizens. This has also affected the electricity consumption habits of citizens. On the one hand, companies and public places that remain closed consume much less energy, while on the other hand, households have seen their spending on the bill increase, which prevents them from saving electricity, since there are many more people at home for more time, to which is added the increase in teleworking from home.
With this outlook, it is important for consumers to start taking measures that help them save electricity at these times when their consumption is going to increase. For this reason, Real electrical solutions we have wanted to offer you these tips on how to save electricity, with which you will surely manage to make the increase in prices and the increase in consumption more bearable.
What measures can you take to save electricity at home?
1. Adjust the power
Much has been said about this formula to save on the bill since, with the weight that the fixed part has on the receipt, reducing consumption is less and less relevant in terms of savings. The contracted power refers to the maximum amount of electricity that can be consumed simultaneously. It is a fixed cost, so the higher this power, the greater will be what we pay on the receipt, whether or not we consume energy. The average power for a home is 4.4 kW but it will depend on the size of the home and the number of electrical appliances that we have and that we are going to use at the same time.
To calculate what we need, we can add the power of all the devices that normally work at the same time.
2. Review the rate type
Currently, we can find different types of rates on the market: with or without time discrimination. The latter implies that the price of electricity will be lower during certain hours of the day, called off-peak hours, and more expensive at peak times (from 12:00 to 22:00 in winter and from 13:00 to 23:00: 00 in summer). Only if 30% of the consumption is done during off-peak hours could it be interesting to opt for this type of rate.
In addition, it is also important that you check if your rate includes any additional service for which the price is being increased. For example, some marketers link the contracting of their offers to the subscription to the installation maintenance service.
3. Compare prices
Before hiring an electricity tariff or changing company, it is convenient to compare all the offers available in the market to find the one that best suits each profile at the best price.
4. Monitor the stand-by
A small gesture can lead to significant savings. It is about turning off the electrical appliances that are “off but working”, that is, the televisions, computers, the DVD or the coffee maker that we leave with the pilot on. Also the mobile charger consumes when it is plugged in but not connected. Turning off everything that remains on stand-by implies a light saving of close to 10% in our annual electricity consumption.
5. Reduce the temperature when washing
The intelligent use of appliances can also provide significant savings. As a basic rule, programs that run at low temperatures consume less than at high temperatures. Washing clothes at 40 ° C instead of 60 ° C saves up to 55% energy.
6. Use the refrigerator efficiently
As with the washing machine and dishwasher, it is possible to reduce the energy consumption of the refrigerator if we set the temperature to about 5 ° C and that of the freezer to -18 ° C. In this case, it is also important to avoid the accumulation of ice, since this can increase consumption by up to 30%.
7. Spend less on heating
The appliances that use resistors are always more inefficient and expensive, so avoiding this type of radiator to heat the house will always generate savings. Also, it should be remembered that electric heating can be up to five times more expensive than gas. In any case, consumers should bear in mind that a home temperature of 19 ° C to 21 ° C is reasonable, a level that can drop to between 15 ° C and 17 ° C at night. Each degree of more represents an increase of 7% in consumption.
8. Use efficient appliances
Most modern appliances already carry the energy label, although there are different degrees. Replacing old appliances with new ones entails a significant outlay, but you will pay off that investment in the long run, as well as helping to respect the environment.
9. Choose energy saving light bulbs
Using energy saving light bulbs can save up to 80% compared to normal light bulbs. Its initial cost is higher, but its useful life is up to 12 times greater than an incandescent bulb. In addition, they only dedicate 15% of the energy they consume to provide light, the rest generates heat.
The change from halogen to LED bulbs, much more energy efficient, represents a very important annual light saving for Spanish pockets. Fluorescent tubes are also recommended, especially in large rooms where many hours of light are needed. Likewise, it is recommended to keep the lamps clean so as not to lose light and not have to increase the power.
10. Turn off the lights
This last tip is, without a doubt, the most obvious, but no less relevant. Turning off the switches when no electricity is needed is the easiest way to save on your electricity bill. In addition, we can install divided switches, which turn on only the necessary lights, with a programmer that turns them off every so often or even a motion detector for areas such as garages or storage rooms that are not used often.
Extra tip: use an electricity rate comparator
As an extra tip, from real electrical solutions we also recommend you compare the different rates offered by electricity companies in Australia. With a comparator like ours, you will be able to find the electricity rates that best suit your needs.
You can make the comparison with the help of an invoice that you have at home to see the contracted power and consumption. In this way, the results we give you will be as accurate as possible, and you can choose the company with the offer that you like the most.
Also read: How to Floor Sanding without a hitch
