Save electricity at home

One of the easiest ways to save money each year is to review our use of electricity at home. Simple daily acts can help us achieve this, and we will notice the results in our wallets and on the planet. Can you think of anything that will make for a more sustainable world and improve your financial position?

Save electricity in summer

In summer, it is very important to follow certain rules, like keeping windows open and ventilating at night, when the temperature falls, and keeping them closed during the day, and eating cold meals, so you cook less and consume less. If you have air conditioning, the ideal setting is 24 degrees C, and no lower than 22 degrees. At 21 degrees the energy consumed increases considerably.

Save electricity in winter

In winter, air the house for no more than 5 minutes and use different tricks to help with the heating, like radiator reflector panels (they reflect heat from behind the radiator, improving heating efficiency by 30%), and insulating strips under doors, which are some of the ways to optimise your heating and reduce consumption.

Stand by mode represents an unnecessary use of energy

As for the electronic devices and electric domestic appliances, the infamous stand by represents an unnecessary use of energy noticed in the bill. A television on stand by all night can consume the equivalent of being turned on for 2 hours. That is why you should unplug things you are not using (including mobile chargers), or use power strips so you can fully turn off many at the same time. Devices with transformers consume electricity just by being plugged in and can represent unnecessary spending of €50 a year.

Save electricity choosing LED or low consumption light bulbs

Needles to say, choosing LED or low consumption light bulbs (they can reduce electricity consumption by up to 80%), and looking at the energy label on new electric domestic appliances you buy, are essential if you want to save on your electricity bill and, in the process, consume energy in a more sustainable way (remember to recycle low consumption bulbs because they contain mercury). Avoiding "vampire appliances" (like microwaves and tube televisions), which consume a lot when turned on, and even when turned off but not unplugged, is a simple way to make a big saving.

Save electricity using gadgets

In addition to these savings , it is well worth looking at new gadgets to save energy (like those with mini solar panels) that make use motion and photovoltaics to generate electricity that cab be used to charge batteries and mobile phones, for lighting and cooking, etc They are practical and save on energy and money. In subsequent issues we will dedicate an article exclusively to these original gadgets and how they work.

Can you think of other ways to save energy and money on your electric bill? Tell us you ideas and tricks!