Rational use of electricity - is the way to reduce the consumption of the family budget and the load on the electricity grid. In addition, the prices of energy resources are rising steadily. It's a good thing they haven't reached exorbitant heights yet. By using appliances sparingly, you can avoid premature failure and unnecessary energy bills. Turning off lights and pulling plugs out of outlets is not enough, you need a savings plan. Let's look at a few ways to help reduce your energy costs.
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Balancing and using lights efficiently in your home
About 25 percent of your energy bill is spent on lighting. One third of this energy is not used rationally. When leaving one room for another, many people leave light bulbs on, thus wasting electricity. During the daytime, natural light should be used. It is necessary to teach yourself the useful skill of watching your own actions.
The long days of light should be used for productive activities. Nights are designed for sleep, so it is better to be less awake during these hours.
Another effective and economical way is to bring natural light into the room. Tall indoor plants are undesirable to put on a window sill, as they obstruct the passage of light. It is also a good idea to clean the windows regularly and it is better to do this with every planned damp cleaning of the apartment. It makes sense to regularly wipe down the shades of light fixtures.
The choice of wallpaper also plays an important role. Dark surfaces absorb the light flux. Rooms with dark wallpaper require brighter lighting. Therefore, in order to save on electricity it is worth choosing light colors. It creates a reflective effect, so you can choose bulbs with less power.
Energy-saving light bulbs and LED light bulbs
The choice of light source should not be neglected either! Energy-saving lamps are divided into three basic types:
- halogen - Halogen lamps save up to 50% energy;
- Fluorescent lights save up to 80%.
- LED lamps are the most effective way to save 80-90%.
Ilich bulbs are gradually becoming a thing of the past, although they are still used somewhere. However, they are being supplanted on the market by their energy-saving counterparts. It is a good idea to replace all the lamps that are used for lighting in an apartment with energy-saving bulbs. The costs are high because energy-efficient light sources are much more expensive than incandescent bulbs. But for that price, they work 6 or even 8 times longer and consume 3 times less electricity. For comparison, a regular light bulb consumes 60 watts, while an LED bulb consumes only 7-8 watts for every hour of operation.
But who should be preferred - energy-saving or LED bulbs? In terms of energy efficiency, Led technology wins because it uses less electricity. Those who have already switched to LED lamps can confirm that the savings on them up to 2,000 rubles per year.
Spot light
According to experts, this approach is considered economical. That is, it is better to replace bright chandeliers with spotlights. There will be no excessive lighting, but it is enough to conduct business and work. In addition, less energy is spent. Even if you use several lamps. It remains to place them in meaningful areas - a budget option for personal comfort.
But you shouldn't give up a regular chandelier either. Just turn it on as needed. As a last resort, if it consists of 3, 5 or more bulbs, use not all of them and with less power. For the bathroom and corridor, you should also not buy powerful lamps.
Wireless sensors to control lighting
No less effective way looks the installation of special devices, working in automatic mode, based on various kinds of external factors. We are talking about motion sensors и photocells. In the first case, the light will be turned on only after interaction with a sensor in the coverage area. That is, the light is turned on when there is a need for it, and at other times of the day the lights remain off.
Here, it is worth controlling one point. Some installers leave the sensors as the only disconnectors in the electrical circuit. That is, the light is also controlled in the daytime. In addition to a motion sensor in this lighting circuit, it is advisable to have pushbutton switchso that the power in the circuit is broken in two ways:
- A switch - manually operated.
- Motion sensor - they function automatically.
That is, the lights will turn on when it is necessary - that is, only in the evening. However, this is not yet a complete automation. To make the lighting system work better, you can install photo relay. It reacts to the brightness of the sunlight. During the day the resistance of the device is high, which is enough to break the circuit. As the intensity of sunlight decreases, the resistance of the photoresistor decreases. When the minimum value is reached, the circuit closes and the lights turn on. In other words, provides full automation of lighting and only in the evening.
However, the use of photocells is more suitable for outdoor areas - arbors, house entrances and other places where there is an opportunity to synchronize with sunlight. The use of sensors of both types looks more effective. The main thing is to choose the right connection scheme - both the sensor, and the photocell must be shorted at the same time.
The sensors themselves can be wired - that is, built into the electrical network, as well as wireless. The latter sensors are modern and useful devices, but at the same time they are quite expensive and therefore they will pay for themselves for a long time. The maximum efficiency is achieved after their connection to the "smart house" system. It includes a special controller and many other electronic elements.
Whether you need all this in the apartment - a controversial question. Due to the high cost of the entire system, saving money is out of the question.
Turn off the lights when you leave
Statistics show that about 30 percent of electrical energy is used to light empty rooms. What kind of rationality are we talking about here? You shouldn't leave the lights on when you leave a room. If no one is in the room, there's no reason for the lights to be on - it's a waste of energy that should be avoided. It might not be bad for the wallet, but getting in the habit of turning the lights off when you leave a room will reduce the load on the energy grid. In addition, the lamps will last longer.
Proper Operation and Choice of Appliances and Electrical Devices
The refrigerator should be defrosted after the formation of ice, so it subsequently loses efficiency in operation. The purchase of modern models allows you to avoid this problem thanks to the "No Frost" function. Air masses are evenly distributed inside the chambers, which prevents the formation of a dense layer of frost. Food that is too hot should not be placed in the refrigerator, and the appliance itself should be located away from heating appliances. This avoids stress on the compressor.
It is better to use the washing machine after the accumulation of dirty things, but you should not load the drum to the brim either. Washing should be done when it is really necessary - once a week will be enough and the right mode and temperature.
Who has a gas stove, you should use less multicooker, microwave oven, electric kettle, coffee maker and other analogues. Or stop using them altogether to save energy. For the electric stove cookware should be chosen according to the size of burners. And for faster cooking it is worth covering pots with lids.
Electricity consumption of a dishwasher depends on its functions. If the device does not have hot drying, the energy consumption will be lower. The delayed start function is preferable because it postpones washing up at night, when the electricity tariff is lowest.
The vacuum cleaner should not overfill the dust canister, otherwise the appliance will start to consume more electricity. You should also clean your air conditioner filter at least once or twice a month.
In water heaters, adjusting the heating temperature helps reduce energy costs. It is also necessary to remove solid deposits from the internal walls of the boiler annually. A large amount of limescale will put the appliances out of service.
Appliance Energy Efficiency Classes
Not all electrical appliances consume a lot of energy. Most modern models are less voracious, unlike older appliances, to the delight of consumers. That's why it's worth knowing about classesThe first two are energy efficient, while the rest have low energy efficiency. The last one is too energy-consuming at all. Today you can no longer find appliances with classes E, F and G, and in the category A there are subspecies - A+, A++ and A+++, which implies the highest possible energy savings.
Ways to save electricity at home
For the sake of saving electricity, it is worth adhering to a number of rules on the use of household appliances:
- Get in the habit of unplugging appliances that are not currently in use.
- If there is a need to leave the apartment for a long time, it is worth turning off all appliances from the outlets, except the refrigerator.
- Every time you leave a room, don't forget to turn off your lights.
- It makes sense to use local light sources - wall lamps, floor lamps and so on. They give light only to the working area, do not activate the main chandelier.
- Lighting the room with LEDs will not only reduce energy costs, but also creates a special atmosphere of coziness.
- When heating water with an electric kettle, you should fill it with the right amount of water for the moment. You should also perform regular descaling.
- It is advisable to turn on the air conditioner with the windows and doors closed, which helps to increase its efficiency.
As a result, the burden on the family budget and the electrical appliances themselves is reduced.
Installing a multi-tariff meter
This is a great opportunity to save electricity. In many regions of Russia, there is a multi-tariff electricity metering system. In this case, 24 hours are divided into certain time periods - day and night. The cost of electricity in these time periods is calculated at different rates tariffs .. The price for 1 kWh at night can be 3 times lower than during the day.
Replacement of old electrical wiring
Replacing aluminum wiring with its copper counterpart allows you to reduce electricity consumption. This is achieved due to less energy loss. But there are a number of nuances. Firstly, it is possible to save up to 1,000 rubles per year. Secondly, the replacement of all wiring will require too high costs - in the range of 100,000 rubles and is unlikely to ever be able to pay off. Therefore, just for the sake of saving on energy bills, you should not change the type of wiring.
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