Consuming energy efficiently is not only a good way to save on your utility bill, it is also a habit that we all must adopt in these times of environmental awareness.
In addition to following tips such as taking advantage of daylight, using LED energy saving bulbs or turning off the lights when you are not using them; It is important to follow certain recommendations so that your energy expenditure is more efficient:
Become friends with your appliances
To start, if you are going to buy a new appliance, choose low-energy consumption ones classified with letters A, B and C. Remember that if they are classified D and E they are medium consumption, and those with letters F and G, high consumption. With your appliances, keep in mind that:
· The fridge is one of the most energy-consuming appliances (approximately 30%). To ensure this consumption does not increase, keep it at a not so cold temperature (between 2 and 6 degrees), and away from ovens or washing machines.
Also, avoid storing hot food so as not to overload the compressor, try to open it as few times as possible and always make sure that it is tightly closed.
· To efficiently use the stove and oven, always use containers according to the size of the food you are going to prepare and cover it while it cooks. Another simple trick is to take advantage of the residual heat to finish cooking and make sure that the diameter of the burner does not exceed that of the container.
· Cleaning is essential at home, therefore, to better use your washing machine, always opt for short cycles with cold water and full loads. As for bath time, it is recommended to install electric showers that consume less energy.
· For efficient entertainment, choose LED technology devices because they consumes 25% less than LCD and 40% less than plasma screens. Also, try unplugging them when you are not using them.
Beware of stand by consumption
Ghost, vampire or standby consumption, this is the name given to the silent consumption of your appliances even when they are turned off. As you read, household appliances such as televisions and decoders, laptops, videogame consoles, microwaves, coffee makers, cell phone chargers continue to consume between 5% and 8% of energy if they are connected.
What can you do? Acquire a smart plug or a multi-socket where you can connect several applicances and disconnect them at the same time or remotely: This way you will save 10% on your monthly energy consumption.
If you are thinking of acquiring one and it is controlled through an app, see if it is compatible with your cellphone and with your appliances’ voltage; Also, look for medium-sized ones that do not obstruct the connection of other devices.
Regarding general functionalities, ‘away’ mode activates, for safety, the devices when nobody is at home; some have consumption monitoring, helping you measure your electricity consumption, and the most sophisticated ones are activated through virtual assistants.
With or without these plugs, consume energy efficiently taking advantage of off-peak hours, or lower energy consumption, to use your appliances to their fullest capacity. Likewise, avoid peak hours (6 pm - 8 pm) which is when the highest consumption is generated.
Save light with a light saver?
Surely you have seen light savers, devices to regulate energy consumption that promise to help us save on the energy bill just by plugging them. Supposedly they eliminate any excess energy and redistribute it, they stabilize the electric current and reduce voltage surges, as well as being environmentally friendly.
But its operation is somewhat unclear and that is why it is important to clarify that electrical equipment is inherent to its use, making it impossible to modify it through an external device.
On the other hand, there are capacitors capable of reducing reactive energy, but they work in cases of large-quantity energy consumption (such as large factories) and not in homes.
As you can see, the easiest way to save energy is to use it efficiently and to be aware that consuming it responsibly despends on you and the daily practices that you incorporate in your home or workplace.
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