We have developed the habit of using utilities uneconomically since the times of the USSR, when tariffs were quite low. However, everything is changing, and prices for the benefits of civilization are rising very rapidly. Paying for electricity has always taken up a significant part of the budget, but now it is especially expensive. The number of household appliances is increasing, gas heating is being actively replaced by electric heating, as the “blue flame” is becoming very expensive, therefore our payments are increasing. Despite the high use of electrical appliances, you can pay less for light; to understand how to reduce energy costs, it is worth studying tips from experienced savings experts.
Legal or illegal methods of saving, what to choose?
On the Internet you can find a lot of advice on how to connect in order to pay less for electricity, how to stop the meter, how to change its indicators, etc.
However, it is worth considering that these tricks will help you save only until inspectors come to your house. Citizens caught cheating are fined, which may even exceed the amount saved, and you also risk being left without electricity for some time, and this is not only a loss of money from the family budget, but also some discomfort. Comparing all the risks, we can conclude that dishonest savings are more expensive. When thinking about how to pay less for light, remember that the chosen method must be absolutely legal so that regulatory authorities cannot apply penalties against you.
Only honest savings will help you be confident in your safety and save money.
No. 8. Window insulation
First of all, seal all the cracks (ideally, of course, it is better to install modern double-glazed windows, preferably with energy-saving glass). After all, windows account for the lion's share of heat loss (up to 50 percent). In addition, during the winter you can cover your windows with thick night curtains.
It is also advisable to insulate the loggia/balcony and entrance doors. It is also worth thinking about insulating the floors in the apartment.
How does energy-saving double glazing work?
Ways to save
Before you understand how to pay less for electricity, you need to study in detail which devices consume it the most. Surely, you don’t think much about the fact that some of them can be completely abandoned, while the work of others can be optimized as much as possible. Let's look at methods for saving light using specific examples.
Cooking food
- It will be more efficient to use an electric stove if you place a pot or pan of the same diameter on the burner; if the dishes are smaller, you will heat the air. You need to cook food with the lid closed, so the food will cook faster. Remember that finely chopped ingredients are cooked faster than large ones. Turn off the stove 5-10 minutes before finishing cooking.
- Use the electric kettle economically by boiling just as much water as you need, but no more. Also, do not forget to clean it from scale in time, it not only harms your health, but also slows down the heating process.
- Avoid unnecessary household appliances. Appliances such as a multicooker, toaster, food processor and electric meat grinder consume quite a lot of electricity, but in the household you can completely do without them.
- Choose a more economical technique; you can cook several dishes at the same time in a double boiler using the same amount of electricity. It is also beneficial to use a pressure cooker; food will cook in it much faster than in a regular saucepan.
Appliances
We spend the lion's share of electricity on illiterate use of household appliances. They all help us in everyday life, but take money from the family budget.
In order to optimize costs, follow these rules:
- Only use the dishwasher when it is completely full to save electricity and detergent.
- Clean the dust collection bag or tank in your vacuum cleaner; if it is full, the device consumes much more electricity.
- Unplug all household appliances when you are not using them. The computer and TV consume electricity in standby mode, the same applies to chargers; they work even if no gadgets are connected to them.
- Use the washing machine according to the instructions, see what weight is considered optimal for loading and stick to it. If you do not load the drum completely or excessively, the device consumes more electricity; also try to use quick washes and low temperature conditions whenever possible.
- Properly distribute food in the refrigerator, ideally if a quarter of the entire space is empty, so cold air can circulate without obstacles. Keeping the back outer panel clean will help the appliance work more efficiently, do not place it near a stove or radiator, otherwise it will need more electricity to cool.
- Choose economical household appliances of class A and higher. New appliances will help you save up to 30% of your budget, as they are aimed at economical energy consumption. Such products will cost more than ordinary ones, but they will pay for themselves very quickly.
Heating
Electric heating is not new now and you can also save money on it if you optimize all costs. In order to pay less for heating a room, use the following rules:
- Turn on heaters only when you are indoors; they heat up the space quite quickly.
- Use reflective foil, it really helps direct the heat from the radiators into the room rather than into the cold wall.
- Open doors in your home so that warm air can circulate naturally, creating a comfortable microclimate throughout the room.
- Turn on the heat at night at a minimum, the air temperature comfortable for sleeping is only 16⁰C, the blanket will provide you with warmth.
- Use heated floors, it is much more profitable than heating the entire room with heaters.
Hot water heating
Boilers are now considered more cost-effective than geysers; they also become a real lifesaver when maintenance work is carried out on heating networks in the summer and the hot water is turned off. To know how to pay less for electricity, tricks for using hot water need to be taken into account.
- Set a comfortable temperature setting on the unit to use water from it without using a cold water tap, so heating will occur faster.
- Wash your hands only with cold water, this is quite comfortable and will help you save on electricity.
- Clean the heating elements of the boiler in a timely manner, as scale also collects on them, which prevents the water from heating quickly.
- Install the sensor on the hot water tap; it will flow only when you put your hands near it.
Lighting
To understand how to pay less for light, tricks from domestic and foreign experts need to be studied thoroughly.
The experience of economical consumers shows that by optimizing your lighting consumption, you can reduce your electricity costs by up to 80%.
To do this we use the following rules:
- We replace all incandescent light bulbs with LED counterparts. This is beneficial, and don’t even think about being scared by the high cost of LED lamps, because they consume much less electricity. Also, energy-saving lamps last much longer than usual, their service life is 6-8 years, but if the product fails before the period specified in the warranty card, it will be replaced with a new one at the point of sale.
- We use motion sensors that will independently respond to the presence or absence of a person in the room. They will do all the work for you, turn the lights on or off.
- We move from chandeliers to spotlights. It has been proven that horn chandeliers consume much more electricity than sconces, lamps, night lights and lamps. In any room, you can correctly install spotlights so that they create effective illumination and help save money.
- Switch to lower wattage bulbs. Modern LED lamps have several types of brightness; they can produce cold or warm light, and the brightness of the illumination depends to some extent on it. You can choose lighting fixtures that will have less power but create comfortable living conditions.
- Use natural light as much as possible. Daylight is completely free, so you need to learn how to make the most of it. To do this, you can make large windows, choose transparent tulles, remove bulky pots with tall indoor plants from the windowsill. Experts also recommend a very simple way to save energy - you just need to go to bed earlier and wake up earlier.
- Use lamps that are “charged” by solar energy to illuminate your garden plots and courtyards, so you can create an atmosphere of safety in your yard completely free of charge.
No. 4. The refrigerator should not be located near a heat source
Because of this, electricity consumption will increase several times.
Do you know how much you pay for the electricity spent on your refrigerator? We have prepared a detailed article and a calculator for calculating the electricity consumption of a refrigerator per hour (link to article and calculator ).
Place the refrigerator away from heat sources
Calculator for calculating the average electricity consumption of a refrigerator
Go to calculations
Cost optimization
Few of our fellow citizens know that electricity consumed at night is cheaper than during the day or evening. This is a common European practice to encourage people to use their household appliances at night without putting a strain on the network during peak hours.
In our country there is also a similar redistribution, but in order for you to receive receipts for differentiated use of electricity, you need to replace your old single-phase meter with a two-phase or three-phase one, which will make the correct calculations.
You will most likely have to replace it at your own expense, but this will provide a certain bonus if you are used to being nocturnal. Certain formulas are used for the final calculation of payments, but most companies create convenient online services where you can log into your own account, enter meter readings in the appropriate columns, and receive a ready-made final invoice.
No. 5. Redecorating
You can save energy... with simple cosmetic repairs. If you paint the ceiling a light color or hang light wallpaper, the room will reflect about 80 percent of the sunlight. After all, the darker the coating, the worse it reflects light, therefore, to illuminate a room with a dark interior, more energy is needed.
Bright interior of the room
No. 10. Use renewable sources and smart technologies
Nowadays, smart home systems are becoming increasingly popular, providing security and resource conservation through automation and high technology. Of course, such a system should be taken care of at the stage of designing a house. However, even ready-made living spaces can be equipped with some smart additions; for example, we can talk about remote control of lighting, air conditioning, heating using a special application for a smartphone. Thanks to this, you will be able to monitor energy consumption, and therefore save by optimizing energy consumption.
Smart home system
Now a few words about alternative resources. These include wind and solar installations. Note that with the help of some solar panels you can not only become independent from utilities, but also cut your costs by half (or even more)!
No. 9. Use the “correct” household appliances
If possible, buy one whose energy efficiency class is as high as possible (this indicator can range from A to G). The lowest energy consumption is for class A appliances, the highest is for class G. Today, most household appliances, cars and even light bulbs should have an EU energy efficiency label. On more economical products, the label is usually green. If the equipment is energy-saving, it consumes much less electricity than conventional ones (the difference sometimes reaches 50 percent). In addition, there are devices of classes A+ and A++, which, accordingly, allow even more savings.
Energy classes
