In ancient times, when Alessandro Volta performed his first experiments and Thomas Edison looked at the invented light bulb, could they have imagined how the lives of their descendants would change in connection with their discoveries?Today it is impossible to imagine life without electricity.This is a resource on which everything is connected: information, data, household needs, comfort, communication, free time.An accident in the electrical network of a capital paralyzed him.The work of maternity hospitals, hospitals, and water supply was stopped, schools and residential buildings were closed, more than 3 thousand citizens were stuck in the elevator, and some, as they say, could not get out of their apartments equipped with smart home systems.In a way, we have all become hostages of the current.Although the stranded citizens still literally became them.
By increasing the number of electrical devices in our lives, we unknowingly increase the load not only on the city's electric grid, but also on our wallet.In the houses of our mothers and grandmothers there was a TV, a refrigerator, and a few lucky ones had a washing machine.What works and consumes electricity in our homes leaves our grandmothers in awe of its quantity and functionality.
However, all the pleasures in our lives come at a price.And for the enthusiastic view of grandmothers - including.Every time, looking at the electricity bills, it begins to seem as if there are magical gnomes living in the apartment who amuse themselves by moving the wheel of the meter, accelerating its movement two or even three times.But no, these are not dwarves.These are our insatiable electronic friends.
In order to curb the appetites of fictional gnomes and ease the fate of our wallets, we tried to find out if, in principle, it is possible to save on electricity.
To do this, we studied the savings methods offered online, both the obvious and the unbelievable.We invite you to familiarize yourself with the results of our work.
Obvious ways to save energy
The most obvious one, which lies on the surface, is to turn off the light when not in use.If your memory fails you, or you are so busy that you don't have time to reach out and flip a switch, there is a way out.Motion sensors or presence sensors.They are installed in rooms and react to the appearance of a person in the room.They automatically turn on when you enter the room and turn off when you leave.Ask the installers to set the sensors so they don't react to cats and other pets.Otherwise, the electricity bill will skyrocket instead of the expected reduction.
Replace incandescent bulbs with their energy-efficient counterparts.And even better - LED.They use much less energy, last longer and shine brighter.If you install sectional lighting and equip the room with several light elements, you can use them in turn as needed.A dimmer (an element that allows you to adjust the brightness of the lighting) with constant use will also help reduce energy costs for lighting.Experienced people recommend choosing lamps for rooms according to the degree of their use.Obviously, you can hang a dimmed but less energy consuming lamp in the pantry than in the living room or kitchen.New generation lamps are more resistant to overvoltages.Well, the last piece of advice about lamps is not to be lazy about dusting them regularly.Dusty lamps give dim light and use more energy to senselessly heat the dust.
Buy electrical appliances with high energy efficiency (class A+)
Modern equipment knows how to use energy wisely.Most dishwashers, washing machines of the latest model and other appliances are equipped with an eco mode to save energy.You use it often.If possible, choose the lowest temperature of the oven, washing machine and dishwasher.
The main energy costs go to heating the device;if you heat it to a minimum, you can save a lot.
The load level of the washing machine is also important.Load it according to the technical documentation.Overloading or underloading will increase power consumption.The same applies to vacuum cleaners with unwashed filters and full dust collectors, air conditioners with uncleaned interior, refrigerators with ice, boilers with scale and other everyday joys.We remember that heating excess materials increases your costs.A washing machine and dishwasher connected to centralized hot water will use less energy to heat it.But instead of consuming electricity, you will increase the amount of payment for the supply of hot water.And here you have to weigh which resource costs you more.
Of course, this point is more logical to include in the list of amazing things, but let it be here.Unused household appliances should always be unplugged.When they are on, they consume a lot of electricity.It is ideal if, when designing electrical installations, it is ensured that all sockets are switched off with a light movement of the hand.Except the one that starts the fridge.Then you can safely leave home without fear of fire, electric shocks and energy losses.
If you disconnect the gadget from charging immediately after it is finished, you save energy and contribute to the long life of the gadget itself and its charger.
Devices that you use regularly during the day do not need to be unplugged every time.For example, it would be best to put your computer to sleep.Because for some devices, turning them on and off consumes more energy than when they are idle.Be sure to remove the disks from the drive.When they are on, extra energy is spent promoting them.
If you haven't already installed a separate switch to disconnect the outlets, use surge protectors for your equipment with the ability to disconnect the power supply.
And a little more about technology.In many high-rise buildings, in accordance with established standards, electric rather than gas stoves are provided.
Therefore, buy an induction cooker for apartments on high floors.It is specially designed to save electricity.But it will be even better if you buy cookware with a flat bottom that exactly matches the size of the stove burner.And when cooking, you will cover the pan with a lid.And you'll finish cooking dinner on the cooling burner, turn it off 5-10 minutes before it's done.And by the way, we iron delicate delicate items with the iron and cooling already switched off.
Kettle?In addition to timely descaling, we recommend that you only pour in as much water as you need.
Now to the fridge.And reforms will not bypass him.The refrigerator must not be close to walls or other surfaces.Especially if the surfaces are heated - for example, an oven.This will prevent it from overheating.Do not forget to check the rubber seal and the presence of ice.The main function of a refrigerator is to protect your food by keeping it at a low temperature.And if there is an external heat source, the refrigerator will try to cool itself with twice as much (electrical) energy.At your expense, of course.
You can also say a few words about the movies.High-quality movies use more energy, but we do not recommend that you save money by watching movies.This is blasphemy.
The very concept of repair can make a small but significant contribution to saving your salary.For those who didn't skip physics at school, it's obvious that a light-colored wall covering will save electricity and heat, because, unlike a dark one, it doesn't absorb it.This also includes dusting windows and heating devices.Dust is a known heat absorber.And if, in addition, your windows have increased light transmission and energy efficiency, this will save you some more money.
Choose an apartment with windows facing south.Then you will get heat and light directly from the sun, completely free of charge.But this bonus is balanced by the fact that in the summer you will have to turn on the split system more often.The south side heats up very quickly, and in hot weather such rooms without air conditioning may not be comfortable.Therefore, keep in mind that small savings in winter can result in big costs in summer.
A significant part of the heat (and, accordingly, the loss of energy for heating the room) goes to the walls to which the radiators are attached.Installing a heat reflector between the wall and the battery will allow you to use the produced heat without the cost of heating the street.According to experts, this measure allows you to raise the air temperature in the living room by 2-3 degrees without additional energy costs.
Let us now turn to those methods of salvation which in our reality are more improbable than feasible.However, we will tell you about them.
Less likely ways to save
Replace your home's wiring with more efficient wiring by arranging your power sources so you can eliminate the need for extra cables and brackets.Well, since you're rewiring anyway, get a switch for everything except the fridge, which is described above.
Eliminate heat loss.Experts with a thermal imager will tell you about the weak points of your home.And according to the diagnosis, it will be necessary to strengthen the weak, isolate the cold and dry the moisture.In most cases, the owners will have to additionally insulate the walls and replace the windows.
If you are the lucky owner of individual heating, we recommend installing a boiler with a thermostat.It is able to regulate the heating temperature, preventing it from rising above the set one.The absence of additional heating means saving a small amount of electricity.
Install a Smart Home system in your home.It automatically sets the optimal energy consumption.With this system, you can control the electricity in your apartment yourself, remotely.In our opinion, the only shortcoming of the system will be told to you by the comrades who died in the accident in 2015.On the other hand, such force majeure events are rare and do not cover all the advantages of a smart home.
If you are afraid of machine rebellion and believe in the victory of artificial intelligence over human, this option is also not for you.
Install electricity generators.Windy, solar.And become energy independent.You thought this was completely out of the realm of science fiction, didn't you?In vain.
If you plan to move to hot countries, keep in mind that in Greece, for example, solar panels are used as a source of energy, because centralized electricity is very expensive.
Installation of a two-phase meter.The idea is to shift the main work to the night, when the load on the city's power grid is minimal, and therefore the tariffs are quite economical.Before changing the meter, make sure that you are a night owl and that leading a nocturnal lifestyle (especially washing dishes, laundry and using electrical appliances) is not stressful for you.And make sure your neighbors are owls too, or get some extra soundproofing so you don't incur the ire of your neighbors.
In many regions, representatives of power networks even offer free installation of two-phase meters.But practice has shown that there are still deviations in indicators and not quite correct calculations.Therefore, people are in no hurry to change their usual meters to two-phase ones, despite all their possible advantages.
And the most unreliable way to save electricity, included in the first 3 employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and Fire Services, is independent manipulation of wiring, due to which the line bypasses the meter.Built without knowledge of basic technical safety standards and laws of physics, such structures become the cause of fires and other disasters.Not to mention the fact that city officials can check the equipment and discover your secret scheme.For an experienced power engineer, such a search will not take much time.And then, instead of saving, you will be forced to pay a rather small penalty for your initiative.