Modern apartments are packed with all kinds of electrical appliances. Without these appliances, people would not be able to imagine their lives. This is why residents of ordinary two-bedroom or three-bedroom apartments often receive 200-300 kilowatts of electricity. However, energy saving in apartments is possible, and we will consider how to save electricity in apartments with meters.
General direction of savings
First, residents should determine which equipment consumes the most energy. A household wattmeter can help solve this problem. With its help, you can find out how much power a specific device (refrigerator, TV, hair dryer, iron) consumes when it is turned on or in standby mode.
Through this analysis of energy consumption, energy-saving measures can be formulated.
During the next renovation of your apartment, you should:
- Replace old wires installed decades ago, not designed for so many appliances. Using larger cables, reasonable layout and increasing the number of safety sockets will avoid connecting extension cords and tee connections. This is the road to economy and fire safety.
- Use light-colored wallpaper or paint walls and ceilings to extend the use of sunlight in the room. Remove all large objects from the window sill and hang a transparent light curtain.
- Consider the partition of the apartment, and place the lighting equipment (general lighting, floor lamp, table lamp, wall lamp) with the required power according to this. If possible, replace the chandelier and lampshade with a more transparent chandelier that absorbs less light, and then you can use a lower wattage lamp.
- Isolate walls, replace windows, and seal doors. All of these can reduce the frequency of turning on additional heating systems.
- Install a two-phase electric meter after 23: 00 and use high-energy-consuming electrical appliances, so the electricity bill is much lower.
- Replace old incandescent bulbs with more modern energy-saving bulbs or LED bulbs. This will save 70-80% of home lighting costs.
Use electrical appliances correctly
If possible, you need to say goodbye to old energy-intensive appliances. Modern equipment is more attractive, practical and economical. Energy efficiency class A, A +, A ++ means that the equipment is the most economical equipment today. However, even if you use old appliances, you can save energy in your apartment.
- Electric oven. After boiling the water, boil the food with part of the power and cover the pot. Only use cookware that has been cleaned of carbon deposits, has a flat bottom, and has the correct size (preferably stainless steel). Use a pressure cooker, because the pressure cooker has a higher sealing property, so the cooking temperature is higher. Replace the burnt spiral in the burner in time. Following all these tips will save up to 60%.
- Store the refrigerator in a cool, well-ventilated place. The door should be well sealed and opened as little as possible and in a short time. The refrigerator should not be completely filled with dishes and food, because the air inside should circulate freely. The food pot can only be placed in the refrigerator after it has cooled to room temperature.
- Audio and video equipment must be constantly cooled by airflow. Do not leave it in standby mode. TV and computer monitors are best placed in a well-lit place to reduce the brightness and contrast of the screen.
- computer. When you stop processing it, the monitor enters standby mode after a while, and then the entire computer enters standby mode. The user can adjust the time for the monitor to "go to sleep".
- The vacuum cleaner should regularly clean up the dust, so that it can increase its traction and reduce energy consumption.
- The washing machine must be installed in accordance with the standards specified in the passport. Underload is as unprofitable as overload.
- The electric kettle should be cleaned of scale regularly, which will damage the thermal conductivity of the heating element.
- Turn on the air conditioner only when the doors and windows are closed.
- The chargers of electronic devices that have not been unplugged consume electrical energy, and electrical energy is used to heat them.
How to use folk remedies to save electricity in apartments
Normally, such wording does not completely hide the legal way to save money, but only steals from energy companies. There are many advertisements on the Internet, such as "a apartment with a magnet saves electricity".
- Powerful neodymium magnets (NdFeB) are most often used to slow down the counter. These magnets can stop or slow down electromechanical (inductive) meters, including single-phase and three-phase. Electronic meters will not react to magnets, except for devices whose measuring part is not electronic. However, it should be noted that from such an impact, up to 30-40% of electric meters have failed. If the power supply is replaced, a magnetization test can be carried out, and the cheaters will be brought to justice by the court.
- Also actively provide various economists. The manufacturer claims that with its help, electricians use it more rationally and extend the service life of electrical appliances. In this case, the device has no effect on the counter. After careful inspection, these devices are found to have the simplest equipment: a few LEDs and a 5 microfarad film capacitor. This device has the least impact on the reactive energy of low-power devices (such as fluorescent lamps). However, the apartment meter only considers active energy and does not respond to reactive energy. Therefore, such economists are purely a scam.
In summary, there are many ways to save electricity in apartments, but legal methods are still used instead of illegal methods, and they are full of technical and legal troubles.