In ancient times, when Alessandro Volta conducted his first experiments and Thomas Edison looked at the invented light bulb, did they think about how the lives of their descendants would be changed by their discoveries?Today, it is impossible to imagine life without electricity.It is a resource where everything is connected: information, data, family needs, comfort, communication, leisure.A power grid accident in the capital left him paralyzed.Maternity hospitals, hospitals, and water companies stopped working, schools and residential buildings were cut off, and more than 3,000 citizens were trapped in elevators. According to them, some people were unable to get out of apartments equipped with smart home systems.In a sense, we are all hostages to electricity.Though the stranded citizens still become what they are in name only.
As the number of electrical appliances in our lives increases, we unknowingly increase the burden not only on the city's power grid, but also on our wallets.In the homes of our mothers and grandmothers there was a television, a refrigerator and, for the lucky few, a washing machine.The things in our homes that work and consume electricity left our grandmothers in awe of their sheer number and functionality.
However, all the joy in our lives comes with a price.And the enthusiastic looks of grandmothers - including.Every time I see an electricity bill, it's as if the apartment is inhabited by magical gnomes who amuse themselves by rolling the meter wheel, speeding up its movement two or even three times.But no, these are not dwarfs.These are our insatiable electronic friends.
To curb the appetite of imaginary gnomes and lessen the fate of our wallets, we tried to figure out whether it was possible to save electricity in principle.
To do this, we looked at the savings methods available online that are both obvious and mind-boggling.We invite you to familiarize yourself with the results of our work.
Obvious ways to save energy
The most obvious one, on the surface, is to turn off lights when not in use.If your memory is failing, or you have too much to do and don't have time to reach out and flip the switch, there is a way out.Motion sensor or presence sensor.They are installed in a room and react to the presence of people in the room.They automatically turn on when you enter the room and turn off when you leave the room.Installers are asked to set up sensors so they don't react to cats and other pets.Otherwise, instead of achieving the expected reduction, electricity bills will soar.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving bulbs.Or even better - LED lights.They use much less energy but last longer and are brighter.If you install sectional lighting and equip a room with multiple lighting elements, you can use them one after another as needed.Consistent use of a dimmer (a component that allows you to adjust the brightness of lighting) will also help reduce lighting energy costs.Experienced people recommend that you choose the lighting fixtures in the room according to the degree of use of the room.Obviously, you can hang a light in the pantry that is dimmable but more energy efficient than in the living room or kitchen.The new generation of lamps is more resistant to voltage surges.Well, one final piece of advice about lamps is that you should not be lazy about wiping the dust off your lamp regularly.Dusty lamps emit dim light and use more energy to unnecessarily heat the dust.
Buy appliances with high energy efficiency (A+ rating)
Modern devices know how to use energy wisely.Most of the latest models of dishwashers, washing machines, and other appliances are equipped with energy-saving eco-modes.Use it often.If possible, choose the lowest oven, washing machine, and dishwasher temperatures.
The main energy cost is for heating equipment; by keeping it heated to a minimum, you can save a lot.
The load level of your washing machine is also important.Load according to the technical documentation.Overloading or underloading will increase energy consumption.The same applies to vacuum cleaners with uncleaned filters and intact dust collectors, air conditioners with uncleaned interiors, refrigerators filled with ice, kettles with scale and other daily items.We remember that heating any excess material will increase your costs.Washing machines and dishwashers connected to centralized hot water will use less energy to heat.But you will increase the cost of your hot water supply, not your electricity bill.Here you need to weigh which resource will cost you more.
Of course, it would be more logical to include this in a list of incredible things, but let it be here anyway.Household appliances that are not in use should always be unplugged.When they are turned on, they consume quite a bit of power.When designing electrical cords, it's ideal if all outlets can be deenergized with a slight movement of your hand.Except for the one that powers the refrigerator.You can then leave your home safely without worrying about fires, power surges, and energy loss.
If you take your gadget out of charge as soon as it's finished charging, you save energy and help extend the life of the gadget itself and its charger.
Appliances that you use regularly throughout the day don’t need to be unplugged every time.For example, it's a good idea to put your computer into sleep mode.Because for some devices, turning them on and off consumes more energy than being in sleep mode.Be sure to remove the disc from the drive.When turned on, additional energy is spent on their promotion.
If you haven't installed a separate toggle switch to turn off the outlet, use a surge protector that shuts off power to your devices.
There’s more to say about technology.In many high-rise buildings, as per established standards, electric stoves are provided instead of gas stoves.
Therefore, induction cookers should be purchased in high-rise apartments.It is specially designed to save electricity.But it’s even better if the flatware you buy matches your stove’s burner size exactly.While cooking, you keep the lid on the pot.You will finish cooking dinner on the cooling stove and turn it off 5-10 minutes before it is ready.By the way, we iron delicate items with the iron turned off and cool.
pot?In addition to timely descaling, we recommend that you only pour the appropriate amount of water as needed.
Now to the refrigerator.Nor will he shy away from reform.Refrigerators should not be placed near walls or other surfaces.Especially when the surface is heated - such as an oven.This will prevent it from overheating.Don't forget to check the rubber seals and for ice.The main function of a refrigerator is to protect food by keeping it cold.If there is an external heat source, the refrigerator will try to use double the (electrical) energy to cool.Of course, the cost is at your expense.
You can also say a few words about the movie.High-quality movies use more energy, but we don't recommend saving money to watch them.This is blasphemy.
The very concept of repairs can make a small but still significant contribution to your salary savings.For those of you who didn't skip physics in school, it's obvious that light-colored wall coverings save electricity and heat because unlike dark-colored wall coverings, they don't absorb electricity and heat.This also includes wiping away dust from windows and heating equipment.Dust is a known heat absorber.Additionally, if your windows improve light transmission and energy efficiency, this will save you even more money.
Choose a home with south-facing windows.You will then receive heat and light directly from the sun, completely free of charge.But this benefit is balanced by the fact that during the summer, you will have to turn on your split system more often.The south heats up quickly, and a room without air conditioning may not be comfortable during warm weather.So, keep in mind that small savings in the winter can lead to large expenses in the summer.
Most of the heat (and the corresponding room heating energy loss) enters the wall to which the radiator is connected.Installing heat reflectors between the wall and the battery will allow you to use the heat produced without paying street heating bills.According to experts, this measure can increase the air temperature in the living room by 2-3 degrees without incurring additional energy costs.
Now let’s move on to savings methods that are implausible and unfeasible in reality.Nonetheless, we will tell you about them.
Unlikely ways to save
Replace your home's wiring with more efficient wiring by routing the power supply, eliminating the need for additional cables and trays.Well, since you're going to be rewiring anyway, take care of the switches for everything except the refrigerator, as mentioned above.
Eliminate heat loss.Experts equipped with thermal imaging cameras can tell you about your home’s weaknesses.And according to the diagnosis, it is necessary to support the weak, protect against cold, and remove dampness.In most cases, the owner must additionally insulate the walls and replace the windows.
If you prefer independent heating, we recommend installing a boiler with a thermostat.It regulates the heating temperature and prevents it from rising above the set temperature.Eliminating the need for additional heating equates to a small electricity saving.
Install a smart home system in your home.It automatically sets optimal energy consumption.With this system, you can remotely control the electricity in your apartment yourself.In our opinion, the only shortcoming of this system is what the comrades who were involved in the 2015 accident tell you.On the other hand, such force majeure events are rare and do not cover all the benefits of a smart home.
If you fear the rise of the machines and believe that artificial intelligence will triumph over human intelligence, this option is not for you either.
Install generator.There is wind and there is sun.and achieve energy independence.You thought this was completely beyond science fiction, right?in vain.
If you are planning to move to a hot country, remember that in Greece, for example, solar panels are used as energy source because centralized electricity is very expensive.
Install a two-phase meter.The idea is to shift the main business to nighttime, when the load on the city grid is minimal and therefore electricity bills are quite economical.Before changing your watch, make sure you are a night owl and that your nighttime lifestyle (especially washing dishes, laundry and using electrical appliances) is not a burden on you.Also make sure your neighbors are owls too, or take extra soundproofing measures to avoid incurring the wrath of your neighbors.
In many areas, grid representatives even offered to install two-phase meters for free.However, practice has proven that there are still differences in indicators and calculations are not entirely correct.Therefore, there is no rush to change common meters to two-phase meters, although they may have many benefits.
The least reliable method of saving electricity involved the first three emergency and fire department employees manipulating the lines independently, causing them to bypass the meter.Building such structures without understanding basic technical safety standards and the laws of physics can become a cause of fires and other disasters.Not to mention city services can inspect the device and figure out your secret plans.For an experienced energy engineer, such a search won't take much time.You'll then be forced to pay a fairly small penalty for your move, rather than saving.