After our previous article entitled, Switch Off the Light to Save the Energy, here is another list of tips from the European Commission - the Climate Change / Climate Action division - on how to save energy!
There are so many electrical devices and household appliances that consume a lot of electricity and dissipate a lot of heat - and there are so many simple ways of reducing the energy consumption and the heat dissipation!
We have curated the long list of tips and are presenting below some of the best advices on Saving the Planet - Reduce the Climate Change!
!!! Did you know that, Reducing the temperature by just 1°C can cut 5-10% off your family's energy bill and avoid up to 300kg of CO2 emissions per household and year. !!!
Turn Down the Energy Consumption Appliances - save the planet!
- Turn down the heat. Reducing the temperature by just 1°C can cut 5-10% off your family's energy bill and avoid up to 300kg of CO2 emissions per household and year.
- Program your thermostat so that at night or while you are out of the house, the temperature is set low and by the time you wake up or return home, the temperature is comfortable again. This can reduce your heating bill by 7-15%.
- Replace your old single-glazed windows with double-glazing. This requires a bit of upfront investment, but will halve the energy lost through windows and pay off in the long term. If you go for the best the market has to offer (wooden-framed double-glazed units with low-emission glass and filled with argon gas), you can even save more than 70% of the energy lost.
- Don't let heat escape from your house over a long period. When airing your house, open the windows for only a few minutes. If you leave a small opening all day long, the energy needed to keep it warm inside during six cold months (10°C or less outside temperature) would result in almost 1 tonne of CO2 emissions.
- Defrost old fridges and freezers regularly. Even better is to replace them with newer models, which all have automatic defrost cycles and are generally up to two times more energy-efficient than their predecessors. When buying new appliances (not only fridges, but also washing machines, dishwashers, etc.), choose those with the European Grade A+ label, meaning that it's very efficient - but also compare the energy consumption among A+ graded appliances since it can vary.
- Avoid putting hot or warm food in the fridge. You save energy by letting it cool down first before placing it in the fridge.
- Check if your water's too hot. Your cylinder thermostat doesn't need to be set higher than 60°C. The same goes for the boiler of your central heating. Remember, 70% of the energy used by households in the EU is spent on heating homes and another 14% on heating water.
- Fill up that freezer! Help it consume less energy by keeping it full. It requires less energy to cool a full freezer than an empty one. Should you not have filled it, add some plastic bottles filled with water or even old newspapers – until you need the space!
- Clean the dusty coils behind your refrigerator to help disperse the heat to increase the energy efficiency of the refrigerator. Dusty coils can waste as much as 30 % extra electricity! The recommended temperature for a refrigerator is between 1 – 4 °C and for the freezer it should be set at -18 °C. Each degree below these temperatures makes no difference as to how well the food is preserved, but it does increase energy consumption by approximately five per cent. Place a thermometer in the refrigerator and the freezer to check the temperature!
- Bake in one go! When baking a quiche, why not profit from an already heated oven and place your apple pie in it as well? You will save 50 % on your gas or electricity consumption! Switch the stove or oven off a few minutes before your food is ready and make use of the residual heat to finish cooking.
- Iron your clothes in one batch, rather than one item at a time. You will save the energy required to heat up the iron each time you want to use it.
- Switch to LED flashlights. With a lifespan of almost 100 000 hours, this lamp will serve you for dozens of years without producing any waste or pollution!
- In the office, switch from the old computer monitor to a more energy-efficient LCD screen. If you're using your screen up to eight hours a day, you can save up to 100 000 W in one year.
