Saving electricity in the household - key facts
Ecology
28 June 2023
Saving energy in the household can be a good change that will not only affect your wallet, but also your wellbeing. The ways to save energy are so numerous that they cannot be listed on the fingers of one hand. How do you introduce energy-efficient lighting into your home? What to change in your habits? We outline how we can save electricity at home!
Saving electricity in the household - how to manage energy efficiency?
Saving energy in the household comes easily despite the false belief that it is a very difficult activity. Adopting ways that suit you and your household is the key to success. There is no need to go to the trouble of using methods that will only seemingly make it easier to get by. It is better to use what we have the resources for both individually and in the home environment.
Saving electricity will be much more enjoyable if you make a plan with a list of things you can implement immediately before proceeding. This will allow you to clearly see all the possibilities and tick off what you have already implemented.
According to a number of studies, the fridge is the main electricity "eater" in many households. Just behind it is lighting - unnecessarily switched-on lamps waste more electricity than you might think. Turn off the lights where you are not staying. Next is small domestic appliances and electric cookers, which make a big contribution to the excessive use of electricity.
By looking at the appliances you have in your home, you can check their energy ratings so you can measure how much of the total energy the appliance is estimated to consume. This will allow you to plan how they work and perhaps encourage you to buy new appliances - investing in good white goods can result in lower bills and fewer repairs in the future.
Defrosting the freezer promotes the economical use of energy. Maintaining the temperature inside the appliance will then not require more work. Speaking of degrees, let's remember heating and a constant temperature inside the flat. Excessive heating is not necessary if you open the windows anyway due to excessive heat.
How to make household electricity savings more efficient?
Ways to save energy often involve a dramatic change in habits. This is not easy - the habits we learn over part of our lives will not go away after one article. This is why it is a good idea to plan an energy-saving system that allows everyone in the household to contribute to the introduction of new habits.
Saving energy at home will certainly be more effective if, as we mentioned earlier, all the members of the household contribute to it. If you are strongly committed to saving energy at home and are serious about it, it is a good idea to make a list of rules available to everyone in the family.
The ways of saving electricity in the household are various and can be listed endlessly. However, it is not worth listing those that are inefficient or completely unsuited to the electricity-saving capabilities of beginners.
How can you save electricity when you don't have much time during the day? Small changes such as adjusting your pots and pans to suit the type of cooker you have will suffice. If the size of the saucepan doesn't cover the entire burner, you could be wasting a lot of energy just boiling the eggs - even when covered. The same goes for the material the pot is made of - by choosing the right finish for the bottom, you'll allow the heat to be evenly distributed, allowing you to cook your food faster and therefore use your cooker for less time. Covering the pot with a lid while cooking will also speed up the process, using much less energy.
Another example of how electricity can be saved is filling cleaning appliances with the right amount of clothes or dishes. Switching on appliances such as the washing machine or dishwasher if they are not filled wastes a lot of electricity. Why? By charging them full, we are unlikely to have to switch on another load of laundry the same day. This not only saves energy, but also saves your own time.
When talking about domestic appliances, water-saving modes cannot be overlooked. Domestic appliances for the bathroom, for example, are equipped with energy- and water-saving modes. They are characterised by extended operating times with optimum consumption of both energy and water. 
Can household electricity be saved by switching electricity supplier?
Ways of saving energy in the household are most often limited to changing the habits of the household members and giving up certain solutions. However, there is another solution which, in many cases, can significantly reduce electricity costs.
Changing electricity supplier involves choosing the next tariff. The Polish market is flooded with newer and newer offers presenting competitive prices, encouraging new customers to switch tariffs. However, is this a good solution?
Yes, if we approach it head on. What does that mean? It's worth taking a cold look at each supplier's offers, and if you don't want to take the time to read all the rules and prices, there are comparison websites that make it easier to choose. However, you need to be careful and check the information on them with the distributor themselves.
Sometimes the tariff we use does not suit our lifestyle. For example, those who choose the G12w tariff will benefit from cheaper electricity during off-peak hours. However, this involves sacrifices, such as a more expensive charge during the time established on the invoice. The most common household tariff is G11 because of its transparency in the rules and its fixed rate.
Does it pay to save household electricity with photovoltaic panels?
Huge panels installed on the roofs of passing buildings often make us think of investing in the same energy source. Is this a good use of resources and what costs are involved? Does it even pay to invest in photovoltaic panels?
The truth is that every person has a different opinion about panels. Many people say that if you want to save electricity, only with photovoltaics. However, they are not quite right, because the panels do not save electricity, but money - reducing energy bills. However, here it is worth taking into account who sets up such panels. Often these are people who have larger homes or businesses, in which case the effects of the change can be seen quickly.
Photovoltaics do reduce electricity bills, but the cost of installing all the equipment will add up to several times the total electricity bill for the year. A photovoltaic adviser should easily be able to advise whether such an investment makes any sense. Not every roof and electricity consumption will make it worthwhile. On top of that, not everyone can afford the installation costs. It goes without saying that they will pay for themselves quicker than you might expect, but it is worth noting that these costs are sometimes as high as several thousand zloty.
Will changing habits increase household electricity savings?
How to save household electricity if changing habits is not possible? This will unfortunately be difficult, but, as we mentioned above, much of the expense can be eliminated with photovoltaic panels.
Ways to save electricity are changes in habits. It is not possible to talk about new solutions for the use of, for example, small household appliances without making changes to existing use. Of course, there are ways to save electricity that do not require a change of habits and are only one-off actions.
One example of such changes is the replacement of light bulbs with energy-efficient ones. To save on electricity bills, you can also adapt the appliances in your home to the latest energy class standards. What does this mean? If your washing machine is rated below 'C' or 'D', it is best to replace it.
Otherwise, changing your habits is the key to getting the right attitude and starting to use electricity more sparingly. For example, if you remember to switch off the TV every day for two months rather than leaving it on standby, you will have implemented one of the eco-friendly habits into your life for good.
Czytaj również
