In ancient times, when Alessandro Volta conducted his first experiments and Thomas Edison looked at the invented light bulb, could they have thought how the lives of their descendants would change as a result of their discoveries?Today it is impossible to imagine life without electricity.This is the resource that unites everything: information, data, household needs, comfort, communication, entertainment.An accident in a capital city's power grid paralyzed him.The work of maternity hospitals, hospitals, water works stopped working, schools and residential areas were cut off, more than 3 thousand residents were trapped in elevators, and some, as they say, could not get out of their apartments equipped with smart home systems.In a sense, we all become hostages of electricity.Although the trapped citizens still become them quite literally.
By increasing the number of electrical appliances in our lives, we unintentionally increase the load not only on the city grid but also on our wallets.In our grandmother's house we had a TV, a refrigerator and a lucky few had a washing machine.What works and consumes electricity in our homes amazes our grandmothers with its quantity and functionality.
However, every joy in our lives has its price.And before the enthusiastic looks of the ladies - including.Every time one looks at the electricity bill, one begins to feel as if magical elves are living in the apartment, entertaining themselves by scrolling the electricity meter wheel, speeding up its movement two or even three times.But no, this is not a gnome.These are our insatiable electronic friends.
To curb the appetite of imaginary elves and ease the fate of our wallets, we tried to find out whether it is possible, in principle, to save electricity.
To do this, we researched the savings methods offered online, both obvious and surprising.We invite you to get acquainted with the results of our work.
Clear ways to save energy
The most obvious when lying on a flat surface is to turn off the lights when not in use.If your memory fails you, or you have so much to do that you don't have time to reach out and flip the switch, there's still a way out.Motion sensor or presence sensor.They are installed in the room 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 the room.Ask the installer to position the sensors so they do not react to cats and other pets.Otherwise, instead of decreasing as expected, electricity bills will skyrocket.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving light bulbs.And even better - LED lights.They consume less energy and last longer and are brighter.If you install a partial lighting system and equip the room with several lighting elements, you can use them one after another if necessary.A dimmer (a component that allows you to adjust the brightness of the light) when used continuously will also help reduce energy costs for lighting.Experienced people recommend choosing lights for the room according to the level of use.Obviously, you can hang a dimmer but less energy-consuming light in the pantry than in the living room or kitchen.New generation lamps are more resistant to voltage surges.Well, the last piece of advice regarding lamps is that you should not be lazy to regularly clean dust on them.Dust lights give dim light and use more energy to uselessly heat the dust.
Buy electrical equipment with high energy efficiency (class A+)
Modern equipment knows how to use energy wisely.Most of the latest dishwashers, washing machines and other appliances are equipped with an energy-saving eco mode.Use it regularly.If possible, choose the lowest oven, washing machine and dishwasher temperatures.
The main energy cost is heating the equipment;By heating it to a minimum, you can save a lot.
The load level of the washing machine is also important.Download it according to technical documentation.Overloading or overcharging will increase energy consumption.The same applies to vacuum cleaners with unwashed filters and full dust collectors, air conditioners inside that are not clean, refrigerators with ice, kettles with scales and other everyday delights.We remember that heating any excess material will increase your costs.Washing machines and dishwashers connected to centralized hot water consume less energy to heat it.But instead of spending money on electricity, you will increase the amount you pay for hot water supply.And here you need to consider which resource costs you more money.
This point would of course make more sense in a list of unbelievable things, but let's leave it here anyway.Household appliances not in use should always be unplugged.When turned on, they consume quite a lot of electricity.It would be ideal if, when designing the electrical wiring, de-energizing all sockets was done with a slight movement of the hand.Except the one that powers the refrigerator.Then you can safely leave your home without fear of fire, power surges and energy loss.
If you stop charging your device immediately after finishing it, you will save energy and contribute to the longevity of the device and its charger.
Devices you use frequently throughout the day don't need to be unplugged every time.For example, it is best to put the computer into sleep mode.Because for some devices, turning them on and off consumes more energy than leaving them in sleep mode.Make sure to remove the disc from the drive.When enabled, additional energy will be devoted to their advertising.
If you haven't installed a separate toggle switch to turn off the outlet, use a surge protector for your equipment with power-off capability.
And a little more about technology.In many high-rise buildings, according to established standards, electric stoves are provided instead of gas stoves.
So, buy an induction cooker for a high-rise apartment.It is specially designed to save electricity.But it would be even better if you buy dishes with flat bottoms that fit the size of the burner for the stove.And when cooking, you will cover the pan.And you'll finish cooking dinner on the cooling stove, turning it off 5-10 minutes before it's ready.And by the way, we iron delicate, delicate items with a turned off and cooled iron.
Kettle?In addition to timely descaling, we recommend that you pour only enough water into it.
Now comes the refrigerator.And reforms will not escape him.The refrigerator should not be placed near walls or other surfaces.Especially if the surfaces are heated - for example an oven.This will prevent it from overheating.Don't forget to check the rubber gasket and the presence of tape.The main function of the refrigerator is to protect food by keeping it at low temperatures.And if there is an outside heat source, the refrigerator will try to cool with twice as much energy (electricity).At your own expense, of course.
You can also say a few words about movies.High-quality movies consume more energy, but we don't recommend saving money when watching movies.This is blasphemy.
The repair concept itself can make a small but still significant contribution to your salary savings.For those who did not skip physics at school, it is clear that light-colored wall covering will save electricity and heat, because unlike dark colors, it does not absorb heat.This also includes dusting windows and heating appliances.Dust is a known heat absorber.And also, if your windows increase light transmission and save energy, this will save you even more money.
Choose a house with windows facing south.Then you will receive heat and light directly from the sun and completely free.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 heats up very quickly and in warm weather such rooms without air conditioning can be uncomfortable.So remember that small savings in winter can lead to big expenses in summer.
A significant part of the heat (and, accordingly, the loss of energy for heating the room) goes to the walls where the radiator is mounted.Installing heat reflectors between the wall and the battery will allow you to use the heat generated without paying for street heating costs.According to experts, this measure allows you to increase the air temperature in the living room by 2-3 degrees without additional energy costs.
Now let's move on to savings methods that in our reality are more unbelievable than possible.However, we will tell you about them.
Ways that are less likely to save money
Replace your home's electrical wiring with more efficient wiring by organizing your power sources so you can eliminate the need for additional cables and wires.Well, since you're rewiring anyway, be careful with the switches for everything except the refrigerator, which was described above.
Eliminate heat loss.Experts with thermal cameras will show you your home's weak spots.And according to the diagnosis, it is necessary to strengthen the weak, insulate the cold and dry the damp.In most cases, the owner will have to additionally insulate the walls and replace the windows.
If you are a happy owner of a personal heating system, we recommend installing a boiler with a thermostat.It can adjust the heating temperature, preventing the temperature from rising above the set level.The absence of additional heating is equivalent to a small saving in electricity.
Install the Smart Home system in your house.It automatically sets the optimal power consumption level.With this system, you can remotely control the electricity in your apartment yourself.In our opinion, the only drawback of the system will be told to you by comrades who suffered an accident in 2015.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 machines and believe in the victory of artificial intelligence over human intelligence, then this option is also not for you.
Install generator.Wind, sun.And become energy independent.You think this is completely out of the realm of science fiction, don't you?Futile.
If you are planning to move to countries with hot climates, remember that in Greece, for example, solar panels are used as an 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 tariffs are quite economical.Before changing your clock, make sure that you are a night owl and that your nocturnal lifestyle (especially washing dishes, doing laundry, and using electrical appliances) is not a burden for you.And also make sure your neighbors are owls too, or consider additional soundproofing so you don't incur the wrath of your neighbors.
In many regions, grid representatives even offer to install two-phase meters for free.But reality shows that there are still differences in indicators and calculations are not completely accurate.Therefore, people are in no hurry to change conventional meters to two-phase meters, despite all their possible benefits.
And the most unreliable way to save electricity, which is in the top 3 of the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and fire services, is independent manipulation of the electrical wiring, so that the line passes through the meter.Built without knowledge of basic technical safety standards and the laws of physics, such structures become the cause of fires and other disasters.Not to mention the fact that city services can inspect the device and find out your secret plans.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.