In autumn and winter, the days are short and cold, which usually increases electricity consumption: we have to light and heat the apartments. The vision of more expensive electricity is not optimistic either. So how do you save on bills?
In winter, when it gets dark around 17 – 18 hours during the day, we spend more time with the lights on. On long nights, we are more willing to use the computer and watch television. Soon, the Christmas decorations will be lit up in full force. It is not surprising that during this time energy consumption increases and, consequently, the bills we pay for electricity.
Electricity saving – ways
If we want to save electricity in the winter season, we should first focus on the biggest electricity consumers, such as fridge freezers, electric cookers, dishwashers, washing machines, electric kettles, and television. Although it is unlikely that we will be able to give up the operation of cooling devices, adherence to a few simple rules can positively affect the form of energy settlement.
How to save electricity? Home appliances
Let’s start the dishwasher when it’s really full. Let’s do the same with the washing machine.
When organizing the kitchen, make sure that the refrigerator is not placed near the heating radiator (if you have one). Hot air means this device has to consume more power to cool its interior.
Sometimes, especially when we have no idea of a meal, we repeatedly open and close the refrigerator door, perhaps deluding ourselves that we will once find something tasty to eat in it. It is worth limiting this habit to the necessary minimum: open the door of the device when we are sure of what we want to get out of it. Do not keep it open for a long time, we let hot air masses into it, which means you have to cool it down again. The same thing happens when we put a hot dish in the fridge: it will be much cheaper to wait for a while until it cools down.
In the winter months, when the temperature outside the window often does not exceed even zero, some of the food, instead of being kept in the refrigerator, can be moved to the coldest room in the house (for example, the hallway ) or outside, to the balcony, windowsill.
How to save on lighting?
Lighting also has an impact on the number of bills. A simple rule put into practice – remembering to turn off the lights in rooms where we don’t stay – will cause real change in our settlement. However, there is an exception: if we know that we will return to a certain room in the next eight minutes, we can forgive ourselves for turning off the lamps. Eight minutes is the time it takes for an energy-saving light bulb to extract the same amount as when it was turned on. Excessive clicking of the switch not only causes increased power consumption (energy-saving light bulbs need to “warm up”), but also contributes to faster consumption of the “fluorescent lamp”.
The turn of November and December is the time when we decorate with colorful lighting. Some small activities that we will get used to will help reduce energy consumption. Let’s replace traditional lamps with LED ones, and if we can, leave them entirely in favor of other decorations. LED lights consume 8 to 10 times less electricity than regular Christmas tree lights. Don’t turn on colored lights in the middle of the day and turn them off when we go to sleep. If we have a problem with this, consider buying a timer that will turn them off by itself after the set time.
Winter is also a time when we cook more. Here, too, we can get a bit on the bills:
If we use an electric cooking plate, and cover the pots with a lid, then their cooking time will be shortened. Use the oven, carefully: when the place and the type of prepared dishes allow it, bake several of them at the same time. An empty oven needs as much energy as a full one to heat up.
