How you can be more energy efficient
Many of us have already gotten used to turning off the lights when we leave the room. Or maybe we don't use the sauna as much as we used to so that our electricity bills don't get too high. But the worst energy wasters may come as a surprise to many. Ceiling lights hardly burden the electricity bill at all, modern LED lights are really energy efficient.
The 5 most common home energy guzzlers
- Heating and air conditioning
- Hot water
- Refrigerators
- White goods appliances
- Consumer electronics and accessories
Heating and air conditioning
Roughly speaking, home heating consumes about half of all energy, water heating about 20%. The rest of the energy consumption goes to other appliances in the home. Newer households often have electric underfloor heating and air conditioning in every room. They can cause a surprise when the electricity bill arrives. For example, the air-conditioning or electric heating in a high-rise apartment consumes 5Wh/day. The underfloor heating in a 5 square meter bathroom consumes 2.5 kWh/day. If you want to reduce your electricity consumption and therefore your electricity bill, the easiest way to start is toby lowering the temperature in your home. By reducing the indoor temperature by 1 °C, you will already save 5% in heating costs.
How to save on electricity consumption: Make sure you don't keep the floor heating on unnecessarily. For example, in a tiled bathroom, a floor temperature of 22-23°C is sufficient. When you test it with your hand, the surface of the floor should feel as warm as a wooden table. After showering, dry the floor with a floor scraper. It consumes more energy to let the water evaporate using the floor heating.
Hot water
Taking a hot shower is one of the biggest energy consumers in the home. Only 1 person's hot water consumes approx. 1,000 kilowatt hours a year. Half of Swedes take a shower once a day and although the fastest showers finish in 5 minutes, there are those who enjoy standing in the shower for 20-30 minutes. Even 5 minutes of showering consumes more electricity than preparing food using a conventional stove. Showering for 20 minutes uses as much electricity as a refrigerator and freezer use for 4-14 days. Reviewing the settings on the water heater can have a big impact on energy consumption.
How to save in energy consumption: An easy way to save hot water is to keep visits to the shower reasonable. Turn off the shower when you soap up, for example. Renewing the water heater can also be something to consider as newer models tend to be more energy efficient than older ones.
Refrigerators
Appliances account for about one third of electricity consumption in households. Refrigerators' share of electricity consumption is relatively high at up to 13%. This can be explained by the fact that the fridge and freezer are running all the time. Did you know that the location of the fridge and freezer can have a big impact on energy consumption? If it's too tight, poor airflow can increase energy consumption threefold. When planning a new kitchen, remember not to place heat-generating appliances, such as an oven, hob or dishwasher, near the fridge or freezer. Sunlight can also heat up the fridge and freezer so make sure to place them away from direct sunlight. The fridge and freezer will need to use more energy to keep cool if they are heated from outside.
How to save energy: New cooling appliances are significantly more energy efficient than older ones. So if your appliances need to be replaced with new ones, now is the perfect time to do so. You'll save money in the long run. Also make sure that the temperature of your fridge and freezer is kept at the recommended level. +5°C is suitable for a fridge and -18°C for a freezer. One degree colder in the fridge or warmer in the room will result in the appliance consuming on average 5% more energy.
White goods
Appliances such as electric cookers, washing machines and dishwashers consume the same amount of energy. The washing machine and tumble dryer account for an average of 4% of the home's electricity consumption. Appliances have also become more energy efficient over time and older appliances can be quite big energy guzzlers. Nowadays, new electrical appliances are more and more energy efficient. Lighting consumes only a fraction of the energy it used to. If it's time to replace your home appliances, it's worth investing in new ones that belong to the A+++ energy efficiency class.
How to save energy: Did you know that the temperature of the water you wash with can have a big impact on energy consumption? Energy consumption can double when you raise the washing temperature by 20°C.
Consumer electronics
Although entertainment appliances do not consume much energy, at least not compared to kitchen appliances. But because the amount of electronics in the home has increased in recent years, the energy consumption of entertainment electronics is starting to approach that of cooling appliances. Especially computers meant for games and gaming machines consume a large amount of energy. Desktop computers consume much more electricity than smaller, laptop computers. A new laptop can consume up to 80% less electricity than an older desktop computer.
How to save energy: Most of the time, the problem is that you leave electronics running unnecessarily for longer periods of time, which naturally leads to higher energy consumption. Therefore, turn off appliances when you are not using them. Chargers also consume electricity, whether you use them or not. You can make a small energy saving by always remembering to unplug the charger from the wall when you are not using it.
24 Centers installation service
Did you know that via 24 Center you can get fast and convenient help with installing white goods in your home? Call 020 742 470 and ask for the installation service. You can also order online!