10 tips to save electric energy at home

Every month we suffer one of the biggest blows to our wallet: the electricity bill. Especially with the latest price increases. In fact, it is estimated that in the last two decades, the cost of electric energy has increased by more than 90%, and this trend doesn’t seem to be changing.

As soon as we see the electricity bill, we all think: “I have to save electric energy no matter what.” And it’s not just because of clean up our household economy, but also to help the environment, since its production impacts it (a lot). Therefore, within our policies Planet First, we want to share with you 10 tricks to save electric energy at home. In DIVAIN we already do them, and we have noticed the change!

Habits and tricks for saving electric energy

Energy expense list

The first step to carry out the electricity savings to be fully aware of what we spend. For this, the best thing is to make an electricity expense list that includes all sources of light consumption, starting with the highest (like heating or air conditioning) and ending with the lowest (small appliances). Once identified, you can undertake a usage reduction that suits you.

Reducing the number of bulbs and switching to LED

Even if we are not aware, we usually have more bulbs than we need. Therefore, it is important to take an inventory and adjust them as much as possible to avoid unnecessary expenses. And the thing is the light tends to overlap, so when we have several bulbs in the same space, if we remove one it is very likely that we won't notice a significant loss of light. Try removing one and if you see it doesn't affect much, consider removing it permanently or putting in a much less powerful bulb.

What we also recommend is that introduce LED bulbs into your life. Why? It's very simple:

• They are much more eco-friendly, since they consume between one 70 to 80% less than incandescent ones and a 30% less than fluorescent bulbs.
• They have a longer useful life.
• They are more durable.

Watch your appliances

As a general rule, the appliances that consume the most are those in the kitchens. The refrigerators, the freezers, the washing machines and the dishwashing liquid add up to almost 60% of the total household appliance expense.

So you can already imagine the importance of using them correctly:

• The fridge and freezer consume the most, and even more so when their doors are open. Open and close quickly to avoid high consumption. A fun fact: they consume more the emptier they are, since food that is already cold or frozen helps keep the temperature low.
• As for the iron, it's good to accumulate a good amount of clothes and take advantage of iron everything at once, otherwise, you will increase electricity consumption. Another trick: start with the clothes that require less heat and save the one that needs the most for last.

Also, it is recommended that if you have to buy a new appliance, invest a little more and get a model that includes low power mode and that it has an greater energy efficiency. The models A, A+, A++; they consume on average 55% less energy. They are more expensive, but in the long run, it is worth it, a lot.

Stand-by is the worst enemy of electrical energy savings

Another great trick to save energy is unplug electronic devices once we stop using them. And the thing is, when we turn them off, we are not doing it completely, they remain in stand-by. Yes, stand-by, that little red or blue light that stays on once we have pressed the off.

In theory, devices stay in this mode to update themselves or to start up faster the next time they are turned on, but this entails a hidden energy consumption: the stand-by consumes electricity, no more and no less than between 8 and 10% of the total consumption.

So, as said, ¡you just have to unplug everything! Since doing it manually can be a bit tedious, we recommend that you connect several devices to the same power strip and simply unplug the switches of those you are not going to use for a while.

Always use the saving or low consumption mode whenever you can

Many appliances and electronic devices, such as the computer, mobile phone, or washing machine, have saving or low consumption modes that are very efficient to not waste so much energy.

Regulate the temperature of the heating and air conditioning

Being at home in short sleeves in winter and wearing a light cardigan in summer is a real nonsense. Regulate the temperature to avoid incurring completely unnecessary energy expenses.

The importance of this regulation is incredible since increasing the heating temperature by just one degree, it can mean a energy consumption increase of 7%!

In winter it is recommended to maintain an ambient temperature between 19 and 21 degrees during the day and between 15 and 17 degrees during the night; while in summer, the ambient temperature should not be lower than 24 or 25 degrees.

Adjust your habits

If you adjust your appliance usage hours to the off-peak hours as much as possible, you will see a slight decrease in your electricity bill.

Most rates have the lower prices on the weekend. Take advantage then to do the week's laundry, ironing…

The night rate It is also quite a bit cheaper although this one does not fit well with the daily routine of most people. If you have a shift job or are a night person, consider getting the night rate because you will notice it.

Change the contracted power to save money

On the electricity bill, consumption is only part of what you pay, since a large part corresponds to taxes and contracted power, which you have to pay even if you consume nothing. The contracted power indicates the electricity we can consume at the same time. And this represents an average of almost 50% of the total bill!

So to save, it is very important to be fully aware of what we normally consume so that we can contract just what is necessary (although we always recommend adding a small margin in case of unforeseen events).

Properly insulate your home from the outside

It is estimated that no less than 25% of home heat is lost through the glass and door gaps. This is why it is important to thoroughly check all leakage points to be able to install insulators (in the gaps, the most effective is to put weatherstripping) or even change doors or windows if such leaks are irreparable.

Electric consumption monitor

Finally, we recommend that you get a electric consumption monitor. These devices connect to the electrical circuit and perform a complete monitoring of consumption, to identify the parameters where the greatest expenditure is occurring. This way it will be easier for you to identify where you can save electric energy in your home.

Why is it important to save energy?

Electric energy is produced through generating plants such as thermoelectric or hydroelectric plants; and these have a great environmental impact, as natural resources are massively consumed and the ecosystem is destroyed. Additionally, in the case of thermoelectric plants, the burning of fossil fuels occurs, generating greenhouse gas emissions that severely harm the environment.