Saving energy at home should always be a priority for anyone who owns or rents a home. This will obviously have an impact on our pockets, which could see potential annual savings of up to 20% of our final bill.
But not only can it help us improve our finances, we should also bear in mind that saving energy in the home will have a positive effect on the environment; something we are reminded of every year by well-known campaigns such as La Hora del Planeta (Earth Hour).
Let’s add to all this that, in addition, 2022 is turning out to be a particularly complex year due to the increasing rises in consumer goods such as petrol and, of course, electricity, which have a direct impact on our economy.
But let’s not despair! Saving on the electricity bill is not as complicated as it seems; we just have to start training habits that optimise energy consumption and implement them gradually. Saving energy at home by 2022 is easy if we know how.
How can I save energy at home?
As we have already mentioned, the key is to develop habits in your household chores, as your actions to save energy are useless if you do not repeat them every day.
If you are one of those people who give the importance they deserve to an optimal use of energy, don’t miss this post! We will show you the 7 best tips for a smart use of energy, because with rising prices, saving energy is more important than ever.
Choose the best time slot
A good way to save energy in the home to improve energy efficiency is to choose when to use high consumption appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers, ovens or microwaves, as the tariff is different depending on the time zone.
Although at the beginning it may be more complicated, due to the different time slots that exist, bear in mind that the price of electricity in the morning is the cheapest, especially until 8am, so we recommend that you try to use these appliances during these hours of the day.
Keep an eye on your electricity consumption as a daily habit. The energy savings will be considerable with these simple steps.
Insulate your home
Proper insulation is essential when it comes to saving energy in the home. Poor insulation is one of the main reasons that can increase your energy bill significantly.
Although some insulation problems should be left in the hands of professionals, the solution to this problem is usually quite simple and economical. First we must identify the leaks, which are usually found in doors, windows or other areas of the house that are in contact with the outside.
Then, we should look for an insulating material such as silicone, which we will apply to the perimeter of the structure to hermetically seal the affected area, and we are sure that you will save energy in your home and you will notice it at the end of the month in your bill.
Use energy-saving light bulbs
It’s as simple as that. Change your traditional light bulbs for LED or energy-saving bulbs. It will take you 5 minutes and you will notice a considerable change in the energy savings in your home.
Although energy-saving bulbs are more expensive, they last much longer, so as well as helping the environment, you can also save electricity.
Contract the best power and tariff for your home
A very important issue is to choose the right contracted power for your home, as in many cases what you have does not correspond to what you need, and leads to an unnecessary increase in your bill.
For example, in a 75 square metre house with 2/3 inhabitants, a power of 4.50 KW is ideal. In relation to tariffs, there are different types of electricity bills, which you will have to take into account in order to choose the one that suits you best and thus save energy at home.
If the bulk of your daily electricity consumption is during daylight hours, you will be interested in contracting a fixed electricity tariff. If, on the other hand, you tend to be at home for only part of the day, you may be interested in signing up for a variable electricity tariff.
It is also important to take into account the number of people in the household, your lifestyle and the time of day you are at home in order to choose the most suitable tariff.
Nowadays you can find a good number of companies that provide these services, but you have to choose well and look for the cheapest gas companies that offer the best services according to your needs.
Unplugging appliances (silent expenditure)
Have you ever noticed that red light on some appliances? Well, it means that the electronic device is not completely switched off, this is called being on “standby” and it is increasing your electricity bill by up to 9% without you even realising it.
To avoid this all you have to do is unplug the device from the mains and you will avoid this increase. Many of these actions are simple to do, but require you to develop a daily habit.
We recommend that all electronic devices in an area are plugged into the same power strip. This way, when we leave, we can switch off all the devices from the same button.
Switching off lights when not in use
Another tip that will help us save is very simple, but not everyone does it and then we notice it on the bill. We must get into the habit of switching off the lights when we leave the room and especially if we are going to leave the house.
There is no point in using energy-saving lamps if you leave them on unnecessarily every day.
This habit can be difficult if you are a forgetful person. We recommend paying a “fine” of the amount you deem necessary for each time you forget to leave a light on, so that you can better see the money you are not saving. With this simple gesture, energy costs can be substantially reduced.
Make good use of your electrical appliances
Household appliances are the most energy-consuming electronic devices in the home, so we must pay special attention to them.
Firstly, when buying an appliance we must choose those with the A energy label. This will allow us to save energy in our home and above all take care of the environment. It is important that if you are not using the heating or air conditioning, you keep your electronic appliances switched off.
Similarly, you can improve energy consumption by avoiding hot water programmes in the washing machine. Use cold water whenever possible.
We should also maintain/clean household appliances to ensure that they work optimally and extend their useful life.
What do you think of these 7 tips to save energy at home, do you put any of them into practice to reduce your electricity bill? Let us know your experience!
