The benefits of rational use of energy for citizens are multiple: bills for electricity, gas and water are reduced; It has a positive effect on the preservation of the environment and natural resources, and it has been proven that investing in energy efficiency is cheaper for society than purchasing energy.
There are a number of steps an individual can take to reduce energy consumption. These include replacing doors and windows in a house or apartment, insulating the roof, floor and exterior walls, improving the heating system and controlling its consumption, as well as replacing old or buying new cars with new generation engines.
Of the total energy consumed by one household, about 60% is spent on space heating, 8% on water heating, 6% on cooking, 5% on air conditioners, while the other 20% is spent on other household appliances and lighting.
The biggest consumers among home appliances are refrigerators, freezers and washing machines. Therefore, when buying these devices, you should pay attention to their energy class, especially in the case of devices that are used every day, because this can achieve up to 50% energy savings.
Boiler and hot water consumption
- Boilers consume about 8% of total energy in households.
- Set the boiler thermostat to the water heating temperature up to 60˚C.
- Showering consumes an average of 30 to 50 liters of heated water, bathing in the bath 4 times more - between 120 and 150 liters of water. Shorten the shower time.
- Regularly remove limescale from the heater - in addition to causing boiler failures, it prolongs the heating time by up to 30%.
- By using an instantaneous water heater in the kitchen, you can save up to 40% of energy.
- By installing modern energy-saving aerator models on taps, it is possible to reduce water and energy consumption by up to 40% without reducing comfort.
Air conditioners and space cooling
- Lowering the air temperature in the refrigerated room by only 1˚C increases energy consumption by 5%.
- Do not cool the room to a temperature below 21˚C. The difference between the temperature of the outside and the air inside the room should not be more than 7˚C, and a maximum of 10˚C.
- Position the outdoor unit of the air conditioner so that it is not exposed to direct sunlight.
- Clean the filters on the indoor air conditioner units regularly.
- Use external blinds and install low-emission (LOW E) windows in windows, which allow unobstructed passage of light, which directly saves energy.
Refrigerators and freezers and food storage
- The optimum temperature for storing food in the refrigerator is 4 °C (middle position), and in the freezer -18 ° C. Each degree of lower temperature increases electricity consumption by 5%.
- Do not put hot or cold dishes in the refrigerator or freezer, as this consumes extra energy to cool them.
- As soon as the thickness of the ice in the refrigerator or freezer reaches 3 to 5 mm, remove it, because in addition to saving energy, it also extends their service life.
- Keep food in closed containers and open the refrigerator door as infrequently as possible and keep it open for as short a time as possible.
- Occasionally clean the dust on the back of the refrigerator, where heat is dissipated, as this facilitates the operation of the refrigerator and saves energy.
Washing machine and washing laundry
- About 10% of electricity in households is consumed by a washing machine.
- When buying a washing machine, apart from the energy class, take into account its size. Washing clothes in half-empty and oversized machines wastes energy unnecessarily.
- In the laundry process, about 80% of the electricity is used to heat the water. That is why the most significant savings are achieved by washing at lower temperatures, where today's detergents remove impurities as efficiently as at higher ones.
- The washing machine should be programmed to work at night, because then electricity is 4 times cheaper than during the day.
- Not using the pre-wash program saves water and 0.2-0.6 KWh of electric energy.
- Wash laundry with a full drum instead of twice a half full drum.
- Avoid drying laundry in air dryers, air dry it.
- The machine centrifuge should be at least 1000 rpm. By setting the centrifuge to 1600 Rpm you can save up to 30% of electricity when drying.
Stove and food preparation
- Stoves with induction hobs consume up to 40% less energy than ordinary stoves (with electric-resistant heaters), because they heat only the bottom of the pan, not the plate on which the pan is located.
- Cook in a covered pan. This saves 20% of energy.
- When cooking, use dishes that are the same size as the hotplate. If a small pot is heated on a large hob, up to 40% of energy is wasted.
- The bottom of the pan in which it is cooked should be smooth and flat, so that it adheres well to the heating surface. If this is not the case, up to 20% of energy can be lost.
- Use perfect dishes made of high thermal conductivity material, made with a thicker bottom and walls with a lid that seals well, thus shortening cooking time and saving up to 50% of electricity.
- When the water boils, reduce the heating power of the pan to the lowest possible temperature at which the water will continue to boil, because higher power does not achieve faster cooking, but only faster evaporation of water. In this way, up to 60% of energy can be saved.
- The most economical cooking is done in an express pot (pressure vessel), which reduces cooking time and electricity consumption by two to three times.
- Turn off the electric stove for a few minutes before eating. It will continue to cook, and at least 10% of energy will be saved.
- Adjust the size of the pot to the amount of food.
- Ovens with a fan, consume 10-15% less energy than ordinary ones.
- 20% of heat is lost each time the oven door is opened.
- Switching off the oven 10 minutes before the end of baking can save up to 20% of energy.
- Regular cleaning and maintenance of the oven saves up to 10% of energy.
Dishwasher
- Use the machine only when it is fully filled with dishes.
- Avoid the dish washing program as it consumes extra and unnecessary energy.
- In the process of washing dishes, about 80% of electricity is used to heat water. Today's dish washing detergents effectively remove impurities even at lower washing temperatures, so using the program at lower washing temperatures can save a significant amount of energy.
- If solar collectors or a gas boiler are used to heat the water, the savings will be achieved if you connect the machine to a hot water connection instead of cold water.
Lighting
- The simplest way to reduce unnecessary energy consumption for lighting is to make the most of natural daylight.
- Do not use dark curtains. Keep the blinds up during the day.
- Place desks and other work surfaces close to windows and natural light sources. Paint the walls bright.
- Turn off the lights in non-residential areas.
- Great savings can be achieved by replacing ordinary incandescent light bulbs, LED and metal-halide bulbs. These light bulbs consume up to 10 times less energy than ordinary ones, and last much longer. Expressed in numbers, ordinary light bulbs last up to 1,000 hours on average, and energy-saving ones last more than 10,000 hours.
Other electrical appliances
- The computer monitor consumes about 50% of the total electricity consumed by the entire computer, and whose consumption can be reduced by using the option to automatically turn off and switch to the so-called. stand-by mode of household work.
- Chargers for mobile phones, laptops and digital cameras consume energy both when the devices are charged and when they are plugged into an outlet without a device on the other end.
(Advises based on the brochure "Turn to Green - Okreni na zeleno" of the Ministry of Mining and Energy, Ministry of finances of the Republic of Serbia and EU in Serbia)