Electricity Saving Tips from Our Community

Electrical appliances that are turned on by remote control, need electricity, even if they are not used. Here you learn more about how to minimize the standby power of your electrical appliances without sacrificing comfort.

To achieve this, you will need a multiple socket with an on / off switch for every room or group of electrical appliances. For more convenience, you buy a multiple socket with radio remote control (but remember, this also consumes standby power).

Connect the multiple socket to your power supply and link all your electrical appliances you want to control via the multiple socket.

From now on, whenever you leave home or do not need your equipment, you simply turn off the switch on your multiple socket and your standby power is history.

Which devices are suitable for this optimization:

• Electronic entertainment devices such as televisions, radios, play-stations, etc.
• Kitchen appliances such as ovens, microwave ovens, steamer, etc.
• Domestic appliances such as washing machine

Attention!

For some devices, time-controlled functions may no longer work. Do not apply this hint for your fridge, as this might end in an unpleasant surprise.

Modern washing machines and dishwashers have been supplied with eco programs for many years. According to our experience, they actually consume less power, even if they take longer to achieve the desired cleaning effect.

Don't be deceived by the duration of selected programmes as there are, in fact, several factors that affect the power consumption of these devices:

• Temperature
• Mechanical effort (for example to move the drum)
• Duration

Most of the energy is needed for heating the water. Most of the ECO programmes focus on running longer with lower temperatures. This means a 60 degree Eco programme does not wash at 60 degrees, but less and it runs longer, so that the detergent can achieve the same effect as in the normal programme. As the mechanical energy consumption is significantly less important than the heating for the water, you can save up to 40% energy with this programme.

Attention!

But from time to time you should still use a hot water program without Eco function. This prevents from forming detergent residues in the supply and discharge pipes, expensive repairs are often the result.

And finally two very simple hints: Use the pre-wash programme of your washing machine only in case of a heavily soiled laundry. Let your laundry dry naturally without using the electric tumble dryer and you will get the same result with zero energy consumption by simultaneously improving your indoor climate without humidifiers!

While heating or cooking food there is the possibility to save a lot of electricity especially when a few things are taken into consideration.

Use a water boiler instead of heating the water in the pot! Water boilers are remarkably more efficient than electric stoves when it comes to quickly heating water. If you pay attention to the filling quantity, e.g. only heat up as much water as you really need, then you gain an extra effect. Older models only react to the boiling of the water after some time. If you turn off the water heater yourself prematurely, this saves additional electricity. When buying a new water boiler, look for its shut-off delay and purchase one that shuts off as quickly as possible.

Avoid preheating the oven. Most dishes can also be prepared in a way that the oven is only turned on when it is placed inside. Of course, it will extend the cooking time, but through a little experimenting, you can easily find out the right timing. The same applies to the cooking of eggs, noodles, etc. By the way, you can also use the residual heat of the oven and switch it off before the dish is ready.

And here's one last tip: Always use a lid when cooking, which closes the pot well. This reduces the cooking time and saves electricity.

The cooling devices are real power guzzlers. It is therefore worthwhile to take a closer look.

Do you know that even an approximately 5 mm thick layer of ice increases the power consumption of your freezer by 30%? Of course, the same applies to your freezers. Regular defrosting (twice a year) will help. If you defrost your fridge during the winter, you can use the cool outside temperatures to keep your food fresh.

If you quickly close the refrigerator door, you'll get a double effect. First, less moisture gets into the fridge. This reduces ice formation. Second, less energy has to be used to cool the invading hot air. Think about what food you want to take out and minimize the opening time of your refrigerator door.

In addition, a well filled refrigerator requires less energy. Liquids such as water, beer or milk store cooling energy. As a result, after opening the door, the desired temperature can be restored more quickly. Before foods are refrigerated, they should be packed to ensure that no moisture can get in.

Pay attention to the site of your cooling units. A freezer needs much less energy when placed in a cool room. Also, a refrigerator should never be placed next to a heater. In addition, many secondary fridges based in the cellar operate all year round, although they may only be needed in the summer.

Whoever saves water, saves electricity. But also setting the right hot water temperature helps to save electricity. Electric continuous-flow water heaters are real energy-saving supporters.

Of course, a reduction of the water temperature in the water boiler helps to reduce your power consumption. 60 degrees water temperatures are absolutely sufficient. But you should not go below as this allows the formation of legionella (by no means harmless bacteria that you certainly do not want in your water cycle).

There are also some opportunities to reduce the hot water consumption and thus the energy consumption for heating at your home. You should consider where hot water is really needed. E.g. Is hot water really necessary for washing your hands on the toilet? Make hot water available only where it is really needed. You can also install a flow restrictor in your shower head. This mixes air into the water and enables you to save hot water without any loss of comfort.

Especially when you use small and older undercounter boilers in some places of your household, then the replacement can be useful with continuous flow electric heaters. They only heat up the water when it is needed and do not require any electricity to keep the temperature of the water constant, just like the old boilers.