If you want to save money on your electricity bill at home, it is important to know that some household items account for a large part of your electricity bill .
Therefore, it is worth knowing, right from the start, what they are and the precautions that can be taken to ensure energy savings .
1. Place the refrigerator in a ventilated place
First of all, did you know that the refrigerator accounts for around 30% of the energy used in a traditional home ?
Therefore, one way to contribute to energy savings is to place the device in a ventilated area of your home. Therefore, do not leave the device in very closed spaces .
So, if your kitchen is not a well-ventilated place, think about another room in the house to position this item.
2. Avoid leaving the refrigerator door open
Secondly, many people have the habit of leaving the refrigerator door open to get lunch ingredients, stock it with new items, and so on.
However, avoid leaving the door open for too long and do not place very hot food inside .
3. Keep the refrigerator clean
In addition to the previous tip, another valuable secret is to keep the refrigerator clean and in good condition. In this sense, remember not to cover the grates, as this hinders air circulation.
4. Reduce the frequency of hot baths
A hot shower is one of the main villains for those who need to save electricity.
This is because water heating accounts for around 20% of the electricity consumed. However, remember that this percentage varies depending on the local temperature.
Therefore, avoid long and very hot showers, turn off the shower when soaping yourself to reduce the time the equipment is on.
5. Rationalize the use of the shower
First of all, anyone who has an electric shower at home should be careful when using the device.
This is because electric showers consume more energy between 6pm and 9pm, which is when most people get home from work.
So, prefer to take hot showers at other times of the day . In addition, another thing that helps is to keep the shower water outlet clean and use the original heating elements of the device.
6. Stop sleeping with the TV on
When the goal is to reduce the electricity cost, this kind of behavior can be quite detrimental.
Therefore, stop the habit of sleeping with the TV on and use the timer function so that the device turns off automatically after a while.
7. Electric iron
Currently, around 7% of electricity costs correspond to the use of electric irons.
So, accumulate a good amount of clothes to iron all at once and use the correct grade for each type of item to achieve energy savings.
One hour of the iron being on every day is enough to add about 30 kWh to your energy bill at the end of the month.
8. Be careful when using the washing machine
Avoid using the washing machine for a small amount of clothes, and instead only turn it on at maximum usage levels.
In addition, it is also important to measure the amount of soap to avoid having to rinse again. Finally, another tip that can help save energy is to clean the machine’s filter frequently.
9. Know how to use the lights in your home
Living without light today is practically impossible and, therefore, around 20% of the expenses on an energy bill are due to light bulbs.
Despite this, a good tip to save money in this aspect is to take advantage of all the natural light in the room, avoiding turning on the lights during the day .
Avoid leaving lights on in rooms that are not being used and install motion sensors in hallways so that the lights only turn on when someone passes by.
Extra tip: only use lamps with a voltage (Volts) compatible with the electricity provider’s grid voltage.
10. Keep the air conditioning well sanitized
Another villain that can get in the way when it comes to saving energy is air conditioning, one of the items that most contributes to high energy bills.
Speaking of which, how about checking if the filters in your air conditioning unit are properly cleaned?
If they are not, the air conditioning timer will be activated more often to maintain the temperature, which can bring more expenses to your life.
11. Save energy
Even when apparently switched off, some household appliances continue to consume energy , as they are in stand-by mode.
So, items such as cell phone and notebook chargers, microwaves and DVD players plugged into the socket can represent up to 12% of energy consumption.
Avoiding leaving your cell phone charging while you sleep can also be a good way to save energy.
12. Buy LED bulbs to save energy
If the goal is to find ways to save on your electricity bill, why is it necessary to buy additional light bulbs for the house?
LED bulbs are much more economical than incandescent and fluorescent bulbs, even though they cost more.
In the long term, replacement can bring significant energy savings , as this type of bulb lasts up to 14 years and consumes 10 times less energy than an incandescent bulb.
13. Check the refrigerator’s rubber seal
A well-sealed refrigerator means savings for your pocket , precisely because if the door seal is not adequate, it can use more electricity.
As a result, when the rubber seal of this appliance is not in good condition, the cold can leak to the outside. Because of this, more energy is required to keep the refrigerator running.
14. Choose more efficient appliances
The choice of appliances can have a very noticeable effect on your electricity bill.
Buying a cheaper but less powerful product can be one of those cases where you get what you pay for.
So, before buying any home appliance, check the seal provided by the National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology.
It allows you to check the efficiency of various devices on a scale ranging from E (least efficient) to A (most efficient).
This way, it is possible to predict the impact that a household appliance will have on your energy bill at the end of the month.