With fuel, gas and electricity prices rising recently, people are looking more than ever to reduce their bills and save money. So, faced with ever-rising energy prices, how do you actually manage to cut costs each month?
To save money on your bill in a simple and effective way, we offer you some tips and tricks that can be easily applied in everyday life.
Optimize your heater
Today there are a thousand and one ways to heat. Electricity is the most expensive energy to use for heat, unfortunately, we are not all masters of our choices. For example, some apartments have a collective heating system, so it is impossible to cut it off in order to save money on your bill…
The trick: change your supplier and switch to green energy. Not necessarily more expensive than the others, contrary to popular belief. Dare to find out! You can also take action through small simple gestures such as: not opening the windows for too long when the heating is on. Airing your home is essential, but this heat/cold can quickly increase consumption. Also, remember to close the blinds or curtains in the evening to prevent the cold from getting in.
Electronic Devices
After the heater, electronics, such as T.V, computers, radio, etc, represents the second largest consumption item in a household. And on this point, there are some savings to be made.
And to save money, nothing is better than tracking down hidden consumption: There are devices that are apparently switched off, but which still consume energy. For example, a light that stays on. It’s a small amount of consumption, but over a year, you can save some money on your bill by turning off all these lights.
A simple gesture to cut down on this consumption: use a power strip for several multimedia objects to turn off everything at the same time. Don’t hesitate to unplug computers when they are not in use for a long time.
Washing Machine
Another point of saving in the house: the washing machines. Here again, a few simple gestures can be applied. Use full rather than half-full machines. Favour washing at low temperatures or in eco mode.
Sometimes it’s not really an eco mode. You have to check whether it’s an eco mode for electricity or water and it’s not always easy to tell…
Still, on the subject of washing, let’s look at drying. You should try to put as many rounds as possible in the washing machine before going to the dryer. Because the latter consumes more than a washing machine.
Fridges and freezers
The third source of specific electricity consumption is the “cold station”. The first tip is to wait for hot food to cool down before putting it in the fridge. Another tip is to set the temperature correctly: Between 2 and 4°C for the fridge and around -18°C for the freezer.
Also avoid putting a fridge next to a window: “When the weather is nice, the fridge will get hot. It will use more energy to maintain the right temperature. Another way to save money is to test the tightness of the doors. Another way to save money is to test the tightness of the doors. “By putting a sheet of paper on the door. If it holds, it’s tight and there’s no loss.
Remember to defrost your freezer
Unplugging our fridge and freezer is for some only when they go on holiday. However, it is important to defrost regularly to save on electricity consumption. Professionals suggest doing it four times a year (every 3 months).
What makes your freezer consume a lot is this layer of frost which consumes more. This is completely normal, it forms when the freezer is opened and closed. But it is essential to get rid of it regularly. In addition, the fact of regularly defrosting your refrigerator and/or freezer will allow a better lifespan. It costs about 20 euros per year.
Turn off the lights and use low-energy bulbs
“This is not Versailles!” This famous expression of our parents was not invented for nothing. You understand it better when you receive your own electricity bill… However, many people still leave the lights on at home, without paying attention to the consequences. The first (simple) step to reduce your bill: turn off the lights!
Note that some bulbs consume more energy than others. To save money and not throw away your bulbs every morning, switch to LEDs for example. Mainly used in decoration, they can be perfectly used to light your home. They have an autonomy of 20 000 hours and consume almost nothing.
Another little tip: don’t hesitate when it’s daytime to do what you usually do in the evening and which requires turning on the light. For example: if you have household chores or other tasks, do them during the day. You will see more clearly and above all you will not use electricity.
Read: Money, An Unavoidable Subject Among Happy Couples
Beware of 24/24 connected devices that consume a lot of energy
Not unplugging your livebox when you are not using it consumes electricity continuously. A charger permanently plugged in, a machine on standby, a coffee maker on… the sum of all this quickly adds up to a very high bill at the end of the month!
A simple gesture: you should ideally power everything on a multi-socket that has a switch, to cut it when your connected devices are not active. The standby of our devices can considerably increase the bill, already quite salty. No need to add a layer … By switching off your connected devices when you are not using them, you can save 10% of your electricity consumption per year.
Small gestures for significant savings at the end of the day! There are many other ways to reduce your electricity bill.
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