Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Indoor and outdoor lighting
• Method 2 of 3: Devices and electronics
• Method 3 of 3: Heat and cold
• Tips

Lately it has become increasingly important to save electricity. If you continue to use electricity without paying attention, it will contribute to global warming and a sky-high energy bill. Choose your appliances wisely, pay attention to your electricity usage habits and get creative when doing chores to save money and do your part to save the environment. Read on for strategies to conserve energy at home.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Indoor and outdoor lighting

1. Make more use of daylight. Do you keep your curtains closed and then turn on the lights? By filling your house with daylight you can save a lot of electricity. Unless you need good light for a particular job, you can turn the lights off during the day and embrace the sun's rays in the rooms you use.
   • Make the lightest room in the house the living and playroom. This way everyone can read, do crafts and use computers, without having to rely on artificial light.
   • Hang light curtains from view. Look for curtains that offer you enough privacy, but that still allow light to shine through.
2. Designate a few rooms in which the family will spend the evenings. Instead of spreading out all over the house, spend the evenings in just one or two rooms. Then you don't have to illuminate the whole house, and then you can do fun things together.
3. Use candles instead of lamps a few times a week. You don't have to wait for the electricity to go out to bring out the candles. Choose one or two nights a week when the lights are off, and illuminate the house with cozy candles that provide plenty of light. The children find it exciting, and in the end you save electricity and money.
   • You can use these candle nights as an excuse to throw out all the electricity right away. Encourage your family members to do activities that don't require power, such as reading by candlelight, or telling each other funny or scary stories.
   • Make sure your children know how to handle candles safely and keep the candles and matches in a safe place when not in use.
4. Think again about the outdoor lighting. Leaving a light on at the front door can waste a lot of energy. Determine if you really need to leave the lights on before flipping the switch at night.
   • If you have lights on around the house for safety reasons, you can connect motion sensors to them so they don't burn constantly.
   • There are decorative lights to place along the garden path that work on solar energy, which charge themselves during the day and give a nice, soft glow in the evening.
   • If you have a lot of lights around the house at Christmas, turn them off before going to bed and don't leave them on all night.
5. Use energy-efficient lamps. Replace all incandescent bulbs with energy-saving bulbs or LED bulbs. Incandescent lamps lose most of their energy to heat instead of light. The newer lamps are much more energy efficient and ultimately save a lot of electricity and money.
   • A CFL uses only 1/4 of the energy of a light bulb. They come in all shapes and styles. Just make sure to dispose of them properly if they are broken, as they contain small amounts of mercury.
   • LED lamps are even more expensive than energy-saving lamps, but they last longer and they do not contain mercury.

Method 2 of 3: Devices and electronics

1. Pull out all plugs. Did you know that appliances still use energy as long as the plug is in the socket, even if they are switched off. Getting into the habit of pulling out the plugs when you're not using the devices will save a lot of energy.
   • Turn off your computer and unplug it when you are not using it. Computers consume a lot of energy in a household, so it's worth pulling the plug after checking your email.
   • Unplug the TV, radio or other devices. Leaving them plugged in at all times wastes electricity and money.
   • Don't forget the smaller appliances like the coffee machine, toaster and your phone chargers. They don't consume that much energy, but when added together it still adds up to a lot.
2. Become less dependent on devices. Which devices do you really need on a daily basis? Think about your daily routine and determine where you can save energy. In some cases that means you will spend more time on certain chores, but the reward is that it will save you energy and money, and you will feel fulfilled for being self-sufficient. For instance:
   • Hang the laundry outside on the line instead of putting it in the dryer. That saves a lot of energy, and perhaps hanging up the laundry in the old-fashioned way is a relaxing activity for you.
   • Fill your dishwasher to the brim instead of running half a load. You can also wash by hand using a water-saving method, instead of relying on the dishwasher all the time.
   • Instead of vacuuming, sweep. If you have carpet or rugs, you will need to vacuum from time to time, but you can sweep away the worst dirt with a broom. You save energy by not vacuuming every day.
   • Bake everything on the same day of the week. Heating the oven uses a lot of electricity (unless you have a gas oven), so it's smart to heat it up once and then bake more than one thing, instead of running the oven throughout the week.
   • Also become less dependent on small devices. Let your hair air dry more often instead of blow drying it every day, throw out that plugged in air freshener and cut things by hand instead of using the food processor.
3. Replace your appliances with energy-efficient ones. In the past, no attention was paid to how economical a product was by the manufacturers, but times have changed. Many large appliances are now more energy efficient, and sometimes they even have a setting where you can set how much energy you want to use with a certain program. If you need to replace a device, do some research and choose a model that doesn't use too much energy.

Method 3 of 3: Heat and cold

1. Use less hot water. Heating water requires a lot of electricity, if you have an electric boiler or combination boiler; the more hot water you use, the harder your boiler has to work to keep up. You can save a lot of energy by using less hot water. Start with these habits to conserve hot water:
   • Wash your clothes with cold water. Unless you have a load of clothes that are very dirty, there is no need to use hot water; hot water will even wear out your clothes faster.
   • Take a shower instead of a bath. To fill the bathtub you need liters of warm water; you consume much less with a shower.
   • Take a colder shower. Do you really take a steaming hot shower every day? Try to lower the temperature a little bit every day until you are used to showering with lukewarm water. Save a hot shower for special occasions only.
   • Isolate the water heater. A boiler that is not insulated loses a lot of heat, instead of heating the water with that energy. Make sure your water heater is insulated or buy a new model that is energy efficient.
2. Insulate your home. It's important to make sure your home doesn't lose too much heat or cold. If you have cracks around the window frames, under the doors, in the foundation, in the attic, or anywhere in the house, electricity and money may be spilling out.
   • Have your home inspected by a contractor to determine where additional insulation may be needed.
   • Close gaps with sealant. You can also shield your windows with special plastic in winter.
3. Use the air conditioning sparingly. If you have an air conditioner it can be tempting to use it a lot during a hot summer to keep the house cool, but it comes with a hefty price tag. Leave the AC off most of the day, and only turn it on when the heat is really unbearable. Use alternative strategies to cool yourself down.
   • Take a cool shower in the afternoon if it has been very hot.
   • Open the windows and let a breeze blow in.
   • Drink enough water and suck on ice cubes to cool down.
   • Go outside, to the beach, a river or a lake.
4. Lower the thermostat a degree in winter. You can save a lot of money by turning the thermostat down a few degrees instead of heating your house to a sauna. Wear wool socks and a warm sweater to keep yourself warm, rather than relying on the central heating.

Tips

• Limit TV viewing to a few hours a week and encourage the family to do things that don't require electricity.
• Investigate the possibility of switching to wind or solar energy. You can even have solar panels installed on your own roof.