Energy saving tips
HOW YOU CAN SAVE ENERGY
Whether you are single or a family of five: Every household can save energy. Because how much electricity and water a household consumes also depends on your own behavior: Outdated household appliances, incorrect airing and heating, as well as lavish lighting tend to drive electricity bills up. Five to ten percent of energy can be saved by consciously using or replacing existing household appliances. Changed heating and airing behavior can even save up to 30 percent in energy in a household.
TIPS BY TOPIC
- Tilted windows are a real energy killer. An economical and efficient alternative is a daily airing for 5 to 10 minutes. This guarantees fresh air in the room without the walls cooling down and at the same time prevents unhealthy mold growth.
- If possible, air out the house at least 4 times a day. Open your windows wide to do this. Of course, you should turn off your heating beforehand. How long you air out the room depends on the outside temperature. A rule of thumb: Outside temperature plus five, for example six minutes at 1 °C.
- Mold growth is a serious problem. The main cause is excessive humidity. Check regularly whether the humidity in your rooms is in the non-critical range of 45% – 60%. For only EUR 6.00 you can purchase a modern thermo-hygrometer in our customer center. We are looking forward to your visit.
- Is it really warm in your boiler room? The heating and hot water pipes or pumps are probably still uninsulated. Some of the heat dissipates in the basement instead of comfortably heating your home. Material for insulating pipes and pumps can be found in any hardware store.
- Have your heating system regularly serviced by a specialist. Because every millimeter of soot in the boiler lowers the efficiency and increases your heating costs. Vent your radiators regularly to avoid energy loss.
- Close your shutters or blinds in the evening. That keeps the warmth in your home. Sealing windows also saves energy – but new, tightly fitting windows are better. Do not hang curtains or drapes over the radiators. These hinder the dissipation of heat and thus ensure higher heat consumption.
- Radiators should be vented regularly. If the radiators stay cool despite the valve being turned on, a specialist has to check them out. So-called “hydraulic balancing” ensures that every radiator receives the right amount of warm water.
Heat energy-consciously and with your head. If you want to sit on the sofa in summer clothes even in the dead of winter, you shouldn’t be surprised if you get a high heating bill. Generally, the temperature should be set in such a way that you feel comfortable in clothing that is suitable for the weather. In living rooms this is usually between 20 and 22 °Celsius.
- For an energy-conscious breakfast, do not bake individual rolls in the oven. Use the toaster instead. Coffee can be kept warm more energy efficiently in a thermos than on the coffee machine’s electric hotplate. Electric egg kettles and water kettles are more economical than any stove if you use them frequently.
- Baking with convection is more efficient than with top or bottom heat. You can bake or cook on several levels at the same time. Avoid opening the oven door frequently, otherwise a lot of heat will be lost. For smaller quantities up to 500 grams, the microwave is more economical than the oven.
- Replace the grease filters on your vent hood regularly. A dirty filter reduces performance and increases the energy requirement. Bacteria and mold can also form in the dirty filters.
- Cook with as little liquid as possible. Many dishes can also be cooked in steam. Always cook with the lid on because a lot of energy is lost without a lid; a pressure cooker only uses half the energy of a normal saucepan. Smaller quantities of up to 500 g are best prepared in the microwave.
- Did you know that the chargers for your cell phone or MP3 player use electricity even when no device is connected to them? So you should always pull the plug after charging. Or use power strips that can be switched off, because you will avoid standby losses with your electrical devices and save money.
- Since multimedia devices have also found their way into kids’ rooms, they have made a significant contribution to the consumption of energy in households. Often several devices are in operation at the same time. Not switching off a PC at night can quickly cost a hundred euros or more a year. Get your children used to the conscious use of energy at a young age. However, children learn best from the example their parents set.
- Power strips that can be switched off help to avoid standby consumption. In German households, TVs run an average of 4 hours a day, 2 hours of which are during other activities. Just switch it off, relax and save energy and recharge your batteries.
- Fully automatic coffee machines are becoming increasingly popular. However, many of these devices are in stand-by mode all day and thus consume electricity unnecessarily. Use a power strip that can be switched off or look for an automatic switch-off when purchasing.
- Don’t switch on your dishwasher until it is full. The electricity and water consumption is always the same regardless of the load. Wash using the short or economy program if possible. This is sufficient for normally soiled dishes.
- Tumble dryers are real power guzzlers compared to the sun and fresh air, which dry laundry for free. However, if you don’t want to do without a tumble dryer, you should opt for a condenser dryer with a heat pump. Compared to a simple condenser dryer, it only uses half as much electricity.
- Position your refrigerator as far as possible from heating, stove, sun or the dishwasher. 7 degrees Celsius in the refrigerator and minus 18 degrees Celsius in the freezer are ideal. Colder temperatures only increase power consumption, but not the shelf life of the food.
- Whether you use an energy-saving light or LEDs – both should replace the incandescent bulb. But which light is suitable for which purpose? Are you looking for the right light source for your needs? We will help you with a brightness comparison. Visit us in our customer center and ask for the free light card. It will help you make the right choice when buying a light.
- Lights in the outside area, on the basement stairs or in the hallway can be switched on and off automatically with the help of motion detectors. That way you can can forget to switch them off and still not waste any energy.
