These 21 tips will save you electricity and money

We are pretty spoiled: electricity flows naturally from the outlet, our appliances run at full speed at the touch of a button, and we always have enough light and warm up comfortably. But for the coming winter, the energy situation threatens to not be as comfortable as we’re used to. There can be bottlenecks, so we are asked to save electricity.

This is what the Federal Council calls for: “Energy is scarce. Let’s not waste them”, it wants to motivate us to be more economical. If our efforts are not enough to prevent shortages, the government may pull the plug – at least in part – with restrictions or even bans. In other words : Everyone is asked to make a contribution.

The good thing about it: Saving electricity isn’t magic. It can be done in any area of ​​the house with very simple tricks. In doing so, we not only contribute to the improvement of the current and future energy situation, but are also sustainable overall, and we can see our commitment only from the lower electricity bill. Here are 21 quick tips!

6 tips for heating

• Energy can be dissipated even with the windows closed. That is, when they are not sufficiently sealed. To test this, it helps to hold a candle close to the window. If the flame flickers, this is a sign of draft. This can be remedied with gaskets, with which you can easily strengthen or replace existing rubber gaskets. If you want to be safe, use thermal image analysis, which fully reveals leaks in the house.
• Do not overheat the apartment. Meaning: set the room temperature to a maximum of 20 degrees (Federal Council’s recommendation), even 18 degrees in the bedroom is considered ideal. It could be a little warmer in the nursery.

• If you are not working from home: Lower the temperature when leaving the apartment.

• Make sure that radiators or other heating elements are not behind a piece of furniture or covered by a curtain, otherwise they will not be able to give off heat unhindered.

• Close the blinds and blinds constantly in the evening. This helps prevent heat loss.

• Watch out for improper ventilation: Leaving the bottom pop-up window open all the time consumes a lot of energy. It is better to properly ventilate the room for five to ten minutes several times a day with the windows fully open.

8 light tips

• Pay attention to the type of interior lighting: LED lamps, for example, use much less energy – up to 10 times. In addition, their service life is 25 times longer. When buying, you should consider that LED bulbs are much brighter. A conventional 40-watt light bulb corresponds to a 4-watt LED light source. You should also pay attention to the different versions – it’s best to get advice from your Do it + Garden branch or online. Switching from traditional light sources to LED is usually not a problem.

• The simplest but very effective rule: Turn off the light when you leave a room. The same is true for LED lights.

• Choose dimmable lamps or lamps: Full brightness or full energy output is not always required.

• If you like comfort, you can get a motion detector.

• Let in as much outside light as possible during the day. Opening the curtains and pulling the blinds all the way up can help just tilt the slats instead of taking them out of comfort.

• In large rooms it is better to use several small light sources instead of one large light source. This provides a more pleasant atmosphere.

• Dust lamps and lights regularly.

• Light walls also help. They reflect light rays and have the effect of requiring less bright light.

6 general tips

• Turn off the TV completely after an evening of Netflix – the easiest way is to use a power strip. Electronic devices consume ten percent more electricity if they are on standby.

• The same is true for the computer in the home office. Even if the “seduction” (or pressure) to quickly reply to an email again after a meal is great. It is better to call for a day and turn off the computer completely.

• Regarding mobile phone charging: Do not charge the smartphone for an unnecessarily long time and unplug the battery when not in use, because: Current is drawn (residual current) even if the smartphone is not charging.

• When washing, choose eco mode and low temperatures (30 or 40 degrees is sufficient in most cases). However, do not forget to wash at least 60 degrees in normal mode from time to time. This prevents the growth of germs in the machine.

• A powerhouse is the cup. Always make sure it’s really well filled so you use less in the long run.

• If you have the possibility to hang the laundry, this should be preferred instead of the dryer.

Additional hint: bridge energy

What should be done to be prepared for emergencies? Here, so-called generators are used, which can supply electricity to most household appliances for a certain period of time. Eco Flow is particularly recommended here: The smart device uses a solar panel to generate electricity and can be a lifesaver in energy emergencies, even when you are out. The storage capacity of the generator varies according to the power of the solar panel. between EcoFlow Plant Delta Max 1600 for example, it provides 2 kilowatt-hours of electricity – with these two machines it can do laundry, use the refrigerator for four days (300 liters) or vacuum for two hours. Another advantage is the short charging time: Most devices charge the battery up to 80 percent in a good hour – this can be done not only with solar panels, but also with a regular outlet. Videos for individual devices provide more information.