With an increase each year in the electricity and gas bill, the purchasing power of households is affected and threatened by this change. However, there are everyday tips that could significantly reduce the energy costs of a home. Based on reflexes in terms of air conditioning and lighting, these small gestures remain easy to perform.
Summary
For heating
According to the breakdown of an individual’s energy consumption, heating accounts for 60% of energy expenditure (source Insee.fr). Thus, it becomes the first item of energy consumption in the home to be studied in order to save on the bill.
To make real energy savings, it is advisable to use the heating by referring to essential needs. According to the Environment and Energy Management Agency, the appropriate temperature for a living room is 19°C and 16°C for a bedroom. On the other hand, the bathroom must be heated to 21°C. Now, there are solutions to regulate the temperature to have in a particular room, in particular with thermostatic taps.
One of the best techniques to reduce the use of heating is to set up a temperature programming system. With the evolution of technology, you can install a connected thermostat and program it, so as to regulate the heating. This thermostat can for example program the same temperatures for the week and lower them at the weekend. It should be noted that the use of a thermostat offers a reduction of 25% on the energy bill.
Maintain equipment
Still in the heating section, you should remember to maintain your radiators and your boiler on a regular basis. Oil, gas, wood, coal, multi-fuel boilers whose power is between 4 and 400 kilowatts must be serviced annually. This is to avoid the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. If you respect this frequency, you will realize at least a 5% reduction in your energy bill.
Speaking of heating equipment, it is necessary to dwell on radiators. Sometimes neglected, these devices provide savings of 10% when they are efficient. Thus, you need to free them from dust deposits that have accumulated over time. Once this maintenance is finished, you must ensure that the device has enough space to facilitate the circulation of air. In addition, it is forbidden to place objects above the radiators, as this risks reducing the radiation from the appliances and absorbing the thermal energy. Often, installing reflective panels on uninsulated walls is a way to increase radiator performance by 10%.
The case of household appliances
Know how to use off-peak hours
If, for your electricity consumption, you use the dual peak hour/off-peak hour tariff like the Eni gas + electricity offers, you need to run your appliances during off-peak hours. The latter define the moment when the price of electricity becomes low compared to the basic tariff. In general, the time slots are established according to the location of your accommodation, they can be at night or at the beginning of the afternoon, but cover a duration of 8 hours. You can determine these off-peak hours based on your electricity bill.
Read also: What budget for an energy renovation of your house?
Lighting, an important element
Apart from heating, lighting is the second item that consumes a large amount of energy. For accommodation in France, the number of light points is at least 25. However, they entail an expenditure of 325 to 450 kWh per year.
Bet on energy-saving light bulbs and natural lighting
If you tend to use conventional light bulbs, know that there are so-called low consumption ones. This type of bulb can reduce electricity consumption up to 5 times. Indeed, the energy-saving bulb emits a light source with less heat than conventional equipment. Although the price of these bulbs is quite exorbitant, they can last a long time.
By optimizing the natural lighting in your home, you benefit from significant savings. To do this, it is enough to organize the location of the furniture by installing the desk near the window, for example. Therefore, you will no longer have to use an artificial source during the day. To increase natural lighting, choose light colors when painting the walls.
As you will have understood, simple actions will allow you to make real savings and thus reduce your energy bill.
Read also: Energy performance monitoring in business: how does it work?
