Next to transportation, households are the largest energy-consuming sector. E.g. households account for 27.2% of the total final energy consumption in the EU. It has become obvious that it’s crucial to lower the energy consumption of our households as much as possible. Houses and apartment buildings can be modified and equipped with solar panels, extra insulation etc. But these measures require significant investments and are time-consuming. Therefore, we need to change our energy behaviour too to lower our energy consumption at home. But how do you change your energy habits? It’s challenging but our 4 easy steps will already take you a long way.
Step 1. Get to know your energy usage.
Don’t rush into saving energy. First, get the facts straight and quantify your current ‘energy situation’. Know how much energy you’re consuming and producing and how much it’s costing you. Be aware of all that’s happening in your home. Do you have appliances guzzling energy? How many times are you using your tumble dryer, oven, coffee machine, dishwasher etc.? Are you leaving appliances on when you’re not using them?
A Smappee energy monitor gives you these insights at a glance. Just open the Smappee App or Dashboard on your smartphone, tablet or computer and immediately know how much energy you’re consuming and producing in real-time and per hour, day, month and year for electricity, solar, gas and water. See your always on usage and what appliances are real energy guzzlers. Learn how much your energy is costing you and how you’re doing compared to others. Because that’s where it all starts: awareness.
Step 2. Change your energy behaviour.
When you’re informed and aware of how you use energy, you will automatically ban unnecessary energy waste. You can be energy-smart in different ways. Turn off the lights when you’re not in the room or dim the lights when you’re watching TV. This also applies to other devices in your home. Unplug your phone and tablet chargers while you’re not using them. Connect your TV, home cinema, game consoles, etc. to a power strip and turn them off all at once when you’re not using them. In the Smappee App and Dashboard you immediately know how much you’re consuming in always on mode. It’s a great trigger to always turn off appliances completely when you’re not using them.
Keep up an energy efficient household. Make sure your dishwasher or washing machine is full before turning them on. Never wash at a higher temperature than necessary. 10 °C more or less will not make the difference with a good washing product, but it will save on your energy bill. Keep your refrigerator as full as possible (using glass water bottles if nothing else). Defrost your freezer on a regular basis. You can even cook energy efficiently. Always put on the lid when you’re cooking. Use your microwave to heat water instead of using a kettle. Clean the filters in your furnace monthly and replace them in time. It just takes a few small changes to make a big difference.
Step 3. Make your home more energy efficient.
Great! You’ve changed your energy behaviour, but are you sure your appliances aren’t sabotaging your efforts? Have you considered replacing your old bulbs by modern and more energy-friendly alternatives? Still using that old freezer to stock appetizers for your dinner parties? You might want to check that it’s not costing you more than going to a restaurant.
Your appliances can’t keep secrets with a Smappee in your home. You can know how much and when certain appliances are consuming. You will immediately detect the energy guzzlers in your home. Simply replace them with more energy efficient alternatives. Or control and program how your appliances should behave with Smappee’s control and automation options. Make sure your appliances are using energy when it’s costing you as little as possible e.g. during night tariff or when you have excess solar energy. As such you can maximise the use of your solar energy and optimise your self-consumption!
Step 4. Verify your energy saving measures.
Last but not least! After changing how energy is consumed in your home, it’s important to verify the results to keep you motivated and know what’s going on. Is your electricity bill going down? Could you save even more energy? Could you use your solar energy even more optimally? How are you doing compared to similar households? During what months are you consuming more? Smappee gives you all the answers with its elaborate energy data visualisation in the user-friendly Smappee App and detailed Dashboard. Check it out!
Now, let’s sum up our top 10 energy saving tips without loss of comfort!
- Replace your most consuming appliances with energy-efficient alternatives. E.g. replace your lights with LED lights.
- Connect your TV, home cinema, game consoles, etc. to a power strip and turn them off all at once when you’re not using them.
- Turn off the light when you’re not in the room or dim the lights when you’re watching TV.
- Make sure your dishwasher and washing machine is full before turning it on. Never wash at a higher temperature than necessary.
- Use your microwave to heat water instead of using a kettle.
- Keep your refrigerator and freezer as full as possible (using glass water bottles if nothing else).
- Clean the filters in your furnace monthly and replace them in time.
- Always put on the lid when you’re cooking.
- Defrost your freezer on a regular basis.
- Save on water usage as well! Take a shower instead of drawing a bath and don’t leave the tap running.