5 practical energy saving tips

A study of the energy consumption of 400 homes that were closed during the holiday period revealed that 80%, or in some cases as much as 100%, of the electricity consumed, corresponds to appliances in “standby” and the fridge.

Climate change is already a reality, and in the coming decades, it will continue to affect the lives of many people, ecosystems, and species. If on top of this, we add the continuous rise in demand for energy, in the end, it will bring us to a point where we must stop and reflect, before the situation deteriorates any further.

We can reduce our energy consumption (at least whilst on holiday) with a few simple steps before walking out of the door with a suitcase in hand.

1. Do we need to leave the fridge on? 

The fridge is one of the electrical appliances that consume the most energy. We advise emptying, unplugging, and leaving the door open. If you’re going to be away for less than a week, another option is to set the thermostat to the lowest setting possible. In this way, an energy saving of up to 6% can be achieved for each degree raised.

2. Do we usually leave the boiler on?

An electric boiler can account for 25% of the electricity consumption within a home. For this reason, it’s important to disconnect it when going away. It makes no sense to have the boiler connected to the mains and produce hot water if no one is going to use it.

3. Devices on “stand-by”

It’s thought that they consume nothing or very little, but the costs of appliances on stand-by can mean an annual increase in the energy bill of approximately €70. It’s important to realise that devices that are connected to the mains supply, consume electricity even when not in use.

4. Better, unplugged

Some devices don´t have a “standby” function and continue to consume electricity even when not being used. This is the case with telephones, thermostats, air-conditioning units, etc.

5. Switch off the fuse box

If you want to make a 10% saving on your energy consumption, completely disconnect your home from the mains supply.

Saving energy is an easy way to reduce harmful emissions of CO2 (Carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere. For every kilowatt hour of electricity that we save, we avoid the emission of roughly one kilogram of CO2 at the power station where the coal or oil is burnt to produce this electricity.

If it’s so easy to contribute to caring for the planet, why not? Disconnecting is a question of attitude and willpower. With just a few minutes of your time, you can save energy and reduce your electricity bill.

This year it’s time to “disconnect” x3, for your mental well-being, that of your wallet, and that of our planet.