How can you save electricity efficiently at home?

The most important points in brief

• A few simple steps are often enough to lower the electricity bill at home.
• By the way, you also reduce the burden on the environment.
• Stand-by devices can be switched off, energy-saving lamps can be used for this, or you can learn how to use the refrigerator correctly.
• You are on the right path with these and other measures.

Often it is the members of older generations who - and this is meant without any reproach - for example, boil the water at home in the pot, i.e. on the stove. There have long been helpful tools such as the kettle, which is much more efficient. However, all generations can learn from most of the measures to save electricity. We'll give you a few tips in this blog post.

Stand-by eats up electricity

Almost all electrical and electronic devices that we use at home are in stand-by all day long. In most cases, the notebook is not shut down completely, but the option «save energy» is selected. It is true that the energy-saving mode saves electricity - but only when it is switched on. Shutting down the computer would be the much better method.

Because when it is switched off, the computer no longer draws any electricity. And that's not just the case with computers. Even the television, the satellite receiver or the Netflix-enabled Blu-ray player consume electricity outside of their usage times. So the ideal would be to have all of these devices plugged into a single power outlet and you are rid of the problem. An example calculation (only for the television!) Shows that - depending on the respective electricity tariff - you can save around CHF 20 a year because switching it off saves more than 100 kilowatt hours a year.

Washing machine, refrigerator and dishwasher

Modern washing machines and detergents ensure that washing at 40 degrees is enough to get normally dirty laundry clean. A higher temperature usually consumes energy unnecessarily. You can do without the dryer even in winter, simply hang up the laundry indoors to dry. This saves electricity and is good for the indoor climate.

The following applies to the refrigerator: do not put any warm leftovers in it. And less than 7 degrees are not necessary, otherwise it will cost too much electricity. Make sure you have a good energy efficiency class when you buy and don't leave the door open too long when you look in to reduce power consumption. If you own a dishwasher, fill it up to the maximum before use. This saves you a few washing cycles over the year. Ideally, you should use an environmentally friendly washing program (such as ECO) every time, which not only saves additional electricity, but also water.

Lighting and batteries

Admittedly: Objects that are operated with batteries are becoming increasingly rare in everyday life, apart from the smartphone. Analog alarm clocks or bicycle lights are often still operated with batteries. Saving tip: Get rechargeable batteries instead of disposable batteries, this is significantly cheaper in the long term.

Lighting that is more energy efficient than in the past has found its way into almost all houses and apartments. However, this leads many households to no longer take it too seriously when switching off artificial light. Doesn't use any more electricity anyway - that's what people often think. This is completely wrong, because of course the electricity meters keep ticking when the light is on. Accordingly, it makes sense to only switch on the light in those rooms where it is really needed.