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3 simple tips for smarter electricity usage
The increase in household energy usage during the winter is a common thing for most UK households. Even if in the summer we don't use our lights and heating very much, our fans, AC units that keep us cool also give something to keep an eye on during the summer. Here are some smart tips on 3 things that help you keep an eye on the energy consumption in your home.
Three products that help reduce your energy consumption
It's a given that you end up having to pay more on your electricity bill if you use consume more energy, but it isn't only a drag for your wallet when your electricity usage spikes. Consuming high volumes of electricity can also have negative consequences for the environment. Of course there are more environmentally-friendly ways of producing energy like wind and hydro-electricity, which are great examples of sustainable energy sources. Coal and oil powered electrical plants are still around and make up a large portion of household electricity generation in the UK though, which are resource consumptive and pollutive to the environment. This means there are several incentives to draw people towards reducing the amount of energy their households consume.
1. Timers
During the darker periods of the year, it's only natural to want to turn on all the lights at home to lighten things up. With that said, do you also have a bunch of lights left on during the day when the sun shines brighter and longer in the summer? More often than not, it's the older appliances in the home that are the most ineffective when it comes to their energy consumption. For those who've already swapped out their old fridge or washing machine, timers are a great way to control when and how energy gets consumed in your home.
2. Motion Sensors
You don't want to have the lights on in rooms that are completely vacant; it's incredibly wasteful and motion sensors are a great help in this area because not only do they cut down energy consumption, but they're super convenient as well. Instead of fumbling around to find your light switch every time you have to go to your cellar or closet, motion sensors automatically recognise that you have entered the room and voila, your lights pop on! After a set period of time the lights will automatically switch off, which is great if you forget to turn off any light in the morning rush-hour scurry.
3. Smart Electricity Meters
Perhaps your energy usage has increased without a clear, identifiable reason as to why. A smart electricity meter can assist you with keeping a close eye on the energy consumption of your household, as well as finding the individual items in your house that use up more energy than they should. Some smart electricity meters can be plugged in directly to an electrical outlet, others can give you a detailed snapshot of your entire household energy consumption with the help of a computer.
4. Control your home with an app
With a system such as Philips Hue you can control both lighting and other home electronics with the touch of a button.
5. LED-lamps
LED-lamps är mycket energieffektiva och det krävs jämförelsevis lite energi för att uppnå samma ljusstyrka som en vanlig glödlampa, eller till och med en lågenergilampa. En LED-lampa på 6W motsvarar ungefär en vanlig glödlampa på 40W. LED-lampor är ofta dyrare, men har också längre livslängd än en vanlig glödlampa. Oftast håller den 30-40 gånger längre och kan lysa i ca 30 000 timmar.
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