The way you use your appliances on a day- to- day basis can have a big effect on how much electricity they use.
- Close your windows, doors and other openings when the air-conditioner is in use.
- Try not to install the air conditioner in a position subject to direct sunlight. If it is, cover it with a shade or an umbrella.
- Avoid obstructing the airtight inlets and outlets.
- Turn off unneeded lights and heat producing appliances to reduce air-conditioning load.
- Do not set your air conditioning thermostat at the coldest level. Just set the cooling to the temperature that you feel comfortable.
- Use ventilation fan instead of air conditioners where possible.
- Clean fans regularly.
- Switch off the fan when it is unnecessary.
Heating up water requires large amounts of electricity; significant savings can be made in the following ways:
- Choose the right size of water heater for your family.
- Switch off the water heater after use.
- Switch on the water heater a short while before use.
- Take a shower instead of a bath. It may cut costs by two-thirds.
- Use cold water where hot water is not absolutely necessary.
- Choose the right size pan. The base of the pan should match the size of the cooker ring.
- Put lids on pans and turn down the heat when food starts to boil. There is no need to boil vegetables vigorously, turn the ring to a gentle simmer.
- Try not to use too much water; most items are best cooked in just enough water to cover them.
- Food can be cooked more quickly if it is cut into small pieces.
- A pressure cooker speeds up cooking times, saves energy, maintains goodness and generates less water vapour in the kitchen.
- Cook small items like chops under the grill rather than in the oven.
- It is more efficient to use a toaster rather than a grill when making toast.
- When using an electric kettle boil only as much water as you need. Make sure the element is always covered.
- Microwave ovens are useful for cooking, defrosting or heating food. They use much less energy than conventional ovens.
- Cooking with gas rather than electricity is a better use of resources and usually costs less.
Fridges and freezers:
- Put your fridge or freezer in a cool place, away from cookers or heaters.
- For best operation, position your fridge so that air can circulate around the heat exchanger at the back.
- Do not leave a fridge or freezer door open for longer than necessary.
- Allow any cooked food to cool before putting it in the fridge or freezer.
- Combined fridge/freezers with one compressor use less electricity than two separate units.
- Defrost your freezer regularly. The ice should never be more than quarter of an inch or 6mm thick around the icebox.
- Freezers should be kept at least three-quarters full at all times.
- Modern frost-free fridge-freezers use considerably more electricity than conventional designs.
- Ensure you have a full load before using your washing machine. If this is impractical, use the half loads or economy programme.
- Use a minimum temperature (40C) wash and economy programmes whenever possible.
- Use the washing machine in off peak hours (2:00 am – 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm)
- Iron your clothes while they are still slightly damp.
- Steam irons use more power than dry ones.
- Ensure the iron is switched off as soon as you finish ironing.
- Lighting in the home typically accounts for 10 - 15% of electricity usage. The use of low energy lamps can provide significant electricity savings. Low energy lamps are miniature fluorescent tubes, which are designed to replace ordinary light bulbs.
- They are made in a variety of shapes, sizes and ratings so they should be selected to suit the fitting and the space available.
- A low energy lamp uses about a fifth of the electricity of an equivalent ordinary light bulb which means they can save you some money
TV and other equipment:
- You will save electricity if you avoid leaving your equipment left on in standby mode. If nobody is watching TV, turn it off. Don›t use it as a source of background music.