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Tips to improve energy efficiency at home

In this time, when we are spending the majority of our time at home, the electricity bill can go up considerably. If you want to save and use your appliances more efficiently, follow these useful tips. You will also be helping to reduce the environmental impact!

energy efficiency

 

Air Conditioning

Maintaining your air conditioning at least once a year is the best way to ensure its operation with maximum efficiency, some essential steps are: cleaning and straightening the fins, changing the filter and lubricating the engine. Every two to three years, call a professional to check the electrical parts and the coolant.

Ideally, install the air conditioner in areas without direct sun exposure and in open spaces (without risk of obstructions) that allow air flow, this will save you approx. 10% on electricity.

The efficiency level of an air conditioner is measured by the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Index (SEER). The higher the number, the more efficient the unit will be. A SEER score of 13 or 14 is considered high efficiency.

Extra: In the case of heating in cold months, it is recommended to keep it at 21°C constantly, install a programmable thermostat and seal doors and windows properly.

 

Drying

Clean the lint trap in the dryer after each load. Excessive lint not only increases the risk of fire, but will also lengthen the amount of time required to dry your clothes. A dirty lint filter can cause the dryer to use up to 30% more electricity according to the Consumer Energy Center. It is also important to clean the exhaust duct once a year.

Dry the laundry loads consecutively so the dryer doesn't cool down between loads (a hot dryer uses less energy). Control the drying time required by garments, excessive and unnecessary heat damages your clothes and increases electricity costs.

Using drying balls can replace the anti static wipes and also reduce the drying time by getting in between and separating the clothes in the drying process.

Always use the spin-dry function or twist your clothes before putting them in the dryer. And of course, whenever you can, dry your clothes on drying racks in ventilated areas.

 

Laundry

Avoid using high temperature options when not needed. Water at 60°C uses much more energy than water at 40°C, and actually 60°C is not that much effective at cleaning clothes.

Read the label on your clothes, the vast majority of them are designed for cold water washes and delicate cycles that are shorter than an intense wash cycle.

Wait until you have a maximum load of laundry, as the half load option saves less than half the water and energy used for the maximum load. 

 

Refrigerators 

Over time the rubber seals wear out and the door does not close properly, so your refrigerator must work harder to keep the cold inside. Do a test with a soft paper, close the door normally with the paper in between, if you can easily remove it, might  be time to change the seals.

Cleaning the refrigerator coils improves their performance by up to 50%, it is recommended to clean (brush, vacuum) the coils twice a year.

It is very important to read the manufacturer's instructions to properly maintain the refrigerator and obtain greater efficiency.

 

Cooking

Convection ovens are more efficient than conventional ovens, they use fans to circulate hot air more regularly, allowing for more uniform cooking and at a lower temperature. Convection ovens use approximately 20% less electricity than conventional ovens.

If you have a conventional oven, you should put the food on the top shelf, it is hotter and will cook your food faster. Another alternative is to use microwave ovens that consume approximately 80% less energy than conventional ovens.

And for daily preparations, pressure cookers are a great help, they reduce cooking time considerably and you can make delicious recipes in the same appliance, they also include a timer and automatic shutdown function.

 

Illumination

The use of new lighting technologies, such as LEDs (light emitting diode) and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), can reduce the energy use required by lights by 50% to 70%. Old incandescent bulbs convert only 10% of the energy they receive into light and the rest is transform into heat.

CFLs use 75% less energy and last about 10 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.

LEDs last even longer than CFLs and consume less energy. They also have no moving parts and, unlike CFLs, do not contain mercury.

Lighting Controls: Improved lighting controls save even more energy by reducing the amount of time the lights are on without being used. You can use the timers for your night routine or to help you wake up in the morning. You can also use them for your bathroom fan, adapting the time you deem appropriate for proper ventilation of wet surfaces, in this case, you have to make sure that the timer is suitable for motors and not only for lighting.

 

Unplug the appliances

According to the Department of Energy, seventy-five percent of the electrical use of home electronics occurs when the appliances are turned off but remain plugged in, absorbing electricity throughout the day. To solve this problem you can simply unplug your device immediately after using it, or you can also connect several electronic devices to a power strip with a switch to turn off all of them at once when you are done. 

And don't forget to unplug cell phone, laptop and tablet chargers, they consume a lot of energy!

 

In general, we can say that the correct use and maintenance of electrical appliances are key to achieve the objective of reducing energy consumption. At Fiyo we have a wide range of sets to keep your equipment in perfect condition and many spare parts in case you want to carry out a repair yourself. We hope these tips are useful to you and if you want more information on this and other topics related to electrical devices, you can check out our blog and also follow us on social media!