Save energy - some tips

In these times, the whole of Europe is forced to save on electricity and heat. Many companies, municipalities and property owners lower the heating a few degrees, turn off ventilation at night and turn off lighting. This also applies to condominium associations.
We now have to help each other to save energy so we can maintain the best possible comfort.

Our common costs and premises

Hot water

• Be economical with your hot water consumption and never let the water just flow if you are not using it. Change gasket if you have dripping in faucets or toilet. Cold water costs too.
• To shower for 5 minutes instead of taking a bath cuts the cost of hot water in half; from 6 kWh to 3 kWh. But remember that if you shower for 15 minutes instead of 5 minutes, the consumption increases to 9 kWh.
• Washing dishes by hand in a sink and rinsing in a sink for rinsing is an energy-efficient way of washing dishes. However, washing dishes and rinsing under running water is a 'mortal sin' in times of energy-saving. Five minutes of rinsing or washing under running water consumes 3.0 kWh – three times as much as washing in a sink. A modern dishwasher is very energy efficient and consumes around 1.4 kWh per time.

Heating

• Turn the heat down a few steps when you are away. Why not close the blinds at night during the cold season and insulate better against the cold.
• Keep windows and balcony doors closed. To actively ventilate the apartment during the cold season. If you want to ventilate, it should be done well and truly, and for a short period of time, instead of a little for a long period of time. The best way to ventilate is to open the windows at both ends of the house and let the wind blow through for a maximum of five minutes. This way you can replace most of the air in the house without losing so much of the indoor heat.
• How to ventilate properly when cooking: Do not open the kitchen window. The air coming in through the window creates an excess pressure in the kitchen. As a result, the cooking smell is pushed out into the rest of the apartment. Even the kitchen fan cannot take all cooking smell if the window is open in the kitchen because the air circulation around the fan is disturbed.
• The kitchen fan is itself a fairly modest energy consumer, only equivalent to a 60 watt light bulb. However it pulls out large amounts of heated air that must be replaced. At an outside temperature around the zero mark, this corresponds to an energy consumption of 2-3 kWh per hour. So don't leave the fan on full blast unnecessarily.
• Please also be economical with electricity and heating in the property's common areas. Please turn down the heating in the garage and don't forget to turn off the light.

Your own costs

• Change light bulbs and halogen to LED and low energy if you haven't already done so.
• Wash at lower temperatures and let the laundry hang to dry. Make sure to always wash with a full machine, most of the energy goes to heating the water which then goes directly into the drain, in addition, the same amount of water and electricity is consumed even if the washing machine is only half full.
• Tumble drying takes three times as much energy as washing it, and clothes wear out faster in a dryer.
• Your fridge, freezer and cooler consume around 1000 kWh per year, assuming you have fairly modern appliances. If you have a fridge and freezer older than 10 years, it is not unusual for the energy consumption to be the double.
• Each unnecessary extra degree in the freezer consumes around 1 kWh more per week, a 5 percent increase in energy consumption. Recommended temperatures in the fridge are 4-6 degrees and in the freezer minus 18 degrees.
• Let frozen goods thaw in the fridge and get free cooling in the fridge. And remember, do not put hot goods in the refrigerator, as it takes a lot of energy to cool them down.
• Make sure the freezer is properly defrosted and keep the condenser free of dust. A dusty condenser can mean up to 30% higher electricity consumption.
• A hot plate at full power consumes around 1.5 kWh/hour and a larger frying plate around 2.0 kWh. So remember to put a lid on the pan - you can save 30-50% of energy that otherwise would be lost. Make sure the pans have a flat bottom and the same size as the plate (rather too small plate than too big plate on the stove). Turn off the plate and use the afterheat to finish cooking the food. Cooking in an oven is significantly more energy efficient than having several hotplates on at the same time. An oven with a temperature of 200 degrees consumes approximately 0.6 kWh every hour, while a plate at full power consumes between 1.5-2.0 kWh. If you have an older stove, you save a lot of electricity by boiling water in a kettle instead of in a saucepan. However, if you have an induction stove, it is just as effective to boil the water on the stove, but remember to keep the lid on.