Energy efficiency in life

Each of us can make everyday life more comfortable and improve the level of life if we try to be energy-saving. It is much easier and less costly to save heat and electricity rather than to suffer from draughts, humidity, and cold in our own flat or house, and to pay high bills for wasted resources.

• Save water. Turn off taps if you do not use water. When you leave, cut off hot and cold water.
• Take care of sanitary ware and timely repair it. Remember that a dripping tap loses 60 litres of water per day or 1800-1860 litres per month.
• Install hot and cold meters – take care of water consumption volumes.
• Install thermostatic mixer taps. Quick regulation of hot and cold water supply will eliminate constant temperature control and excessive water consumption.
• Install electronic mixer taps – water runs only when hands are brought to the tap.
• Use a bowl to wash dishes in the kitchen. Do not defrost food products in a bowl of water.
• Turn off the tap while shaving and brushing your teeth.
• Take a shower instead of a bath.
• Economically heat water using an electric boiler.
• Consider new technologies of energy, in particular, the solar system of hot water supply – it will be repaid from the first day of work.
• Buy energy-saving household appliances. Appliances with the lowest level of energy consumption are labelled with letters “А” or “А+”. Thus, for instance, a fridge of class “А” or “А+” consumes by 30 – 50% less electricity than the total electricity consumption compared to a fridge of class “В”.
• Switch off all electrical appliances that are not in use. Do not leave them in a sleep mode.
• Do not charge electrical appliances longer than is needed for a full charge of a battery.
• Find a possibility to install the automatic breakers of the TV, computer, and notebook.
• Try to use a steam cooker – you can cook several dishes simultaneously using one source of heat.
• Use energy-saving kettles. Regularly clean the kettle of deposits that force it to use more heat to boil the same volume of water.
• Use an electrical toaster – you will be able to make toast quicker and more economically.
• Deep fryers are safer and more economical than stoves when it comes to cooking.
• Try to use a pressure cooker – it cooks quicker due to higher temperatures and pressure inside the cooker.
• Grilling accelerates the process of cooking and preserves the usefulness of food products.
• Do not put a small frying pan on a large burner – it results in loss of energy and waste of money.
• Cover the stew pan with a lid when cooking – it will save time for cooking.
• Use the internal ring of the burner if you have double burners on the stove – the dish will be cooked at the same speed but with less energy consumption.
• Utilize the entire space of your stove to heat food faster.
• Induction stoves are more efficient, easier to clean up, and controlled.
• Keep the glass of your kitchen oven clean – it will allow you to control the level of dish readiness without opening doors, and accordingly keep the valuable heat in the oven. Use microwave ovens – they function quickly, efficiently, and economically.
• Keep the back wall of the refrigerator and freezer clean.
• Do not overload the refrigerator – cold air should circulate, and overloading will prevent it. Thus, leave a quarter of space inthe  refrigerator free.
• Tightly close the doors of the refrigerator and freezer.
• Place the refrigerator away from a stove, heaters, and direct sunlight.
• Maintain an optimal temperature of 0-5°C in the refrigerator.
• Cool hot food before you put it into the refrigerator. Hot food products force the refrigerator to function more intensively.
• Regularly defrost the freezer.
• Use energy-efficient bulbs.
• Install fluorescent bulbs in the kitchen – they function longer.
• Switch off the light when leaving a room.
• Equip lamps in the porch and on flights of stairs with movement sensors – it will allow you to use such lamps only in case of need.
• Install a thermostatic valve on your heater, and you will be able to regulate the amount of heat carrier you consume.
• Use a heating system named “warm floor”. Do not use heating appliances when you are off premises.
• Choose the dimensions of the heating appliance in accordance with the dimensions of your room.
• Do not cover the heating appliances with clothes or furniture – it makes them less efficient.
• Annually check your heating system – make sure it functions efficiently.
• Replace obsolete equipment – gas-fired water heaters lose their efficiency after 15 years of operation. When replacing the boiler, you have to replace the whole control system as well.
• Make your housing warmer – heat a house, but not an ambient space.
• Heat attic – houses lose a quarter of their heat through the roof. Use insulation materials. The depth of insulation of attic premises should be at least 25 cm.
• Heat cavity walls – buildings lose one-third of heat through walls. Only several hours are required to install heat insulation of cavity walls. In addition, it is easier to do it from the external side of the building. If your walls are solid, they could also be insulated. Use spray insulator for hard to get places, for instance, places of hot water pipes inlet and outlet, it will allow you to protect them from cooling. 33 % of heat is lost through walls, which are improperly insulated. Use extruded polystyrene foam or its modern analogues. A comfortable and thick carpet will create a cosy atmosphere and decrease heat losses through the floor.
• Insulate windows - about 20% of total heat losses are caused by loose doors and windows. Windows with double or triple glazing will ensure reliable protection from draughts and decrease heat losses up to 50%. Install new windows at one level with the external wall of the building – it will allow the removal of “cold bridges”. Use insulating tape for old windows. Closed curtains will keep heat inside the building. Prevent draughts!
• Install heat reflecting screens – the wall behind the heater can heat up to 50 0С. It does not make sense to use so much heat to warm brick or concrete slabs, especially when it is cold inside the house. Mount the heat reflecting screen of a foil sheet on the wall behind the heater - it will reflect heat into the room and improve the efficiency of room heating.
• Initiate installation of a heat meter for each consumer – it will enable you to see the result of your energy-saving efforts.
• Think about the modernization of the ventilation system. Recovery of heat coming out of the ventilation system and returning to the room is a real way of economy.
• The doors outside the building or flat should be insulated from draughts and outflows of heat.

Examples of actions related to the energy resources economy in everyday life

1. Accounting of energy resources consumption

• Calculations of actually consumed water according to the installed meters of cold and hot water at the price of UAH 100-250 and a payback period of 1-2 years are, on average, 2-3 times lower than the set norms.
• Calculations of consumed thermal energy according to the installed heat meters at the price of UAH 3000 and a payback period of 1-2 years are, on average, 30-40 % lower than the set norms.
• Calculations of consumed natural gas according to flat meter at the price of UAH 300 - 2500 are 2-3 times lower than the set norms.

2. Electricity saving to illuminate premises

• Usage of energy-saving lamps to illuminate at the price of UAH 15-20 allows to consume electricity 5 times less than when using incandescent lamps. The service life of energy-saving lamps is 8-12 times longer.

3. Decrease in losses through building envelopes

• Insulation of walls, foundations, roofs, attics, basements with such materials as polystyrene foam, extruded polystyrene, mineral wool plates, basalt slabs, and energy-saving paints allows to increase the temperature in premises and decrease the consumption of energy resources for heating.

4. Decrease in heat losses through windows

• Installation of metal-plastic windows with double-glazing having solar and low-emission I-glass at the price of UAH 800-1500 per 1 m2 decreases costs for heating and increases temperature in premises.

5. Installation of individual (modular) heat points with regulation of the amount of heat carrier

• Which is supplied into the building depending on ambient temperature and allowable temperature in premises at night hours and on weekends allows to decrease thermal energy consumption by 30-35  %.