Energy is an important part of our daily life, we wake up with it and go to bed with it. From the coffee machine and shower in the morning to the stove and television in the evening. The energy you use in your home can be responsible for one fifth of your footprint.

To measure is to know

Do you know how much energy you use and how much time you spend in the shower on average? To measure is to know, so keep track of how much energy you use this week; how much time do you spend in the shower every day, how often are lights turned on when there is no one in the room, and which devices are on stand-by unnecessarily? If you know how much energy you use and for what, you can start saving more specifically. With small energy-saving actions, a considerable profit can be made for your footprint and your wallet.

1. Actions in daily life:

Smart heating in the winter :

• Turn your thermostat down
• Set your thermostat to 15 ℃ (or 17/18 ℃ in case of underfloor heating) at night and during the day when no one is home
• Lower the heating one hour before you go to bed or when you leave the house
• Keep connecting doors closed

Smart cooling in the summer:

• Keep curtains and windows closed when it is warmer outside than inside
• Use a fan instead of air conditioning, an AC uses around 15x more energy

Prevent standby consumption

• Turn off electrical appliances such as TV, computer, modem completely off instead of leaving on standby

Save in the kitchen

• Cook pasta, rice and eggs for 2 minutes, switch off the stove, put the lid on the pan and leave to cook (trust us, it really works!)
• Instead of washing the dishes under running water, use a washing-up bowl

Change your shower ritual

• Shower max 5 minutes and shower Navy style (turn off the water while soaping up)
• Shower every other day
• Kick-start the day with a refreshing cold shower

2. Actions with a little more effort

• Replace incandescent and halogen lamps with LED, even if they are still working. LED is 85% to 90% more efficient.
• Keep the heat in by installing draft strips, a letterbox brush and radiator foil
• Switch to real green power that ensures more sustainable energy generation in your country.

3. Big savers with investment

• Generate your own electricity with solar panels, on your own roof or someone else’s roof.
• Get rid of energy monsters or replace them with energy efficient ones (in case of for example an 8-year old refrigerator)
• Insulate your home, check on Wikihow which energy-saving measures can be taken in your home. 

Source: Milieu Centraal