Three household areas in which you can save a lot of energy with little effort

Created: 08/10/2022, 07:00

By: Franziska Kaindl

Saving energy is the order of the day – also in private households.

What initially sounds like a major life change is relatively easy to implement.

Energy prices in Germany have been skyrocketing for weeks and months, with no improvement in sight for the time being.

The best way to counteract the sharp rise in prices for electricity, oil or natural gas is to limit your own consumption.

The good news: In order to achieve this, small adjustments in everyday life are often enough.

We have collected some savings tips for you.

1. Saving energy when cooking

You always let the heated air waft out of the pot?

That's a bad idea for your energy balance.

According to the federal government, if you cook with the lid on, you reduce your electricity consumption by almost two thirds.

An electric stove can also be switched off earlier to use the residual heat.

You can also save around eight percent electricity when baking if you do without preheating and around 15 percent if you bake with convection.

Even small adjustments in everyday life help to save a lot of energy consumption in the household - for example when cooking.

© Peter Schatz/Imago

A lot of hot water is needed for cooking, but you don’t necessarily have to heat it up in a saucepan: If you use a kettle instead, the water not only heats up faster, it also uses less energy.

According to Utopia, however, it is important that you boil the right amount: Because with one liter not used per day, you have CO₂ emissions of around 25 kilograms per year.

You save around ten euros a year if you only boil as much as you really need.

2. Dose hot water correctly

According to the non-profit consulting company co2online, 14 percent of energy consumption is due to the provision of hot water for showering, bathing or doing the dishes.

"Typical consumption is between 500 and 1,000 kilowatt hours per person and year," says Martin Brandis from the energy team of the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations to the German Press Agency (dpa).

"This big difference alone makes it clear how much could be saved."

But what's the best way to save here?

Quite simply: you let the water run for a shorter time.

This may sound trivial, but it is effective and easy to implement.

In contrast to heat generation, it doesn't make much of a difference when it comes to hot water preparation, whether you lower the operating temperature, as Andreas Braun from the Central Association for Sanitary, Heating and Air Conditioning explains - and for hygienic reasons it doesn't necessarily make sense either.

You should therefore save energy here by taking shorter showers or not letting the water run unnecessarily long when brushing your teeth.

According to the federal government, energy consumption can also be reduced by 30 percent by using water-saving shower heads and fittings and washing your hands with cold water and soap.

3. Reduce power consumption of electronic devices

Around half of household electricity consumption is due to large household appliances.

Old refrigerators, televisions or computers in particular consume energy unnecessarily - so it can be worthwhile to buy new energy-efficient devices.

Here you should pay attention to the EU energy label.

Although the purchase price is initially high, an energy-efficient refrigerator can save up to 550 euros in electricity costs after just 15 years, according to BUND Naturschutz.

Nevertheless, the environmental protection association advises only replacing electronic devices when the old ones have really had their day – in order to save electronic waste.

But even without buying new appliances, you can save a lot of electricity: For example, by running your dishwasher and washing machine in the Eco program or only switching them on when they are fully loaded - and not just half.

Pre-rinsing is also not necessary, simply removing coarse leftovers from dirty dishes is completely sufficient.

In addition, the refrigerator does not have to be set too cold - about 7 degrees is optimal.

When drying clothes, you should avoid using the tumble dryer if possible and hang the clothes outside in summer.

And last but not least, you can also save electricity with electronic devices such as game consoles or televisions by switching off the standby mode.

According to co2online, this accounts for an average of eight percent of the electricity bill in a 3-person household - completely unnecessary.

There is also a small saving if you remove your charging cable from the socket when no device is connected - because this also results in additional costs of around 20 cents per year.