Saving energy: This is how you can save a few hundred euros on refrigerators and the like

Created: 06/17/2022, 14:49

By: Wolfgang DePonte, Corbinian Sautter

Energy is becoming more and more expensive - but what is the best way for consumers to save?

From the refrigerator to the smartphone – here are the best tips at a glance.

Munich – Do you know the biggest energy guzzlers in your household?

One of the biggest chunks is the cooling and freezing of food, according to Norbert Endres, energy consultant at the Bavarian consumer advice center.

His tip: It is enough to set the fridge to +8 degrees and the freezer to -18 degrees.

"Because every degree too much consumes five percent more electricity."

Energy consumption: refrigerators and freezers are the biggest power guzzlers

According to the consumer portal CO2online.de, refrigerators and freezers account for around eleven percent of electricity consumption in private households, 28 percent is for information technology, TV and audio, 14 percent for washing machines and dryers, 13 percent for lights, nine percent for cooking and eight percent on the rinse.

And where and how can you save now?

Above all, one thing is decisive: the willingness to part with old habits.

Because by changing your behavior you can save around 70 euros in electricity costs (and thus also a lot of CO2) a year in the kitchen alone:

• Pay attention to the filling quantity of the kettle: ten euros per year (16 kg CO2)

• Cook without preheating and with residual heat: 20 euros (30 kg CO2)

• Cooking with a lid: 20 euros (30 kg CO2)

• Energy efficient fridge: 70 euros (105 kg CO2).

  The reason: refrigerators and freezers run continuously - and in the worst case they are responsible for a quarter of the electricity consumption.

  A modern device in the best energy efficiency class uses up to 50 percent less electricity than older models.

  Specifically: While you have to reckon with electricity costs of around 109 euros per year for a fridge-freezer combination built in 2001, it is only around 56 euros for a new device (price around 350 euros).

  This saves 922 euros in electricity costs over 15 years.

  If you take into account that the price of electricity has risen again this year (by an average of 13 to 22 percent), the savings potential is even greater.

• Defrost fridge and freezer: eight euros (12 kg CO2)

• Close the refrigerator door quickly: eight euros (12 kg CO2)

• Shutting down the extra cooling device (the old freezer that is in the basement and is still running is often superfluous): 185 euros (270 kg CO2).

And another tip: It is also useful to store a supply of juice in the fridge.

Because similar to batteries in a cool box, the objects in the fridge also store cold - and release it to their surroundings.

The fuller the refrigerator, the less cooling power the device has to provide after opening.

The refrigerator is one of the biggest energy guzzlers in the home.

But you can save here too.

© Ute Grabowsky/Imago Images

Saving energy: There are also options for PCs, televisions and smartphones

It's not just when using the refrigerator that your own behavior is important, but also when it comes to computers.

The power saving and climate balance sheet of a laptop is better than that of a PC.

In order to ensure the longest possible battery life, laptops need much less energy - they avoid up to 27 kilograms of CO2 per year compared to their big brothers.

A multimedia PC consumes 75 watts and more in normal operation, while a laptop with comparable equipment and performance only needs 30 watts.

18 euros can be saved per year if you switch from a PC to a laptop.

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A tablet or cell phone consumes even less electricity: the electricity costs for new devices amount to just a few euros per year.

(An iPad 6 that is charged every other day causes electricity costs of around 4 euros/year).

Tip

You can use the control panel to adapt the energy-saving mode to your own needs: set up screen brightness, automatic shutdown or hibernation according to your own specifications.

This saves up to ten percent electricity and also has the advantage that a battery charge lasts longer.

Nothing against using devices for as long as possible, after all, the production of new devices costs a lot of energy and raw materials, but old tube televisions should be discarded.

Because they are real power guzzlers.

When buying a new device, you should then bear in mind that the larger the screen and the more extensive the equipment, the more electricity the television needs.

Inefficient large-screen televisions with screen diagonals of more than one meter often consume more electricity than a refrigerator over a year.

Energy consumption: stand-by as a hidden cost factor

Speaking of televisions: the same applies here as to all electronic devices: switch them off completely after use and also unplug the charger from the socket.

The Federal Environment Agency estimates that the stand-by operation of devices causes electricity costs of around four billion euros a year throughout Germany.

For the individual consumer, this means that if you do not leave the devices in stand-by mode, you can save around 115 euros in electricity costs and avoid 170 kg of CO2.

According to the expert, just switching off the TV and Internet router overnight, the power consumption of which is underestimated by many, can save around 60 euros a year.

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In order to save on daily personal hygiene, Endres recommends installing a so-called economy shower.

Instead of 15 to 25 liters per minute, the alternative attachment only lets through nine to twelve liters, depending on the regulation.

According to Endres, the 30 euros for the purchase were quickly recouped.