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IN THE KITCHEN
1.1 THE REFRIGERATOR
Remember that almost 19% of electricity consumed in Spanish homes is used for refrigerating and freezing food, and therefore the correct use of this appliance is extremely important for our family economy.
Unlike other appliances, the efficiency of a refrigerator depends on the place where it is installed. Air must be allowed to circulate at the back of the unit and it must be kept away from sources of heat and direct solar radiation.
Keep the rear of the refrigerator and freezer clean and well ventilated. When improperly installed, these units consume up to 15% more.
If frost forms within the freezer, defrost before the layer of ice reaches a thickness of 3 mm: you could obtain savings of up to 30%.
Check that the rubber door seals are in good condition and close properly: this will prevent the refrigerator from leaking cold air.
Never place hot food in the refrigerator: if you allow it to cool down outside, you will save energy.
When you take food out of the freezer for consumption the following day, defreeze it in the refrigerator compartment instead of outside. In this way you will get an extra source of cold free of charge.
Adjust the thermostat to maintain a temperature of 6° C in the refrigeration compartment and -18° C in the freezer. For every degree the temperature goes down, 5% more energy will be consumed unnecessarily.
Open the door as little as possible and close it quickly: just a few seconds are enough to lose most of the cold air accumulated.
1.2 WHEN COOKING
Make sure that the bottoms of cooking vessels are slightly above the burner or cooking area: you will make maximum use of the heat from the cooker.
Get used to using a pressure cooker. Better still, use a super fast pressure cooker (with very little loss of steam during cooking): they consume less energy and save a lot of time
Cover saucepans with a lid during cooking: they will consume less energy.
In the case of electric cookers, use saucepans with thick bottoms: this will distribute heat more uniformly over the entire surface.
Make use of the residual heat of electric cookers by turning them off five minutes before the food is finally cooked. If you have a vitroceramic cooker, use its economy programme.
Always remember that using a microwave instead of a conventional oven represents an energy saving of between 60 and 70% and takes considerably less time.
Try to make maximum use of the capacity of the oven and cook as much food as possible at the same time.
For cooking times of more than one hour it is not usually necessary to preheat the oven.
Avoid opening the oven unnecessarily. Every time you do so, you lose a minimum of 20% of the heat accumulated inside.
Turn off the oven a little before cooking is complete: its residual heat will be sufficient to complete the process.
If there is time, defreeze food inside the refrigerator. This will avoid having to use the oven or microwave for defreezing.
1.3 WHEN WASHING-UP
Wash dishes in a dishwasher. Washing by hand with hot water can be as much as 60% more expensive than using a modern, fully loaded dishwasher.
Do not use the dishwasher until it is completed full. But do not overload the dishwasher or place one dish on top of another either. If you do so, you will probably have to wash them again, consuming more energy.
If you have to wash dishes when the dishwasher is only half full, use short or economy programmes.
If you need to rinse the dishes before placing them in the dishwasher, use cold water.
Whenever possible, use economy or low temperature programmes.
1.4 WITH THE WASHING
After the refrigerator and television, the washing machine is the highest consumer of energy in your home.
Most of the energy consumed by these appliances (between 80 and 85%) is used to heat the water and therefore, whenever possible, it is very important to wash clothes using low temperature programmes.
The 90° C washing cycle consumes almost twice the energy consumed by the 60° C cycle.
Make sure that the washing machine is always full and use its economy programmes.
Clean the washing machine filter on a regular basis: it will operate better and save energy.
If you have subscribed to a night-time tariff, make sure to use the washing machine and the largest number of appliances possible during the time when the lower rates are in force.
Dryers consume a great deal of energy. Therefore, it is recommendable to use them only when clothes have to be dried quickly.
If you use the dryer, spin-dry your clothes beforehand to reduce drying times. You will use much less energy in this way.
Make maximum use of the capacity of your dryer and ensure that it works at full load in each case.
Do not dry cotton garments and heavy clothes together with light garments in the same load. The latter will dry quicker.
Use the humidity sensor to prevent excessive drying. You will save time and energy.
Clean the dryer filter periodically and inspect the ventilation hole to ensure that it is not blocked. This will improve its efficiency.
1.5 WITH DOMESTIC RUBBISH
Every Spaniard generates an average of 1.7 kilos of domestic rubbish on a daily basis, representing a total of 620 kilos of rubbish per inhabitant and year.
Waste is a potential source of energy and raw materials that can be used in production cycles. In fact, more than 65% of all the rubbish generated in Spain can be reused or recycled.
Organic waste can be reused mainly as a fertiliser or compost.
Paper and cardboard can also be recycled easily. In fact, in Spain, more than 2.5 million tonnes of paper are recycled every year, although a similar amount is also sent to landfills or incinerators.
Every tonne of paper recycled saves 14 trees and prevents the consumption of 50,000 litres of water and more than 300 kg of petroleum.
It must be remembered that some types of paper, such as plastic-coated paper, adhesive and waxed paper, fax paper and self-copying paper cannot be recycled.
In addition to reducing the number of trees that are cut down, recycling paper also reduces the consumption of water in the paper sector by 86% and power by 65%.
100% of glass can be recycled. For every bottle recycled, the energy required to keep a television on for 3 hours or to keep 5 20-W lamps on for 4 hours can be saved.
By recycling the 3000 bottles that fit into a glass waste container, about 130 kg of petroleum and 1200 kg of raw materials are saved.
Recycling plastics, on the other hand, is a complex matter. Moreover, all plastics are manufactured from petroleum. For this reason, by consuming plastics we contribute to using up a non-renewable resource.
Plastics take a long time to degrade and if appropriate for incineration, they emit CO2 into the atmosphere as well as very dangerous contaminants for our health and for the environment.
For this reason, reject any plastic bag you do not really need. Always carry a bag when you go shopping.
Pay a great deal of attention when purchasing so-called disposable products. Decide whether they are really necessary or not.
The manufacture of aluminium is one of the highest energy consuming industrial processes and has the highest environmental impact. Use moderate amounts of aluminium foil and plastic for wrapping.
Bear in mind that with the energy required to manufacture one aluminium soft drinks can, a television could be kept on for two hours.
Remember that Tetra-Brick containers are made from thin layers of cellulose, aluminium and plastic, which are very difficult to separate, hampering their recycling enormously.
Always opt for a glass container rather than a metal one; and a paper container rather than a plastic one.
Batteries, some of which contain dangerous components, especially if these come into contact with water, must be treated separately and be collected and confined in special places to prevent any damage to the environment or to human health.
Cleaning products, disinfectants, medicines, used oils, etc., which are widely used in the home, are toxic materials and must never be poured down the sink, or disposed of in a rubbish bin. Many cities provide specific collection services for this kind of waste. Find out about these services.
Make use of all the means offered by your municipality for the selective collection of waste, by depositing this in special containers. Demand that the authorities provide containers if your area is still without these.
The key to tackling the problem of waste in a systematic manner from our home, is based on the famous "Three Rs". "Reduce", "Reuse", "Recycled", also adopted by the European Union in its official documents.
REDUCE rubbish: this consists of rejecting different kinds of containers or packaging when these do not fulfil any essential function from the conservation viewpoint and do not serve any purpose for carrying or for consumption.
Family size containers are preferable to individual ones; double containers must also be avoided; tubes contained in boxes, plastic trays covered with cardboard, etc.
REUSING products before they are converted into waste means that these are used to the full, firstly in our homes or, otherwise, by returning them to the commercial network in which we purchased them.
The use of rechargeable batteries where possible is another good way of reusing products. Whenever you can, choose a watch, calculator or device that either does not work with batteries or uses rechargeable batteries.
Plastic shopping bags can be reused as rubbish bags.
RECYCLE rubbish: this consists of reusing materials present in waste so that, after being treated, these can be used again in the same process.
Only waste or products that cannot be reused for anything should be sent to the landfill or incinerator.
The orange container must be used for rubbish of an organic nature.
The yellow container is designed for Tetra-Brick type containers, plastic bottles and metal cans.
The blue container is for paper and cardboard.
Glass containers should be deposited in the green container.
2 IN THE BATHROOM
Saving water, even when this is not hot water, represents an energy saving as the water is supplied to our homes by means of electric pumps, which consume energy.
Rationalise water consumption. Do not leave taps on for no reason (when washing, shaving, brushing ones teeth, etc.).
Remember that a shower consumes about four times less water and energy than a bath.
There are also low consumption shower heads on the market that allow you to wash yourself with half the amount of water and, therefore, half the energy.
Bear in mind also that caps can be fitted with flow restrictors (aerators)
Prevent dripping and leaking taps. A simple dripping tap involves losses of up to 100 litres of water a month.
If you still have separate taps for hot and cold water in your bathroom, change these for a single mixer tap.
Remember that a temperature between 30° and 35° C is more than sufficient to ensure a feeling of comfort when washing.
Temperature regulators fitted with thermostats, mainly for the shower, can save between 4% and 6% energy.
Heating water with gas instead of with electricity prevents the emission into the atmosphere of up to half a tonne of CO2 per year and family.
If you have an electric water heater, install a programmer. This will allow you to turn it on only when you need hot water.
Two-button or partial flush systems for toilet cisterns save a great deal of water.
3 WITH HEATING SYSTEMS
Between 25% and 30% of our heating requirements are due to heat losses through windows. Check and improve your installation should you detect any deficiency.
Although comfort is a subjective sensation, it can be said that in winter a temperature of between 19° C and 21° C is sufficient for most people. At night, a temperature of between 15° and 17° C is enough to feel comfortable.
Under normal conditions, it is enough to turn on the heating in the morning. At night, except in very cold areas, the heating must be turned off, as the heat accumulated in the home during the day is usually more than sufficient (especially if blinds and curtains are closed).
The temperature at which we programme our heating system affects the amount of energy consumed. For every extra degree of temperature, your energy consumption levels will increase approximately 7%.
If you are away for a number of hours, reduce the thermostat setting to 15° C (the "economy" position of some models corresponds to this temperature).
If you have rooms that are empty or are used very little, their temperature can be lowered. It is even possible to close the radiator valve or turn off the heating unit.
Turn off the heating completely if you are going to be away for more than one day.
Boilers must be revised periodically. It is advisable to have the system checked every year at the start of winter. A dirty boiler leads to faulty combustion and an increase in consumption.
Do not wait for the unit to break down: Adequate maintenance of your individual boiler will provide energy savings of up to 15%, representing more than 100 per year in fuel.
Air inside radiators reduces their heat transmission efficiency. It is advisable to bleed radiators at least once a year at the start of winter. As soon as air stops coming out and only water comes out, the bleeding procedure is completed.
If electric radiators are replaced by heat storage units or heat pumps, this can substantially reduce your electricity bill.
For reasons of comfort, radiators are based placed under windows and should have the same length as the window in order to ensure adequate diffusion of hot air throughout the room.
In order to take maximum advantage of the heat they emit, radiators should not be covered or obstructed. Heaters installed in cavities or niches should be fitted with heat reflectors placed behind these.
In order to ventilate a room completely it is sufficient to open windows for about 10 minutes: no additional time is required to renew the air and if you do so you are only wasting energy.
From the energy and economic viewpoint, collective central heating systems with individual measurement and regulation for each of the homes is a much more efficient and cheaper system than individual or independent systems.
The advantage of heat pumps over other electrical systems are their high efficiency levels: for each kWh of energy consumed, between 2 and 4 kWh of heat is transferred. Moreover, heat pumps not only allow you to heat your home but to cool it also.
It is very important to fit a heating regulating system in order to enable us to adapt the temperature in the home to our personal needs. Programmer thermostats are affordable solutions, easy to fit and quickly pay for themselves thanks to the considerable energy savings they provide (between 8 and 13%).
For hot water boiler and radiators systems, a simple procedure to maintain the required temperature in each of the rooms consists of fitting thermostatic valves to the radiators themselves.
If your home is left unoccupied for a number of hours, it is interesting to consider replacing a normal thermostat with a programmable one, which allows you to establish temperatures in a number of different time bands and even for weekends or special days.
There are also centralised control and regulation systems on the market, known as intelligent home systems. These allow you to differentiate between areas, record and generate a warning signal in the case of breakdowns and to integrate anti-intruder security, comfort and equipment handling functions, even remotely.
In general, electric heating and hot water production systems are not recommendable from the energy viewpoint. Within the different variations of electrical heating, the most appropriate systems are heat pumps and storage units that operate when night-time tariffs are in force, and the least appropriate systems are individual units (electrical radiators, convectors, etc.) distributed in a number of rooms.
4 WITH AIR-CONDITIONING
It is important to heed the advice of qualified professionals about the type of equipment and power that best responds to our cold and heat requirements, in accordance with the characteristics of the rooms to be air-conditioned.
It must be borne in mind that, for the same performance level, there are appliances that consume up to 60% more electricity than others.
It is important to place refrigeration units where you can avoid the direct rays of the sun and ensure proper air circulation. Should condenser units be installed on the roof, it is advisable to fit sunshades.
When you turn on the air-conditioning units, do not adjust the thermostat to a temperature lower than normal: this will not cool the house more quickly and may prove to be excessive, giving rise to unnecessary expense.
Turn off the air-conditioning when there is no one at home or in the room that is being air-conditioned.
Close blinds and curtains with efficient systems to reduce the heat in your home in summer and to prevent heat from escaping in winter.
Remember that light colours on ceilings and external walls reflect the sun and, therefore, prevent the interior from getting too hot.
With the installation of proper canopies and glazing, as well as an adequate installation of walls and ceilings, energy savings of over 30% can be obtained in air-conditioning bills.
There are transparent adhesive strips which, glued to the outside of windows, reduce the flow of heat towards the interior of the home.
As our bodies adapt to the weather conditions prevalent in summer and due to the fact that we wear lighter and less clothing, this means that a temperature of 25° C at this time of the year is more than sufficient to feel comfortable inside our home. In any case, a difference with regard to the outside temperature of more than 12° C is not healthy.
In summer, ventilate your home when the air outside is colder (early hours of the morning and during the night).
A fan, preferably installed in the ceiling, can be sufficient to maintain an adequate level of comfort.
The adequate maintenance and cleaning of equipment extends their service life and saves energy.
5 WITH LIGHTING
Whenever possible, take advantage of the available sunlight, which is more natural, less contaminating and is also free.
Use light colours on walls and ceilings: take greater advantage of natural lighting and you will be able to reduce the use artificial illumination.
The lighting requirements of each part of the house should be analysed, as not all areas required the same amount, at the same time nor with the same intensity.
Adjust lighting levels to your requirements and give preference to localised illumination: in addition to savings you will be able to create more comfortable ambiences.
Do not leave lights on in rooms that are not occupied, reduce decorative illumination on exteriors: gardens, etc., and place lights in such as way that adjacent spaces such as hallways and corridors can be lit.
Keep lamps and lampshades clean. This will raise light levels without increasing power consumption.
Remember that the luminous efficiency of a lamp is the amount of light emitted per unit of consumed electrical power (W). This is measured in lumens per watt and allows the efficiency of some light sources to be compared with others.
The luminous efficiency of incandescent bulbs is between 12 lumens/watt and 20 lumens/watt, while for fluorescent lamps, this ranges between 40 lumens/watt to 100 lumens/watt.
Incandescent bulbs only take advantage of 5% of the electrical energy they consume in lighting; the remaining 95% is transformed into heat, without luminous radiation. Nevertheless, low consumption lamps turn on instantaneously and give off very little heat.
Replace incandescent bulbs with low consumption lamps. For the same amount of lighting, they save up to 80% of power and last 8 times longer When changing bulbs, give priority to those that are on for longer periods of time.
In those locations where lamps are frequently turned on and off, it is recommendable to install electronic type lamps instead of conventional low consumption lamps, as the more often they are turned on the shorter their service life will be.
Use fluorescent tubes in those rooms where more light is required for longer periods of time, for example, in your kitchen.
6 WITH GOOD INSULATION
A poorly insulated home requires more energy: in winter your home gets cold quickly and condensation may form inside. In summer it will get hotter and in a shorter period of time.
Small improvements in your insulation may involve energy and economic savings of up to 30% in heating and/or air-conditioning.
We often associate insulation with the external walls of houses. However, insulation is also required in other areas of the building next to non air-conditioned spaces.
In addition to reducing noise, well-insulated walls that separate adjoining houses also avoid heat loss. Insulation in the form of 3 cm layers of cork, fibreglass or polyurethane on walls and ceiling provides the same insulating capacity as a 1- m-thick stone wall.
Roofs represent the largest heat exchange surface between the interior and exterior of a building: it is here where more heat is lost or gained, if it is not well insulated.
The thermal insulation of a window depends on the quality of the glass and the type of carpentry used to make the frame. During the winter, the energy contained in 12 kg of gas oil is lost through a single pane of glass for every square meter of surface area.
Double glazing systems or double windows reduce heat loss by virtually 50% compared to single glazing. These systems also reduce air currents, water condensation and the formation of frost.
With regard to the type of carpentry, those featuring a thermal bridge break with insulating material between the inner part and outer part of the frame, are especially interesting.
Make sure the boxes that house your blinds are not cracked and are properly insulated: you will save energy.
In order to seal cracks and reduce the infiltration of air from doors and windows, you can use a number of simple, economical methods such as silicone, mastic or draft excluders. You will save between 5% and 10% in your energy bill.
Use transparent plastic material adhesive strips for sticking these to frames and window panes. In this way you will obtain considerable reductions in heat loss (when placed in the interior) or heat gain (if placed on the exterior).
If you have a fireplace, close the flue when this is not in use.
© e k o p a s s -2010
