Energy saving tips

Dish-washing

What's not to like: sparkling glasses, clean dishes, a tidy kitchen and more time for the good things in life. The dishwasher makes all that possible, and saves both energy and water in comparison with washing the dishes by hand.

Mains water contains varying concentrations of many minerals that are important in nutritional terms but that can also leave behind a film when dishes are washed in a machine. For this reason, the water is softened in the machine and the dishwasher requires a special regeneration salt for this.

Pre-rinsing under running water...

• Simply gather the used dishes together in the dishwasher and close the door so that food leftovers do not dry on.
• The dishwasher should not be switched on until it is fully loaded.
• Add the cleaning agent economically as directed by the manufacturer: as much as necessary, as little as possible. Newer models can adapt themselves to the 3 in 1 combination cleaners and switch off the indicators for salt and rinsing agent.
• Modern dishwashers offer a full range of washing programmes that take into account such things as the type of dishes (gentle programme), the amount of dishes (load recognition) or how dirty the dishes are (Automatic programmes). There are also intensive programmes for very dirty dishes and economy programmes for dishes that are only slightly dirty.

The right appliance for everyone...

• High-level and drawer-type dishwashers allow particular ease of handling because they can be opened and closed without having to bend down.
• With a full load, appliances 60 centimetres wide (for 12 – 15 standard place settings) work more economically than appliances 45 centimetres wide (6 – 10 standard place settings).
• Some appliances are fitted with heat exchanger surfaces. They allow the energy of the current cycle to be used for the following cycle.
• Most appliances can be connected to the cold and hot water supply. A hot water connection is appropriate above all when using regenerative energies, for example when a heating pump is being used.

Office equipment

When using a PC, the power consumption normally covers all aspects of data processing.

• LCD monitors require only half as much energy as tube monitors
• Switch off monitors when they are not in use
• Use the PC's power-saving function
• Connect PCs, printers etc. to a switchable multiway connector and switch this off after all the devices have been switched off. This ensures that no device remains in standby mode and continues to consume power unnecessarily.
• Screen saver to save electricity? On a PC monitor, calculating moving images sometimes consumes even more power. It is best to simply switch off the monitor during long pauses.
• Do not switch on the printer and scanner until you want to use them – often they are hardly ever needed, but consume power.
• In the case of PC components such as processors, graphics cards and sound cards, there are significant differences in power consumption depending on the model. Pay attention to energy efficiency when buying a new device or when retrofitting new components.
• In contrast to desktop computers, laptops are generally more energy-efficient in order to prevent the processing performance from using up the battery charge too quickly.

Computers not only consume 5 – 100 W in stand-by mode, they also quietly continue to consume power when switched off.

Cooking and baking

It's always easy to find an excuse to cook or bake something delicious. After all, eating with friends and family is an extremely popular pastime. And it's made all the more enjoyable when meals are prepared not just creatively and healthily but also with saving both energy and the environment in mind.

Small appliances score top marks when it comes to saving energy. In the Express kettle, just a half-litre of water can be boiled not just far more cheaply but also more quickly than on the hob. Egg boilers and coffee machines not only help you save but also make your everyday tasks easier. The microwave is ideal for heating up meals and cooking small amounts.

Microwave or electric cooker: A comparison of power consumption

A hob is only ever as good as the saucepan that you use

• Choose the saucepan diameter to suit the size of the hob. Heat and energy will be lost unnecessarily if the saucepan is too small. If it is clearly too big, it will take too long to heat up.
• Saucepans should have a flat base and a well-fitting lid. Lids that are not on straight allow too much heat to escape, with the result that up to three times the amount of electricity is consumed.
• If you use a pressure cooker for dishes that take over 20 minutes to cook, you can save up to 50 percent time and 30 percent energy.

As little as possible, as much as necessary

• You can also boil with just a small amount of water. Just one cup of water can cook four portions of potatoes. That saves energy.
• After bringing the water to the boil, reduce the hob heat setting to simmer or use the Automatic function.
• Use the residual heat. When cooking potatoes, switch off the hob five to ten minutes before the end of the cooking time, and when boiling rice switch it off about 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
• Don't be a "pot watcher". That wastes energy. A glass lid saves you having to lift it off during cooking, thereby conserving energy.

When switched off, it looks similar to a normal hob surface but aspiring chefs know: The induction hob offers more. Full power and greater safety in no time at all, thanks to saucepan recognition and lower residual heat because the heat is produced directly in the base of the saucepan – the saucepan must be magnetisable. Do the magnet test: Examples of suitable materials are enamelled steel or cast iron.

Use the residual heat

• Roast meat also turns crispy if you switch off the oven ten minutes before the end of the cooking time.
• The oven door should not be opened unnecessarily. If the oven door is opened during cooking, this can cause for example puff pastry to collapse.    

 Making full use of the oven

• Cooking several dishes simultaneously or baking two cakes together saves both time and energy.
• Pastries, roasts and casseroles can also be cooked by putting them into a cold oven. Preheating is only rarely required (as instructed by the manufacturer), for example when baking bread.
• The Sunday roast should only go into the oven if it weighs more than two kilogrammes. Otherwise, use a casserole pot or pressure cooker. If you have a fan oven: Use it to cook food simultaneously on more than one level, saving both time and energy.
• Those who enjoy healthy food use a steam cooker or a combination oven. The food is cooked not in water but by hot steam, which preserves more of the vitamins and minerals. Not only does the steam cooker preserve the natural colour of vegetables, it is also ideal for cooking fish, potatoes and for thawing out food. Also, pressure-resistant appliances reduce cooking times by up to 50 percent.

Health conscious gourmets trust the steam cooker or combi steamer. Foods cook in hot steam and not in water, which helps preserve vitamins and minerals. Not only do the vegetables retain their natural color, but the steamer is also ideal for fish, potatoes and defrosting. In addition, low pressure cookers allow a reduction in cooking time of up to 50%.

Refrigerating and freezing

The trend today is towards healthy eating. To keep fruit and vegetables rich in vitamins and crunchy, fish fresh and meat tender while at the same time saving energy, a few points should be observed when it comes to refrigerating and freezing because fridges and freezers are in use round the clock. So it's worthwhile taking an extra look at energy consumption.

- 18° C is the ideal temperature for a freezer, otherwise energy consumption increases too much.

Increasing the fridge's temperature from 5° C to 7° C results in a 15 per cent energy saving.

Everything in its place ...

• Different foods need different storage temperatures. A multi-zone device can therefore meet all your needs. Experience shows that foods placed in the low temperature zone (slightly above 0 ° C) are kept up to three times longer than in the normal refrigeration zone.

High-quality wines also need to be stored appropriately. Special wine cooler cabinets or multi-temperature wine cabinets (with different temperature zones) take the place of the wine cellar. Today, high-quality side-by-side appliances also offer the possibility of a wine climate zone with a fresh air supply.

Unused refrigeration and freezing space costs ...

• Buy an appliance of a suitable size for your needs. In the case of a chest freezer for example, 100 litres of unused space consume up to 200 kWh per year.
• Chest freezers are preferable to upright freezers. Because cold sinks, chest freezers lose less cold than upright freezers when they are opened.
• Do not put fridges and freezers next to a cooker or a heat source. The lower the ambient temperature is, the lower the electricity consumption will be.
• Foodstuffs should only be kept well chilled and covered or well packed in the fridge, except for fruit and vegetables stored at just above 0° C. To allow optimum moisture circulation, they should always be stored unpacked.
• Opening the appliance's door frequently and for too long costs energy. Organised food clearly saved tiresome searching and makes space.
• Dirty or damaged rubber seals on the appliance's door allow cold and therefore energy to escape.
• A large fridge uses less energy than two small ones.
• Is an ice compartment necessary? Fridges without one consume 20% less energy.
• It is worthwhile keeping the ventilation grille (rear panel) of appliances free of dust and ensuring that air circulation is uninterrupted.
• On freezers without automatic defrosting, defrosting is necessary when the ice layer exceeds one centimetre otherwise energy will be wasted unnecessarily. NoFrost appliances on the other hand remain ice-free.
• Before freezing large quantities or before defrosting, the Super function provides a necessary reserve of cold.
• Appliances with thicker thermal insulation have the additional advantage that the contents remain frozen for longer in the event of a failure.
• Scrapped fridges and freezers must be disposed of correctly. Your local authority can give you more information about this.

Star labelling and storage period

Hot water

Besides heating, most energy in the home is required for the provision of hot water. Everyone in the household uses, on average, between 30 to 50 litres of hot water daily. More than half of this is accounted for by baths and showers. A further quarter is used in the kitchen and for cleaning the home, with the remainder being used for washing.

A water tap should not drip. Even at a rate of one drop per second, 20 litres of water are lost in 24 hours, equivalent to two buckets per day. If possible, use ceramic seals on your taps. These are wear-free.

Better a warm shower than a hot bath

• Showering instead of taking a bath not only saves energy, it also saves up to 70 per cent in water. Water must not flow all the time. For example, the water tap can remain off while soaping up under the shower or when cleaning your teeth. Do not set the temperature of hot water tanks any higher than necessary, because the heat losses increase in relative terms along with the temperature difference to the ambient air. It is worth switching off hot water tanks if you are going to be absent for an extended period or when you go on holiday.

Hot water all the time

• Rarely used taps, for example in the guest room WC, are most efficiently supplied by small electric water heaters.
• Electronic water heaters provide not just a high level of comfort, they are also up to 20 percent more economical in terms of power consumption than the usual hydraulic water heaters.
• The water temperature can be adjusted more quickly with single-lever mixers instead of taps with two handles. This saves both water and energy.

Use free solar energy, for example with solar collectors on the roof. A solar system of this type can cover about half of your hot water needs. Electronic water heaters and small storage heaters supplement the solar collectors to give you a complete and energy-efficient hot water supply. Another environmentally-friendly alternative for heating and a hot water supply is the heat pump. It uses environmental energy particularly efficiently.

Stand-by

Many electronic devices have a small red lamp to indicate that they are "constantly ready". While this is very practical, it also means that they are constantly using energy even when they're not being used at all.

Depending on the devices in the household, when in stand-by mode they can result in costs of between 65 and 130 Euros per year. It is worth completely switching off all electrical devices that are not currently being used.

Hi-Fi, TV and other stand-by modes

• TVs, stereo systems and also individual components often cannot be completely disconnected from the mains even after being switched off. This is indicated by the LEDs still being illuminated, or by it still being possible to switch the device back on with the remote control. The solution here is to use a switchable multiway connector and to also switch this off after switching off the device.
• Some newer TVs have an Eco or Auto-off switch. This means that the device automatically switches to Stand-by mode after a certain time.
• To be certain that your mobile phone's charger is no longer consuming power after completing the charging operation, pull it out of the socket.

Some electrical devices constantly consume current when in Stand-by mode, to which little importance is generally attached. However, even devices without a Stand-by function consume current when in constant operation. The table below shows how much energy your "silent consumers" require each year. The values in the table are typical values. Precise measurements should be made using an ammeter. You can borrow these devices free of charge from Enovos!

Consumer electronics: tv-video-dvd-stereo

• TVs employing traditional tube technology have very low connected loads and thus consume little energy.
• LCD and in particular plasma screens on the other hand have much higher connected loads. This means that their electrical consumption is many times that of tube screens.
• The image frequency situation is exactly the same: At 100 Hz as opposed to 50 Hz, the electrical consumption can easily be 30 % greater.
• All consumer electronics appliances should be disconnected from the mains when not in use via a switchable multiway connector (see stand-by consumption).
• TVs should not remain switched on as background animation throughout the day. As with lamps, you should make a habit of switching off the TV when it is not being watched.

Lightning

As much as approximately seven to ten per cent of a household's power consumption is accounted for by lighting.

Pay attention to the energy label when buying a household lamp. The average service life of the lamp in hours, the electrical power in Watts and the light output in lumens are also shown alongside the energy consumption. Fluorescent and energy-saving lamps are in Classes A and B, halogen bulbs (low-voltage – 12 Volt) are in Class C, and halogen bulbs (230 Volt) are in Class D.

Depending on the fluorescent material, light in fluorescent lamps is produced with a different light colour. "dw" – daylight white, "nw" – neutral white and "ww" – warm white are available for different lighting purposes. Daylight white is particularly suitable for sewing. The warm while light of an incandescent lamp or of an equivalent fluorescent lamp on the other hand provides a pleasant atmosphere in the living area. Neutral white is recommended for a functional atmosphere (garage, hobby cellar).

Incandescent bulbs, energy-saving bulbs, halogen bulbs, lights ...

• Bulbs produce the visible light. They are screwed or inserted into lights as, for example, incandescent, halogen or fluorescent bulbs.
• Tubular, circular and U-shaped fluorescent bulbs have been used successfully for many years. They are available in various light colours and with different colour rendering properties. Their advantages are high light yield, a long service life and low power consumption. It is also worth looking carefully at the light colours.
• Compact fluorescent bulbs, often also called energy-saving bulbs, are miniaturised fluorescent bulbs. Nowadays they are available in all popular socket and bayonet versions.
• Halogen bulbs produce a very brilliant and warm light. They are ideal for atmospheric lighting. Halogen bulbs for a voltage of 230 V can be used in ordinary incandescent bulb holders.

What you should pay attention to …

• Halogen bulbs are recommended for illuminating objects due to their compact design. The light beam angle is determined by the reflector of the light or of the bulb.
• A harmonious brightness distribution of the general lighting from efficient compact or fluorescent bulbs and high illuminance at the workplace also boosts working performance and saves energy.
• To obtain the light yield of the bulbs and lights, they should be cleaned at regular intervals but the lights must be de-energized prior to cleaning.
• Install a time switch in rooms such as cellars, store rooms and hallways to switch off the lights if you forget.
• Pay attention when buying bulbs. In Luxemburg you require bulbs with a mains voltage of 230-240V. Lower-voltage bulbs have a shorter service life.
• Change faulty bulbs on transformer-operated lights quickly, because a faulty bulb means higher voltage going to the remaining bulbs, resulting in their service life being shortened.
• Use as much daylight as possible.

More light for greater safety …

• Stairs are a frequent source of accidents in the home. Good lighting can significantly and very easily improve this situation.

All discharge bulbs such as fluorescent bulbs, compact fluorescent economy bulbs and high-pressure discharge bulbs are classed as special waste and must not be disposed of in the bin. Also make sure that you do not break used discharge bulbs.

Correct ventilation

Centralised or decentralised domestic ventilation units with heat recovery provide good air quality independently of window ventilation. In addition and unlike with window ventilation, the heat contained in the "used" outgoing air is returned to the incoming air.

Ventilate briefly but thoroughly...

• The moisture in the room's air increases when you use the kitchen or the bathroom and from house plants. Insufficient ventilation can result in condensation damage and mould. The "used" breathing air must also be replaced. The following applies as a guideline: Ventilate for five minutes approximately every two hours. To do this, open the window wide and close it again fully after a short time. It is essential to avoid continuous ventilation with a tilted window!
• The radiator thermostats should be switched off during ventilation.
• Seal old windows well. It is more economical in terms of saving energy to install new, tightly-closing windows in conjunction with a domestic ventilation system.

Window ventilation

With window ventilation, how long it takes for the used room air to be completely replaced by fresh air from outside depends on both the type of ventilation (through-ventilation, intermittent ventilation, tilt ventilation) and the wind and temperature conditions.

Tilt ventilation

With windows tilted, it takes about 60 minutes for the used room air to be completely replaced. However, the windows usually remain tilted for even longer, resulting in an unnecessarily high rate of air exchange. Another disadvantage: The window reveals, the surrounding components and the internal fittings cool down significantly. This increases the amount of time taken to heat up the room again, and there is a risk of moisture condensing on the cooled surfaces.

If the continuous ventilation is also done with the thermostat valves open, much of the rising warm air from radiators is unused and flows outside. Tilted windows are a welcome "entry opportunity" for intruders. Large amounts of water from driving rain can enter the living areas. Continuous ventilation with tilted windows comes with many disadvantages. For energy reasons, this type of ventilation is at most recommended for periods when the heating is not switched on, from May to September.

Intermittent ventilation

With the window open, it takes between 5 and 10 minutes in the winter months for the used room air to be completely replaced.

Rule of thumb: The colder it is outside, the shorter the ventilation time.

Through-ventilation

A room can be ventilated very quickly with the window and door - preferably located opposite each other - fully open. This is the most effective and - in terms of energy - economical method of ventilation if the time is strictly limited to a few minutes.

Closed windows

In older buildings, basic ventilation takes place via leaks and draughty windows. Even without opening windows, there is an uncontrolled exchange of air in the heated rooms which is often associated with high energy losses.

Modern buildings are made as airtight as possible. For this reason, user behaviour in new builds and in houses that have undergone energy-efficient modernisation must be changed so as to consciously replace used air with fresh air and to prevent warm, moist room air from causing structural damage and mould.

Windowless inner rooms should have a possibility for ventilation (shaft ventilation, fan ventilation). If this is not provided, the used and malodorous air can reach adjoining living areas. This unpleasant effect can be further exacerbated by unfavourable wind conditions.

Moisture damage: In interior kitchens and bathrooms, there is also the risk of moist air condensing on the cold surfaces of components and causing moisture damage.

Heating correctly

Energy can be saved most effectively where consumption in the home is greatest: when heating. Many possibilities for saving on heating energy involve technical and physical building work. However, anyone can adjust their habits to help prevent energy being lost unnecessarily.

At night you can reduce the room temperature by up to 5° C. You can already start turning down the heat one or two hours before going to bed.

Heating costs rise along with the room temperature. Heating costs increase by about 6 per cent per degree. Every degree lower helps save on energy and costs.

The air needs to get out

• Radiators must be bled regularly. Once a radiator starts to "gurgle" or when the heat distribution across the radiator is very uneven, that is definitely the time.
• Heating pipes in unheated rooms such as the cellar are not insulated, particularly in older buildings. It is worth remedying this and getting them insulated.
• Do not allow curtains and net curtains to hang down in front of radiators, as they prevent a lot of heat from being released into the room air and result in a greater heat loss via the windows.
• Programmable thermostat valves are worth having. They regulate the temperature to suit your needs. For example the temperature is reduced during working hours and increased in the evening, and is then lowered again automatically during the night.
• Thermostat valves must not be covered so that they can register the room temperature.
• Keep the doors of heated rooms closed.
• Close the roller blinds in the evening. This reduces the loss of heat to outside the room.
• With electric heaters: Use direct heaters in rarely used rooms. Underfloor heating is a good solution in bathrooms.
• Heating systems should be professionally inspected regularly. Modern circulation pumps require less energy.

Heating

Energy can be saved most effectively where consumption in the home is greatest: when heating. Many possibilities for saving on heating energy involve technical and physical building work. However, anyone can adjust their habits to help prevent energy being lost unnecessarily.

At night you can reduce the room temperature by up to 5° C. You can already start turning the heat down one or two hours before going to bed.

Heating costs rise along with the room temperature. Heating costs increase by about 6 per cent per degree. Every degree lower helps save on energy and costs.

The air needs to get out ...

• Radiators must be bled regularly. Once a radiator starts to "gurgle" or when the heat distribution across the radiator is very uneven, that is definitely the time.
• Heating pipes in unheated rooms such as the cellar are not insulated, particularly in older buildings. It is worth remedying this and getting them insulated.
• Heating systems should be professionally inspected regularly. Modern circulation pumps require less energy.

Hot water

Besides heating, most energy in the home is required for the provision of hot water. Everyone in the household uses, on average, between 30 to 50 litres of hot water daily. More than half of this is accounted for by baths and showers. A further quarter is used in the kitchen and for cleaning the home, with the remainder being used in wash basins.

Better a warm shower than a hot bath ...

• Do not set the temperature of hot water tanks any higher than necessary, because the heat losses increase in relative terms along with the temperature difference to the ambient air.
• It is worth switching off hot water tanks if you are going to be absent for an extended period or when you go on holiday.

Use free solar energy, for example with solar collectors on the roof. A solar system of this type can cover about half of your hot water needs. Electronic water heaters and small storage heaters supplement the solar collectors to give you a complete and energy-efficient hot water supply. Another environmentally-friendly alternative for heating and a hot water supply is the heat pump. It uses environmental energy particularly efficiently.

Washing and drying

New fabrics pose different challenges in terms of care than materials previously used. Sport and leisure are exactly the areas in which pure cotton materials are improved by being combined with polyamide – which maintains the garments' shape and makes them crease-resistant, while at the same time being absorbent. The care symbols tell you how to look after this combination of fibres. Essential help is provided here by modern washing machines that offer a wide range of washing programs, as well as washer-dryers for gentle drying.

If you want to use a dryer to dry your laundry, you should pay particular attention to the spin speed when buying a washing machine. Modern washing machines are capable of 1800 revolutions or more per minute and can reduce the amount of residual moisture in the laundry by up to 42 percent. That is approximately 28 percent less residual moisture than at 800 revolutions. A small amount of residual moisture means not just less energy and lower costs for drying, it also saves time.

Pay attention to the key values on the energy label when you buy a washing machine or a tumble dryer. In addition to the energy consumption label, the washing machine's washing performance and spin performance must also be taken into account. Different efficiency class limit values apply to tumble dryers and condensation dryers. This takes into account the different influence that both drying systems have on the room heat.

Making full use of the washing drum capacity...

• Today there are domestic washing machines that can hold up to 6 or 8 kg of laundry. You should fill up the machine completely if possible, except when washing delicates and wool.
• Select prewash only for very dirty laundry, such as dirty work clothes.
• Use economy programmes. 60° C are sufficient for a normal hot wash, and 30° C or 40° C are sufficient for most coloured laundry.
• Connecting the washing machine to the central hot water supply is particularly appropriate if the hot water is produced using regenerative energy (heat pump, solar collectors).

The right amount of detergent is what matters...

• Add the correct amount of detergent for the amount of dirt, water hardness and as directed by the manufacturer. As much as necessary, as little as possible. Too much damages the environment unnecessarily – not enough can result in dirt and limescale deposits in the fabric and on machine components.
• Auxiliary washing agents such as softener, starch and stain remover should only be used in a targeted and careful manner.

Always put a full load in the dryer...

• If the dryer is filled with fabrics that are similar in terms of material, size and thickness, this shortens the drying time and saves energy.
• There are two different types of dryers: Tumble dryers and condensation dryers. Tumble dryers discharge the moist warm air outside. This is best done via a special opening in the wall. Tumble dryers are not only cheaper to buy, they are also more economical in terms of energy consumption than convection dryers, which condense the moisture and collect it in a vessel.
• After every drying cycle, it is worth cleaning the air filter and - in the case of a condensation dryer - ventilating the room whist the dryer is running.
• Use economy programmes for small amounts of laundry.
• Tumble dryers with moisture control adjust the drying time to the amount of laundry and the humidity.

Washing and drying in a single machine...

• The washer-dryer is a washing machine with a built-in dryer. Today these machines can hold a maximum of between 4.5 and 6 kg of laundry for washing. In most cases the amount of laundry must be halved for drying. That means two drying cycles per washing cycle, thereby increasing the amount of time and energy required. Water consumption is also higher. However, this type of appliance is an alternative where the amount of available space is limited.
• The most economical and effective way of drying laundry is to hang it outdoors to dry in the fresh air.

Ironing

• Make sure that your laundry is not too dry and not too damp. This will prevent lost time and energy.
• Sort your washing according to ironing temperature, and start with the lowest.