More and more people are concerned and interested in the different ways of saving energy at home. Sometimes there are options that require planning or initial investment. However, at other times starting is very simple. A good starting point is to start with the optimization of the lighting of our houses.

Saving electricity is within everyone’s reach.  Take these 10 tips and start saving on your bill today.

1. Optimal temperature control

If the point of home automation has seemed a bit excessive, you do not need to go so far to learn how to save electricity at home with automated systems.

For example, a simple programmable thermostat also generates considerable savings on the electricity bill by adjusting the temperature to our different needs: day/night, weekends, trips, etc.

The ideal temperature for home ranges between  20-23º  during the day and  15-17º at night. Schedule time for the heat to kick in a bit before you get up or get home. You will see how it is enough to feel comfortable.

And for those who suffer from cold, it is better to wear a little more clothing than to increase the temperature by a couple of degrees. A sweatshirt at home can help you save on your electricity bill and take care of the planet.

2. Take advantage of the sunlight

The popular expression “last but not least” fits perfectly here. We have already seen several points on how we can save electricity at home by changing some of our habits.

But…, what if there was a way to spend less electricity without having to do anything. That’s where optimizing sunlight comes in for our benefit.

Whenever the orientation of your house allows it, try to get the most out of this inexhaustible source of light. Place study tables or reading places in areas near the windows to gain natural light.

You can also place mirrors inside the house to make the most of daylight. A strategy that was already used in ancient times to illuminate and that we can now add to our commitments to save electricity, pay less and take care of the planet.

“Only 30% of the consumption is necessary in off-peak hours to start saving electricity with a rate with hourly discrimination. It turns out that most of us already consume 50% of the electricity in that hour.”

3. Choose efficient appliances whenever you can

Using class A appliances and making optimal use of each of them at home is key if we want to start saving electricity in our homes.

If you have to change any appliances, choose those with  more efficient energy labels , such as A+, A++ or A+++. Although they are usually more expensive, in the long run you are saving so much on electricity , that really at the end of their life they are cheaper than the cheapest appliances.

“An efficient refrigerator consumes up to 40% less electricity, the equivalent of saving more than 250 euros per year.”

4. Proper use of electrical appliances is key to saving 

Using household appliances efficiently is the key to saving electricity:

• Fully load the washing machine and dishwasher. And if you don’t need very hot water,  washing at 40º instead of 60ºsaves up to 55% on your electricity bill.
• The induction hob consumes lesslight than glass-ceramic hobs.
• Using pots and panswith the right diameter for each fire improves preventing heat from being wasted. We can also optimize the heat by putting the lid on the pots or cooking with the pressure cooker. Small details that ultimately allow us to save a significant amount of light throughout the year.
• The refrigerator is the appliance that consumes the most light. Regulate its interior temperature between 3º and 7º, do not allow it to accumulate frost and make sure to keep its rear part ventilated and dust-free.

5. Turn off the light when leaving a room

Don’t forget to turn off the light once you leave a room , bathroom or kitchen. It is an unnecessary consumption of light and easy to avoid. Of course, when you leave the house, make sure that all the lights have been turned off, especially when you are going out for several hours or days .

Fake News : banish forever the hoax that it costs more money to turn the lights on and off than to leave them on all the time. The switch is our ally when it comes to saving electricity at home.

6. Forget stand-by

Did you know that stand-by or false shutdown can account for up to 10% of what you consume in electricity throughout the year?

Remember that the television, the computer, the mobile chargers, the hot water heater… even the air conditioning devices are energy vampires if they remain plugged in.

Try to minimize the number of devices constantly plugged in if you want to save electricity at home and pay less on your bill.

7. Use energy-saving light bulbs

Energy saving light bulbs are a huge light saving source, compared to traditional or incandescent light bulbs.

The price difference will be compensated by its longer duration and energy savings: up to  50% less consumption  in CFLs and  80% in  LED lighting .

8. Take advantage of a smart home

A smart home is more than asking a speaker to play your favorite song. You can use many of the technological advances to start making more efficient use of different devices and start saving electricity in your home.

• Efficient air conditioning systems.
• Presence sensors for lighting.
• Smart bulbs for intensity control.
• Installations that raise and lower blinds according to light needs

These are some of the examples of how investment in home automation translates into comfort, quality of life and , of course, electricity savings month after month .

Intelligent control systems can  save up to 50%  on  light consumption,  optimizing the management of lighting, hot water, heating or air conditioning.

“Home automation not only improves our quality of life, it also helps save.”

9. Adjust the power of the light to your needs

A part of what you pay  in your monthly electricity bill  is the  contracted power. A fixed cost that increases as the number of kW you have contracted increases.

Having more is an unnecessary expense and this is where we can start saving electricity at home. However, be careful not to decrease the power too much. Not reaching the necessary light power can make life a little more complicated.

How to hit? We explain how to save electricity at home by choosing the right power.

Power is the number of kilowatts (kW) that the electrical network gives you  simultaneously.  If the leads have never jumped on you, even with the heating, the oven and the washing machine on at the same time… you still have room to lower it.

But be careful, it’s not a matter of living on the edge either. Falling short can make you have  to raise it again and has some costs.

Your distribution company  (the one that corresponds to you according to the area in which you live) will charge you approximately:

• Around 11 euros to lower the power, no matter how much you lower it.
• About  45 euros for each kW that you upload.
• In addition, depending on your distributor, they may charge for other procedures or deposits.

In the content that we leave you below, we help you make the right decision in relation to the contracted power .

“Good insulation and temperature control can lead to annual savings of up to 30% of light in a home.”

10 . Bet on electricity rates with hourly discrimination

Consuming during off-peak hours, when the price of electricity is lower, is a source of savings that can help you spend less.

These rates are  the best way to save electricity for almost all households if you are able to concentrate at least a third of your consumption during that time.

Do you find it difficult? Well, without being aware, most of us are already consuming  50% of the light during off-peak hours.

Thus,  switching to a rate with hourly discrimination can help us save many euros a year on the electricity bill without effort.

This advice works the same whether you are in the free market or in the regulated market, in both cases you have the possibility of contracting rates with hourly discrimination that help you save electricity at home by paying less on your bill.

Although in the regulated market or PVPC Rate, it is not possible to know what price the energy will have next week,  with this tool you can check tomorrow’s price.

And by the way, check the big difference in price between peak hours (from 12:00 to 10:00 in winter and from 1:00 to 11:00 in summer) and the cheaper off-peak hours (from 10:00 to 12:00 in winter and from 11:00 to 1:00 in summer) .

The free market offers you all kinds of à la carte rates in which you decide which are the cheapest hours. But the great novelty are rates such as the  Tempo Happy Rate   with which you choose a few hours in which consumption is free. You no longer have to worry about the schedule, you choose the time frame where you want to save electricity, either during the day or at night.