How to save energy and money during the cold winter, here are some tips

Prepared for the difficult winter ahead, as long as Russia's war in Ukraine lasts, energy prices will remain high, most people will be adopting a variety of solutions, which can provide them with significant savings.

In this context, in Greece, the Ministry of the Environment issued a guide with 23 tips that are recommended to be followed by both families and businesses, among which is washing clothes at a low temperature.

1) Insulation of unused spaces: We close heating elements and internal doors (if any) leading to corridors or near stairs. Thus, we close the natural air passages, preventing warm air from leaving the house.

2) Free radiators: Radiators must not be covered, e.g. covered or obstructed by furniture.

3) Blocking doors and windows: We put insulation strips or curtains. According to studies, when curtains are drawn, they can reduce heat loss from a hot room by up to 10%. We can also put curtains on windows and balcony doors or only in rooms that we don't use.

4) We check the insulating rubber on the doors of refrigerators, freezers and ovens, so that there is good contact and no loss of energy (loss of cooling).

5) We limit the time when we leave the refrigerator door open. In this way, we minimize the temperature recovery time (loss of cooling, radiator light) with the consequent reduction of consumption from engine operation.

6) We adjust the thermostat: a) of the cooling system of refrigerators and freezers to a higher temperature, b) of the water heater to lower temperatures, c) of the air conditioner (if we leave it open) during our hours. Also, during sleep we can lower the temperature by up to two degrees.

7) Placing household appliances (eg refrigerator, freezer and tumble dryer) away from heat sources.

8) Wash the clothes in the washing machine at low temperature.

9) Close the devices in standby mode (standby).

10) When not using the fireplace, the fireplace must be closed by its grate.

11) We close the oven 10-15 minutes before the end of cooking, since the existing heat is enough to prepare the food.

12) Cookware should fit well in the kitchen.

13) Whenever possible while cooking, we use a pressure cooker.

14) We lower the brightness as much as possible on devices with screens (eg PC, TV).

15) Installing a programmable thermostat: A programmable thermostat allows different temperatures to be preset for different times of the day. At the same time, it saves money, both for air conditioning and heating.

16) Installation of thermostatic valves on radiators: They allow the automatic adjustment of the flow of hot water according to the desired temperature of each room separately. They are placed locally on each radiator individually and progressively regulate the flow of hot water. Thus, each heating body becomes independent and is automatically isolated when the desired temperature is reached, while the rest of the spaces that need heating continue to function.

17) Installation of the compensation system in the boiler.

18) Heating/cooling system maintenance. EG boiler, heat pumps, air conditioners.

19) Installation of a solar water heater.

20) Replacing appliances with high energy efficiency appliances based on the energy labeling framework and EnergyStar specifications.

21) Replacement of lamps with LED technology.

22) Replacement of existing frames with new thermal insulators - energy.

23) Installation of energy management system.