This is how you give your electricity bill a diet for the New Year

Amstetten. New Year’s resolutions don’t always have to be about eating less unhealthy foods and getting more exercise. The electricity bill can easily dominate your New Year’s diet. Amstetten municipal facilities have advice on what this treatment could look like and what measures can be used to implement good solutions. With a slimming effect that continues beyond the new year.

Your energy consumption is an issue that needs and must be addressed, especially when it comes to your electricity bill. Not only rising energy prices, but also the responsibility for resource-efficient energy use, makes people think about measures they can take to improve their consumption.

The range of possibilities ranges from simple behavioral changes that can be implemented immediately – although long-term habits are often the most difficult to change; But where there is a will to change, there is a way – through new, smaller purchases, replacing old energy consumers with fully digital “smart home” style control solutions.

Changing habits and replacing energy consumers

Like many things, lowering your electricity bill starts in your head. In general, it is very useful to consider, for example, whether energy is only consumed by those who really need it.

Or about whether bath water should be prepared to boiling hot in a kettle or instant water heater. Topics such as “Standby on or off” or “Only turn on the light when you need it” are always relevant to reduce consumption.

Targeted use of remaining energy

Savings can also be achieved through targeted use of remaining energy: for example, turning off the stove early or turning off the iron before putting on the last set of clothes. Speaking of ironing: Not everything should be ironed, and more wrinkles in your tea towels means fewer wrinkles when reading your electric bill.

Exchange of “energy consumers”

Less easy than just asking questions and changing your own habits is replacing “energy hogs” like old appliances, light bulbs, and more. It is advisable to seek specialist advice on what a new purchase in the energy efficiency category is best for your particular consumption and how quickly it is due.

Example: According to calculations by the German Öko Institute, a new energy-efficient refrigerator typically consumes 90 kWh per year. An old refrigerator from 2002, for example, “eats” 330 kilowatt-hours per year. A quick look at your electricity bill shows you the value of saving 240 kilowatt-hours per year.

Small measures, big impact

There are enough computational examples, and it is useful to take a closer look at large household appliances in terms of energy class and use. In order to prepare your electricity consumption for the new year, you do not have to make a huge investment or make a fundamental change. It is enough to have a large number of individual measures that are relatively small and easy to implement, which together – and if followed consistently – have a surprisingly large impact.

Here are some mathematical examples: Cooking with the lid on saves about €25 per year Defrosting the freezer regularly saves about €15 per year Changes in behavior – from ventilation to turning the light on and off to backup use – are difficult to measure.

Of course, really big leaps can be made with new appliances and improved fully automated consumption when it comes to energy efficiency within the company. In some cases, such automation is easy to implement, for example if it only involves the use of selective control measures and the use of smart meters to monitor consumption: a light sensor that regulates shading or external lighting or a simple thermostat on the radiator to regulate the room temperature.

More digitalization, less energy consumption

Things become more complicated when energy is needed by multiple populations with multiple consumers – modern measures can help here by digitizing consumption and control. Bigger buildings, bigger families, bigger demands, which means a greater need for advice.

Get advice from professionals

Big questions about energy efficiency often arise in connection with construction, renovation, or renovation projects. In order to make optimal use of the capabilities of digital control of energy consumption, we recommend consulting specialists. For example, the municipal utility company Amstetten offers these products in its electronics store. In addition to the latest energy-efficient appliances, these specialty stores also provide information and advice on how best to control them in a way that saves resources.

This ranges from simple automation using sensors, which can, for example, control lighting, heating and ventilation, to complex solutions of a complete “smart home”, which can also be responsible for purchasing electricity with the cheapest energy hours and corresponding devices such as turn on the washing machine. Or ideally a dishwasher.

Navigation: Just leave the car parked

Anyone who not only wants to be informed and mentally mobile when it comes to energy behavior at home, but also on the go, will find that “mobility” is a great way to save electricity and, above all, carbon dioxide. You don’t have to buy an electric car right away, but you should plan for future charging supplies, for example when building a garage.

However, Jürgen Horner, Managing Director of Stadtwerke Amstetten, offers the best money-saving advice on your commute as follows: “For distances up to ten kilometres, you should simply leave your car at home, regardless.” What is its drive, go by bike or public transport, or use your legs. This not only keeps your electricity bill slim and healthy.”