Sustainability starts with the daily actions of each of us. And these actions can save energy and consequently money.
Basic daily tips
Let’s start with the simplest things and gradually find out what behaviors to adopt.
Lighting
Turn off the lights when leaving a room. During the day, make maximum use of natural sunlight. During the evening, turn the lights on only when necessary and turn them off in unused rooms. This is a simple behavior that you can adopt right away.
Disconnect devices
When not in use, it is important to unplug electronic devices (e.g., TV, computer, stereo) and not leave them on standby (i.e., with the red light on). In the long run, their consumption is considerable. It can be useful to connect multiple devices to a single multi-socket power strip with an attached switch, so that all devices can be turned off with a single gesture.
And again, “smart” devices can detect when a device is not in use by turning off its power, resulting in savings.
Using LED lights
LED lights provide great energy savings. In fact, for the same wattage, they produce five times more light than traditional incandescent and halogen bulbs. In addition to having a significantly longer service life: over time you will have to replace them less frequently.
Using home appliances efficiently
Fifty-eight percent of a home’s electricity consumption is attributable to household appliances. Having more efficient models that are Class A or higher can result in significant savings by reducing electricity bills (up to 40 percent by replacing a 20+ year old refrigerator with one in Class A).
In addition, proper maintenance of appliances will make them more efficient (e.g., defrosting the refrigerator regularly), and the same can be said for their placement (e.g., a refrigerator placed next to the oven consumes up to 10% more).
Wash at low temperature
Washing clothes at a lower temperature and with the washing machine at full load saves water and electricity.
Cook with the lid on
Cooking with a lid can reduce cooking time and gas or electricity consumption (in the case of induction cookers).
Reduce water consumption
Better shower than bath. Better to take quick showers. Better to shut off open faucets when not in use even for a few seconds. Better to install water breakers or flow reducers and repair leaky faucets. Simple actions to save water, electricity or gas to heat it and thus save money on your utility bill.
Tips for home heating and cooling
Adjust the temperature in winter and summer
Properly adjusting the temperature of the habitation, even using a remotely programmable thermostat, can make a big difference on utility bills.
In winter, it would be helpful to have an indoor air temperature of 19 °C and appropriate clothing for the activity we do. Studying, working while sitting at a desk, watching a movie will require a heavy sweater and wool socks-a much more sustainable behavior that helps us at the same time reduce our energy expenses. Each degree of excess temperature represents a 7 percent increase in bill expenditure.
In summer, if you need to cool your home with an air conditioner, use it sparingly and carefully. Because of the speed of cooling and the single-room mode of operation, you can turn them on only in the rooms where you need them and a little earlier than you need them.
Avoid obstacles in front of and above the radiator and do not leave windows open for long periods of time
Placing curtains or furniture in front of radiators or using them as clotheslines hinders heat diffusion. It may be helpful to place a reflective panel between the wall and the radiator (even a simple sheet of tin foil) to reduce outward leakage.
Remember that all it takes to renew the air in a room is to keep the windows open for a few minutes. Leaving them open for a long time results in heat loss and wasted energy.
Screening windows at night
Closing shutters and blinds or putting heavy curtains on windows will reduce heat loss to the outside.
Use doors and windows with low heat loss
Intervening on windows is useful to reduce heat loss. The cheapest intervention is to apply an adhesive film to the glass. But, where possible, it can be useful to install windows with double or triple glazing or to replace the entire window frame. This is the most expensive intervention but undoubtedly the one that brings the greatest benefit in terms of reducing heat loss and thus consumption.
Discover the advice of ENEA for saving money and helping the environment.
Plus, learn about energy efficiency and renewable energy tips from Rome Capital’s Climate Desk.
Sustainable behavior tips outside the home
Consciously choosing our purchases
Buy products in bulk or if that is not possible, buy items with as little packaging as possible, preferring paper ones.
Buy products that have traveled a short distance to get to us (the famous km0).
Respect the seasonality of food products.
Buy products that can be repaired and for which spare parts are available.
Choosing how to get around
We can take care of our commute, choosing public transportation where possible or deciding to walk or bike (including electric) or using car sharing or carpooling systems.
