Saving energy can be rewarding!

Sustainability

November 21, 2022

We are already in the autumn and many households are facing the difficult question of how to save energy and reduce heating costs without having to economise excessively. Even though the government has capped energy prices, they are still very high. Wherever we look, we now find everywhere tips for saving energy. Many are rather technical and not very interesting to read ... or to put into practice. But let’s go through them quickly, understanding that this is now important.

It's clearly not fun to have to severely restrict yourself for fear of seeing your bill explode. Let's try to approach the problem from a different angle: psychological. Instead of "fear", we could say "late awareness". Instead of "need to save money", think of this as a challenge we should face up to. Try to see all this in a more positive way, awaken your own ambition, and feel satisfaction in the event of success, rather than a loss of comfort. Treat it as a shared collective effort.

You don’t think this is possible? You can't close the gap between understanding and action? Well, let's take a closer look and break the challenge down into different levels!

Beginners and advanced

So, when it comes to saving electricity and heating - the two most important things, if we exclude mobility - there are many things that should go without saying:

only open the refrigerator door briefly,
only start the dishwasher when it is full,
turn off the lights when leaving a room and don’t place furniture in front of a radiator,
or again, replace incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs, which are expensive but consume 90% less energy and last 10 to 25 times longer).

You've probably been doing this for years. Well done!

Some of the tips we see nowadays are downright annoying because they show that the people who propose them have never seriously tried to save energy. For example, the recommended temperature for a bathroom is 22 degrees, but bathrooms don’t need to be heated all day. Or the advice not to let the washing machine run half full. The effect of reading this is: “This doesn’t apply of me ... it's beginner’s level".

So, there is a lot of potential for progress! Much has already been achieved by heating only those parts which are actually used for long periods of time. And it’s therefore enough to limit the temperature there to 19 or 20 degrees. Remember: one degree less means savings of 6 to 7%. And of course, windows don’t have to be permanently open in order to provide ventilation: it’s much better to ventilate briefly, from time to time, in order to get fresh air.

But now let's raise the bar so you'll want to continue reading. The beginner’s level is followed by the advanced level and, for these people, the city of Luxembourg has set out some advice in the magazine "City" (p. 54 et seq.): namely, that saving energy is a collective effort. For example: reduce the temperature of the water heater from 55 to 45 degrees, which is quite warm enough for normal use.

It may also be time to replace your old appliances with more energy-efficient ones. Recommendations are available at oekotopten.lu. The key message is: every degree and every kilowatt-hour is important! Thus, with one kilowatt-hour of electricity we can:

wash once at 40 degrees,
iron 15 T-shirts,
keep a light bulb turned on for 100 hours,
prepare a meal for a family of four or
toast 130 slices of bread.

But look no further! You want to know which category of energy savers you’re in, don’t you?

Simple, good examples

Try washing your laundry at 30 degrees, which is more than enough for lightly soiled clothing. The effect is even greater if you use a clothes-horse instead of the dryer. Increasing slightly the temperature of your refrigerator can also make a big difference … but always replacing broken standard light bulbs with LED bulbs may require a little more perseverance!
Have we succeeded in awakening your ambition? So now, let's take it to the next level: one by one. Start by checking that all door and window seals are tight and - if necessary - use a suitable sealing material.

Another idea is to program your thermostat into time slots: the heating then automatically reduces the heat during the time when you are not at home or when you are asleep. The two time slots of 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. are more than enough for active people. This saves at least 10% in heating costs.

Have you ever considered changing your heating system? Oil and gas heaters can be replaced with heat pumps. This will certainly involve high initial acquisition costs, but these pay off in the long run. Or install photovoltaic panels on your roof? And, of course, upgrade your home in terms of energy efficiency, i.e. insulating the outside walls and the roof, or replacing old windows? Or change electricity supplier? For example, in Luxembourg, following the closure of Eida's business, SUDenergie now offers green electricity.

Are you already noticing something? Not that you are gradually leaving your comfort zone and entering a critical zone ... but that you are beginning to get a taste for the task in hand?

A new kind of happiness: allowing oneself to ‘sin’

Of course, one can also ‘sin’ from time to time, but now consider it for what it once was: a luxury. We don't have to go back to the stone age ... just return a little to what was normal for our grandparents. And of course, no one is obliged to put any of this into practice. But once you understand why you need to change your behaviour, you no longer see savings as an unintended loss or an involuntary restriction.

We say “tighten our belts” ... or put the brakes on spending. However, we can also see it as a minor restriction, in the sense of more cost-effective spending, or happy moderation.

Giving up a habit doesn’t usually mean depriving life of its pleasures. Quite the contrary. Acting on our convictions brings - especially if we know that many others are involved - a positive feeling of personal empowerment. And this is well worth the effort!