5 energy saving tips for your home
It’s a matter of fact: soaring energy prices have highlighted how much European countries depend on fossil fuels. More importantly, it has shown that energy transition must take place as soon as possible, given that Europe’s dependence on imported fossil fuels from international suppliers has created more harm than good. It has led to inflation and the cost of living crisis, just to mention a few, putting governments in a position to take urgent action to support families and businesses.
The British government, for example, announced that millions of households will receive energy bill discounts, more precisely £350, to protect them from rising energy costs. The Irish government instead has planned €113 energy rebate for every household, to support people struggling with the rising cost of living. Anyway, as mentioned above, every single citizen can actively fight soaring energy bills by simply changing a few habits. Read Errecom’s tips to save energy: find out how to optimize the use of appliances that mostly affect the bill.
1) Remove ice from your freezer and prevent its buildup.
Raise your hand if you’ve already found a layer of ice on the walls of your freezer or refrigerator! Moisture is the most frequent cause: it seeps into the appliance for several reasons:
- frequent opening of the refrigerator door;
- introduction of humid and too hot foods;
- incorrect thermostat setting;
- leakage of the door gasket.
Paying attention to these factors is essential if we want to avoid this problem, especially because, in the long term, it could lead to a waste of energy. It has been found, in fact, that the presence of just 5 mm of ice on the walls of refrigerators (or freezers) increases by 20% the energy consumption of the appliance. The layer of ice acts as a barrier that reduces the cooling capacity of the system, forcing the compressor to make a greater effort to maintain the set temperature. That’s why, as soon as you notice even a small amount of ice in your freezer, you should defrost the appliance right away. Ice buildup can also be prevented by using specific products that not only remove the ice but also slow down its formation.
2) Regularly and thoroughly clean the indoor and outdoor units of your air conditioning system.
Cleaning A/C systems is one of the main maintenance activities that should be carried out to prevent waste of energy: if left untreated, in fact, dirt deposits on the filters and finned coils of the indoor unit and the finned coils of the outdoor unit, reducing their performance. These sediments create a sort of barrier that on the one hand reduces heat exchange, and on the other can block the air outlets, leading in both cases the system to consume more energy.
The type of dirt to be treated is different depending on the area where the system is installed and requires specific cleaners: alkaline, to remove organic residues, grease, oil, dust, pollen and smog, and acid, to remove salt, rust, limescale and cement sediments. However, it is your technician who should deep clean your A/C system twice a year: before summer and at the end of it (or, in the case of a heat pump, every time you switch from heating to cooling mode and vice versa).
3) Maintain your refrigerator and air conditioner
The efficiency of refrigeration and/or air conditioning systems may decrease over time, especially when appliances are particularly old. The causes can be different, and it is the technician’s task to identify them and find the proper solution. Unfortunately, too often the advice is to take advantage of Black Friday deals and substitute the malfunctioning appliance with a new one. But, all things considered, are you sure this solution is cheaper? For sure it’s not the most sustainable one! To protect the environment, it is important that, as consumers, we do whatever we can to reduce waste, choose to repair over buying and support the circular economy.
Refrigerant gas leaks: repair them to save money!
Let’s start by explaining an essential concept: both refrigerators and air conditioners are closed-loop systems in which refrigerant gas circulates and are designed to not leak. However, it is quite common to find faults. External or internal factors such as porous pipes, welding defects and corrosion can cause refrigerant gas leaks and thus reduce the performance of the system. While some faults are due to installation problems, corrosion is a natural phenomenon and, as such, can be prevented. Air conditioning and refrigeration systems are characterised by a constant level of moisture, which is removed by the filter drier for the most part. Over time, however, this component tends to lose some of its efficacy, leaving free a portion of the moisture to circulate in the system and to get into contact with the particles produced by the natural decomposition of refrigerant gases and lubricant. This is where acid comes from and, if not treated in time, it attacks the metal structure of the system, causing corrosion and leading to refrigerant gas leaks in the system. A refrigeration or air-conditioning system that is leaking refrigerant gas will consume more energy and therefore, should be maintained and repaired as soon as possible by professional and skilled technicians.
Oil fouling: restoring heat exchange and… energy efficiency.
Reduction in efficiency, anyway, can be caused by different factors other than refrigerant gas leaks. Oil fouling, for example, is a chemical phenomenon that occurs inside the system, but which can be controlled with safe and specific products for professional use only. Sediments of compressor oil tend to deposit on the walls of the evaporator and condenser pipes and, over time, also on valves. The accumulation of these deposits reduces the room for the flow of the refrigerant gas and, at the same time, the heat exchange between the refrigerant gas and the pipes, causing an evident decrease in the performance of the appliance itself.
4) Clean solar thermal and photovoltaic panels frequently.
Photovoltaic and thermal solar systems make it possible to exploit solar power to produce electricity or thermal energy respectively, eliminating CO2 emissions and significantly reducing energy costs. The performance of the panels, however, depends on several factors that must necessarily be considered to maximise energy production. During installation, it’s necessary to evaluate the angle of inclination, orientation, temperature, and shaded areas, but after that, it is equally important to keep panels clean throughout their entire life.
Dirt such as dust, sand, salt, debris, organic residues, leaves or resin (just to name a few) creates a barrier that inhibits the optimal energy production of panels, reducing the efficiency of the system itself. Research published in Science Direct Journal has shown that dust with a density of 10 g/m2 can reduce the maximum power of the PV by about 34%. More specifically, the study reveals that it is mainly in the initial stage that efficiency drops dramatically. As dust density increases, the panel’s energy output decreases, but more gradually, reaching a point where it tends to be stable. Therefore, given that a small amount of dust is enough to significantly reduce the efficiency of a photovoltaic system, it appears obvious how important it is to keep the panels clean on a regular basis. The frequency, of course, depends on several factors. First of all, it is recommended to follow the manufacturer’s instructions; furthermore, the place where the system is installed should be considered: panels positioned near the sea, industrial areas, forests, or particularly windy or rainy areas are more likely to accumulate dirt over time. As a rule, however, a good starting point is to clean the panels at least once a year, and a good time to do it is at the beginning of spring so that the system will work efficiently during the summer months. It is recommended to always rely on professional products, formulated by serious and reliable chemical companies.
5) Descale kitchen appliances.
Kitchen appliances such as electric kettles, coffee machines and ice machines tend to accumulate limescale, especially when used frequently. Limescale, specifically, is caused by the hardness of the water and depends on the fact that the calcium and magnesium ions deposit during the heating process, settling on surfaces, nozzles and water bowls of the appliances. If not properly removed, limescale may damage surfaces and, in the worst cases, cause corrosion. How many times have you experienced a slowdown and/or increased noise in your coffee machine or found whitish residues on the bottom of your electric kettle? The presence of limescale in kitchen appliances may significantly reduce their lifespan and inevitably reduces their efficiency, leading to higher energy consumption. Not to forget the quality of beverages, which is inevitably reduced by limescale. In this regard, particular attention should be paid to ice machines, which, as discussed in a previous article, may be a vehicle for bacteria and infections.
