There are some simple steps that can help us have a more efficient kitchen. Simple measures that in addition to helping to reduce our bills, reduce our ecological footprint. And that in our effort to help you create more environmentally friendly homes, we wanted to share with you.
Saving electricity and rational use of water are two of the keys to achieving a more efficient kitchen. By moving these two points to concrete measures, we find that acquiring efficient appliances and knowing how to make good use of these, limit the flow of the tap and take care of both lighting and insulation are essential.
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Efficient appliances: energy rating
Efficient appliances are those that, within their range, consume less energy to perform the same function. To find out the efficiency of each appliance, we will turn to the energy label; a compulsory classification scale in Europe for a long range of household appliances.
Current and new energy label (as of March 1, 2021)
The energy label allows us to quickly and easily know the ability of such appliance to perform its function with lower energy consumption. It is enough to know the scale of sorting by letters and colors it presents. The green color identifies the most efficient equipment, while the red color does the same with the least efficient. Among the most efficient equipment we can also distinguish 3 additional classes: A+, A++ and A+++. The latter are what we should acquire if we want the savings to be significant; they consume up to 70% less than the average.
You should know, however, that this scale will be progressively replaced from 1 March 2021 by a scale from A to G. They aim to simplify the energy label so that it is easier to understand it. So if you are buying a new washing machine, washing machine, refrigerator, lamp, screen or TV from those dates you may find this new label.
Good use of household appliances
Good use of household appliances, especially those such as the refrigerator whose electricity consumption is so high, is essential to have a more efficient kitchen. Solito spends 31% of total consumption, did you know this data? Do not install it near a heat source (radiator, oven, electric stove) and make sure that enough air circulates around the appliance is key to proper operation.
As for its temperature, it is not advisable to put the selector to an interior value of less than 5°C in the refrigerator, and -18°C in the freezer. In addition, keeping the refrigerator door closed and placing and ordering food inside the fridge will help you spend less electricity and save energy.
You will have heard it a thousand times: do not rinse the dishes before putting it in the dishwasher and filling it completely will help you save water and energy. In addition, the use of good detergent and proper maintenance in which felt cleaning is carried out once every two weeks will contribute to its smooth operation. And the washing machine? By washing clothes at 40°C instead of 60°C, you can save up to 55% energy.
Smart Power Strip
Devices in standby mode are eaten up to 10% of the electrical bill of all European households. How to avoid overpaying for these devices? Investing in a device that closes the power output to devices in standby or sleep mode.
What if we want to have the steaming coffee machine when we wake up? Then we can go further and bet on smart plugs and power strips, more sophisticated electricity saving devices. Its main function is still to control the switching on and off of these devices, but they go a step further allowing us to schedule or control them from a mobile application. We talked more about them a few weeks ago, remember?
Flow Limiters
Each Spaniard consumes, on average, about 166 litres of water per day between domestic and municipal uses. Water is a scarce asset and its sustainable consumption depends on each of us. As insignificant as it may seem, saving water at home is important and it is enough to know how to close the taps and place flow reducers on them for it. Did you know that with these you can save between 18% and 47% of water? You will get an economical way a more efficient kitchen.
Windows and lighting
Making the most of natural light by betting on light colors that contribute to greater luminosity is key when it comes to saving electricity. When this is not enough, the ideal is to bet on energy-saving bulbs. Do you know that changing the fluorescent in the kitchen with LED lighting means a saving of 50%?
In addition to letting in natural light the windows can also let in hot and cold. Doors and windows represent the main points of temperature loss and checking that they are in good condition is important in order to control our heating and air conditioning expenditure. You want to know how to do it? Please give you our keys to energy-efficient windows.
