Saving electricity costs: the best tips

Electricity costs seem to be growing tirelessly - it means saving electricity! Here you will find tips with which you can save energy and thus cash.

Check electricity contract

Be sure to check your current electricity tariff and inquire whether your provider may have a cheaper contract for you.

• You should also check whether you are at the cheapest electricity provider for you. Compare electricity providers in our CHIP electricity price comparison.

Reduce electricity costs: Notebook and PC

To reduce the power consumption of your computers, you can, for example, change the energy saving options. The following example refers to Windows 7, but you will also find corresponding options for all other versions of Windows and for Linux and iOS.

1. Open the start menu and select "Control Panel".
2. Click "System and Security, " then "Power Options."
3. In the "Energy saving plan settings" menu you regulate the brightness of the screen, set when the display automatically darkens and select the time after which the computer automatically goes into energy saving mode.
4. Find out where the difference between "saving energy" and "hibernation" lies with Windows.

Saving energy in the light

Permanent holiday lighting also incurs costs - all the more if you still use the good, old light bulbs.

• Therefore, the first tip is: replace the old treasures with energy-saving lights - especially LED lamps save electricity.
• Energy-saving lamps with warmer light are now also available - make sure that the Kelvin number is below 3000.
• The second tip sounds banal, but it is effective: only switch on the light in the rooms where you are.
• If you don't like dark rooms around you, just leave a small lamp with an energy-saving lamp in the other rooms. 176 to 286 lumens are quite sufficient. So you have enough light sources everywhere in the household, but consume hardly any energy.

Tumble dryer and washing machine

The washing machine and especially the tumble dryer are veritable energy wasters.

• Therefore, the following applies: Always fill the laundry drum well, even so-called savings programs for half-full machines still consume quite a lot of electricity.
• Do not wash the laundry too hot, as a rule you can get by with 30 to 40 degrees. This is also gentler on the laundry.
• If you buy a new dryer, you should choose a dryer with a heat pump.

Fridge and freezer

Refrigerators, freezers and chests can significantly reduce your household budget.

• Choose the right place for the freezer or refrigerator: right next to the heater or stove, the devices need more energy to cool down.
• Regular defrosting is annoying, but no less important. An icy chest freezer consumes large amounts of electricity.

Oven and hob

Bake bread rolls regularly or just put a pizza in the oven, a small oven may make sense. They are relatively cheap to buy and save a lot of electricity in the long run compared to large built-in ovens. You can find a wide range of products on Amazon.

• For the stove, you should always choose the pots that match the size of the hotplate.
• You can heat water for pasta and potatoes beforehand with a kettle. This is faster and saves electricity.
• Basically, gas stoves and induction hot plates use the least energy.

Stand-by mode

The stand-by operation of electrical devices is convenient - but it also costs a lot of money for the year.

• An alternative are timers and multiple plugs that have a switch.
• You can borrow ammeters that help you determine how much power your devices are still using in standby mode from most power suppliers.
• Special "stand-by killers" are inexpensive and eliminate the stand-by mode of your devices.

Energy efficiency of home appliances

Of course, the new energy devices are all designed to save electricity. So that you are well acquainted with the energy label and the energy efficiency classes when making new purchases, we will tell you the importance of the individual classes.

$config[ads_text5] not found

Tip: save electricity costs with remind.me

Electricity tariffs change at regular intervals. The contract that was just concluded as cheap is often no longer so cheap next year. So if you want to save, you have to keep an overview. "Remind.me" starts right there - the online company manages your electricity contract and changes automatically as soon as there is a cheaper provider. FOCUS Online looked at the service.

$config[ads_text6] not found

If you buy a new device, you can use this practical tip to calculate power consumption and costs online.