How can you save energy at home?
The WWF's Earth Hour, which has been held annually since 2007, takes place on March 27. At 8:30 p.m. local time, millions of people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour to send a global signal for climate protection. Get involved in climate protection as well and become part of the largest climate and environmental protection campaign. You can register for this via the WWF website. The BDEW (German Association of Energy and Water Industries) calculated that Germany will consume 488 billion kWh of electricity in 2020. This corresponds to a reduction of 4.6% compared to the previous year.
In total, 722 million t CO2e were emitted for Germany in 2020. Of this, the total CO2 emissions of the electricity industry amounted to 188 million t CO2e, which represents a share of around 26%. To help you save energy at home and thus reduce your CO2 emissions, here are some simple energy-saving tips.
Replace all incandescent bulbs with LEDs - this will reduce the energy required for lighting by up to 90% and you will save CO2 at the same time.
Switching to a green electricity provider is also very effective. This not only saves electricity, but also CO2 emissions. A three-person household can thus avoid about 935 kg of CO2 annually. Installing a solar or photovoltaic system is also worthwhile. After all, a 3KW photovoltaic system that produces 3,000 kWh of electricity per year saves 2,400 kg of CO2 per year.
To heat water, a kettle is much more efficient than an electric stove. However, care should be taken to ensure that only the required amount of water is heated. This can be measured with the help of a cup by first filling the cup with tap water and then placing it in the kettle.
Of course, drying laundry on a clothes rack is more energy efficient than using a dryer. You can save up to 385 kg of CO2 annually by not using a dryer.
From time to time it is important to defrost the refrigerator and freezer, because an iced appliance in continuous operation increases electricity consumption and causes 30 kg of CO2 annually.
Another tip is to cook with a pot lid. This saves energy, and if a suitable pot is also placed on the stovetop, energy consumption during cooking can be reduced by up to two-thirds.
Particularly in the home office, doing without the standby mode of the devices can have positive effects on energy consumption as well as on CO2 emissions. This can save 400 kWh per year and thus €115. Switch sockets are helpful, with which the current can be switched off to all devices at the same time. Instead of leaving the laptop in standby mode, the sleep mode should be used. The device is switched off, but is quickly ready for use when needed.
