Saving electricity with household appliances

In short: Household appliances account for a significant share of a household’s electricity consumption, and conscious use and appliance choice can save a lot of energy and money. Even small behavioural changes add up to noticeable savings over a year.

In more detail: Standby consumption and inefficient old appliances are among the biggest but most easily avoidable power drains.

In detail

• Energy efficiency class: When buying new large appliances, it’s worth checking the energy label, since modern, efficient appliances cost significantly less over their lifetime.
• Avoiding standby: Using switchable power strips to fully disconnect devices from power prevents unnecessary continuous standby consumption.
• Using the fridge properly: A temperature of about 7 degrees is usually sufficient, and a fridge that’s not overly packed cools more efficiently.
• Washing and drying: Lower washing temperatures and full loads save significantly more energy than frequent washing at high temperatures with half loads.
• Using the dishwasher efficiently: Modern dishwashers, when fully loaded, often use less water and energy than washing by hand.
• Switching lighting: Replacing old light bulbs with LED lighting significantly reduces electricity consumption for lighting.
• Measuring consumption: Plug-in power meters show exactly which devices use particularly large amounts of electricity and help target savings (led-beleuchtung-und-energieeffizienz, smart-meter-und-dynamischer-stromtarif).