Faced with an exceptional energy situation, France must deal with the risk of tensions in its electricity network and power cuts, even though the winter season is increasing our consumption.
In order to avoid a shortage, we put in place some ecological reflexes that allow us to spend less electricity.
Focus on natural lighting
Admittedly, in winter, natural light is not at its peak, and artificial lighting is essential. However, you can limit its use by opening your blinds and shutters wide as soon as the first daylight.
In order to reflect the light, do not hesitate to place solar ray reflectors on your windows and place mirrors in front of them.
When evening comes, avoid leaving empty rooms lit and replace all your light bulbs with LED modelsenergy efficient.
Limit heating
Without transforming your home into an igloo, turning down your radiators by just a few degrees can have a considerable impact on your energy consumption.
For example, with 3°C less, you can save almost 15% on your electricity bill. In particular, limit the temperature in bedrooms and living rooms to 19°C at night, but also during the day when you are not present at your home.
Also remember to seal your doors and windows well to prevent heat loss, for example with shutters, thermal curtains or draft excluders, and place thick carpets on the floor to improve insulation.
Finally, if you have a stove or a chimneythis will be the perfect opportunity to enjoy beautiful outbreaks!
Save hot water
Don’t worry: no, we are not advising you to shower with ice water in the middle of winter, even if this practice would have positive effects on blood circulation and the appearance of the skin! It is rather a question of restricting the use of hot water for certain domestic tasks, such as laundry, dishes or cleaning.
For example, prefer a wash cycle in cold water rather than at 40°C for your laundry (a reflex that is all the more useful since hot water can damage the fibers of certain delicate textiles) and limit the temperature of your water heater at 55°C – below this, bacteria might proliferate in the water.
Finally, as much as possible, prefer relatively short showers instead of baths.
Shift the use of household appliances
It is not without reason that energy suppliers offer more advantageous rates during off-peak hours, because the network is less busy at these times.
Schedule your dishwasher, dryer and washing machine to run overnight instead of during the day.
You can also receive Ecowatt alerts by subscribing (free of charge) on the Ecowatt mobile application or on the website Ecowatt.frin order to be informed live of the tensions affecting the electrical network.
In the event of a peak in consumption, you can thus delay the use of your appliances in order to limit the risk of power cuts.
Opt for smart cooking
Whether you’re a real cordon-bleu chef or you’re content with simple and quickly prepared recipes, you can radically reduce your consumption ofelectricity choosing the right cooking method.
Thus, induction hobs consume almost 10 times less electricity than a traditional oven, and are therefore recommended when the network is under voltage.
Likewise, the microwave oven being energy-efficient, it should be preferred for reheating dishes.
