How to save energy at home?

The winter cold days are yet to come, and we ought to be prepared to adjust to new energy budgets this winter, due to the corona lockdown economic repercussions, by using simple measures at home or at your office.

Make sure you start with the proper maintenance for your heating systems. Note the thermostat degree fixed from last year on your boiler or radiator or heating unit, and reduce it by 10-20ºC at least. Winter comes incrementally in Jordan, so you can raise it as the need arises.

Note also the water pumps speed next to your boiler; there are at least two pumps in your system, therefore, fix it at speed one if it were at two or three, which is usually the case. Also, lower your electric water heater by few degrees, once you need it hotter you can always readjust it.

Cut off heating from internal spaces that are not used, such as an extra bedroom, or fix an automatic thermostat to control it`s temperature to a minimum.

Make sure no air infiltrates through cracks in your external walls, windows, doors and shutter boxes. Use mastic materials to close those cracks and others that exist around window frames and elsewhere.

Check your bulbs; if there exist old incandescent bulbs (the traditional red light ones) replace them by Light Emitting Diode bulbs (LED bulbs); they can save up to 80 per cent on your lighting electricity load.

If you have heating — cooling units, try to replace them by low energy inverter ones, and reduce the thermostat to 20 degrees, and thereafter you can increase incrementally whenever needed.

Make sure you do not leave coolers on in winter. When needed during the day, switch them off at night.

Do not leave your TV, laptop or any other electrical appliance on standby all night; make sure that no green light is visible on your power set.

Also make sure that you close windows shutter and curtains at night to save energy and keep the house warm. During the day, especially when the sun is shining, open the shutters and slide the curtains open to allow the sun in.

If you have a carpet on the floor where the rays of the sun hit your floor tiles, fold the carpet to allow the floor tiles to absorb the warmth. Recover the floor with the carpets when the sun sets off to store heat into your floor thermal mass during the night.

Avoid raising the temperature of your heating systems when you feel thermally uncomfortable, try to dress warmer cloths. However, if badly required, note that it is more thermally comfortable to reduce the temperature from your heating source and run the system for longer hours during the day. This way will allow heat to be stored into the walls and roof for better heat comfort at night, as they shall keep radiating heat while you sleep.

Try also to manage your heating behaviour. For example, before leaving the sitting room for bed, time it so as to switch off the heating at least half an hour before exiting the room.

As for behaviours in ventilation, note that Jordanian typical homes are naturally ventilated in winter every one hour on average, so there is no need for ventilation during winter time, except for ventilating rooms of special activities, such as the kitchen and bathroom which have to be properly ventilated, otherwise the house will suffer from fungus growth.

Generally speaking, it is best to keep the doors of kitchens and bathrooms shut at all times, and if windows are not enough for ventilation, use fans to get rid of high humidity. You can also use de-humidifiers if natural ventilation is not efficient.

The writer is an energy and green buildings consultant. [email protected]