How can you tell if your energy consumption is high?
It’s not always easy to tell whether you’re using a lot or a little electricity. Comparing yourself to family and friends or to a general average isn’t enough, because every household has its own unique characteristics.
Your consumption actually depends on several factors:
- your lifestyle habits: how often you use the oven, laundry temperatures, appliances you use every day, etc.
- the number of people in your household: generally speaking, the more people in a household, the greater the energy needs.
- Your type of housing: For the same number of residents, a single-family home often consumes more electricity than an apartment. This is due in part to the presence of more or larger appliances, as well as the building’s specific design.
To get a truly meaningful comparison, it’s best to look at households with characteristics similar to yours. These are known as “typical households.”
Use the charts below to identify the typical household that matches your situation based on your home and the number of people living there. You can then compare your annual energy consumption to that of households similar to yours and better understand where you stand.
Ways to Save Energy
Electricity is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). What does that mean?
What can I do every day to save energy?
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What can you do with 1 kWh?
One kilowatt-hour (kWh) represents the consumption of 1,000 watts of energy over the course of one hour.
The kilowatt-hour (kWh) is therefore the unit used to measure the amount of energy over a period of time. It is used to measure electricity consumption —the price of electricity is given in cents per kilowatt-hour —but also for other forms of energy, such as the combustion of wood or fuel oil.
Use electrical appliances efficiently
From the freezer in the cellar to the lamp in the attic, today's household can hardly function without electricity, and offers enormous potential for energy savings. By following our tips, you'll consume less electricity and cut your bills.
Small gestures & big savings
Unplug your appliances
- Switch off Wi-Fi when not in use.
- Switch off appliances completely, without leaving them on standby. A power strip with a switch can simplify the complete shutdown of several appliances.
- Unplug chargers after use.
- Switch off the coffee machine immediately after use.
Choose LED lighting
LED lamps consume less energy than older bulbs. Equip your home with LED bulbs to save money, but don't multiply them as this will reduce the benefit.
Efficient use of oven and hob
- Put a lid on the pans.
- Prefer the kettle to the saucepan for heating water.
- Avoid preheating the oven, as this saves around 20% energy.
- Use the oven's rotating heat function and save up to 15% electricity compared with the top and bottom heat functions.
- Switch off your glass-ceramic hob or oven 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time and enjoy the residual heat.
- Check the hood filter once or twice a month, and clean it if necessary to facilitate extraction.
Keep appliances cold
- Keep cooling appliances (such as refrigerators) away from heat sources (hobs, ovens, radiators, etc.).
- Allow food to cool before placing in the fridge.
- Avoid opening the refrigerator door too often or for too long.
- Defrosting food in the fridge cools the interior of the appliance, using less electricity.
- Defrost your appliances regularly.
Wash more economically
- Run the dishwasher only when it is full.
- Choose the "economy" program without rinsing the dishes first.
- Clean it regularly, as 1mm of scale on a heating element leads to a 10% increase in electricity consumption.
- Wash your clothes at the lowest possible temperature (20-30°C) and use your appliance's energy-saving programs to save water and electricity.
Air-dry your laundry
- Air-dry your laundry. However, if you dry it indoors, be sure to air out the room regularly to prevent mold from forming.
- Use the tumble dryer with a full drum and well wrung clothes.
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