In the European Union, it was decided that the instructions for use of household appliances, cars and buildings should contain information that allows the buyer to determine the energy efficiency classes of these objects. This contributes to a clear understanding of what basic consumer properties they have. Therefore, when buying, a person has the opportunity to compare different models with each other and choose the most suitable one. Energy efficiency classes are indicated by Latin capital letters from A to G. Accordingly, class A will consume the least energy, and G.
Definition
Although a common scale has been created to indicate energy costs, each of the objects (buildings, household appliances, cars) has its own characteristics and common criteria. For example, a refrigerator that is rated A++ will draw about 27 watts per hour, while a washing machine with the same rating will wind up 860 watts in the same amount of time. This confirms that in the question of how to determine the energy efficiency class, one must take into account thatdifferent categories have their own standards. The same applies to houses and cars, because they belong to completely different objects.
Energy efficiency of the refrigerator
Attribute of any modern kitchen is a refrigerator. Quite often, choosing this device, the future owner does not even think about how economical it is in terms of electricity consumption. And in our time it is very important. The energy efficiency class of a refrigerator is determined according to the generally accepted scale described above. By the way, speaking of this, it is worth mentioning that since 2003 two more classes have been added - A + and A ++, the latter is considered the most economical.
The calculations that are carried out before assigning a particular rating to a product are quite complex. This takes into account the temperature in different chambers, and their volume, and the presence of any innovations. It is easy to guess that the larger the refrigerator, the more electricity it will spend, but this does not mean that it will be of a low class. Indeed, in its "weight" category, it can be economical. It is quite easy to find out, because a sticker is often pasted on the product, which carries this information. In addition, they indicate the name of the model, the volume of each chamber, temperature conditions, energy consumption per year and, if the manufacturer so wishes, the noise level. Of course, this is all present in the instruction manual.
Energy Saving Tips
In order to save money, it is enough to follow a few rules that will not only extend the life of the refrigerator, but also make you forget about classesenergy efficiency for a while. Here are the main ones:
- What was said in childhood - you can’t put hot things in the refrigerator. The temperature of the dish should be at room temperature, since the energy consumption required to cool the boiling water is quite significant.
- Open the door only when necessary. After all, if you open the refrigerator for a long time, it will fill with warm air that needs to be cooled.
- The refrigerator should be kept away from objects that heat up frequently (radiators, ovens, stoves). After all, heat will be transferred to this device, which will lead to unnecessary costs for cooling the case.
- The temperature of the freezer should not be set to the maximum if the food present in it is not intended to be stored for a very long period. Each degree will save about 5% of the electricity consumed.
Energy efficiency of washing machine
Most often, when choosing a washing machine, consumers pay attention to its design and capacity, completely forgetting about energy efficiency classes. Other important indicators are the washing and spinning classes, which are evaluated on the same scale. Back in 1992, the European Union determined the norms for the consumption of electricity by this appliance per 1 kg of linen. Therefore, on all products of this line there are stickers that clearly indicate to the buyer the economy of this model.
If this is class A+, then the washing machine should not consume more than 0.17 kWper hour for 1 kg of clothes. The lowest rating is for appliances that “pull” more than 0.39 kW per hour per 1 kg of washing. This indicator is determined on the basis of a wash cycle in cotton mode at a temperature of 60 degrees.
Easy to save
As in the case of a refrigerator, a washing machine consumes a lot of electricity, so you need to know how to save money on this appliance. The first thing to understand is that big size is not always good. When buying such a device, you should pay attention not only to the energy efficiency class of the equipment, but also to the volume of the drum. If a family consists of two or three people, then it will not need a car with a maximum load of more than 3 kg, if out of four or six - no more than 5 kg of load, more than seven people - 6-7 kg of load will do. This will help avoid unnecessary costs.
The second rule is to load the drum completely, and not wash it one by one. The third advice is to choose a program that would not be very long, but the result would be good. This also includes the temperature regime, because it is for heating water that the greatest amount of electricity is spent. Therefore, you should not constantly turn it on at 90 degrees, since the powder completely dissolves already at 40.
Dishwasher energy efficient
Another popular appliance that makes life much easier for every housewife is a dishwasher. It saves at least 7800 liters of water per year, as it uses the same water several times. As with any other technique, it has a sticker thatshows the energy efficiency class. You can study it at home or in the store. Such a label will tell you how economical this appliance is, what model it is, how many dishes can be loaded here, and how much water will be consumed.
Energy class is calculated based on how much electricity is required to clean one set of dishes. In addition, this technique often works quietly enough that it can be used even at night.
Little secrets
As in the previous cases, there are secrets to using the dishwasher that will reduce your bill payments. For example, you need to load this device, if possible, so that there is no free space left at all. But if there are few dishes, then it is better to use the half load mode, if any. It saves both water and electricity. Also, the dishes should be cleaned of large food residues or other contaminants, and only then put into the machine.
Energy efficiency of air conditioners
When it's unbearably hot outside, you want to hide somewhere in a cool place. Air conditioning helps with this. In summer, it cools the air, and in winter, on the contrary, it heats. But do not forget that the energy efficiency class of air conditioners is just as important as their magical ability to save a person from overheating or freezing. The EU Directive clearly indicates what the label for these devices should be. Various classes have been created for their categories, whichdefined:
- variety of operating modes (cooling only or heating available);
- what type of cooling is installed (water or air);
- configuration.
Each of these indicators affects the class. For example, heating mode greatly increases electricity consumption.
Computer technology
The main achievement of the 21st century is the very rapid development of IT technologies. Each family has long acquired a computer or laptop and uses it daily. Therefore, it is worth considering how economical this technique is, and how it affects the monthly budget. The energy efficiency class of a computer has not yet been regulated anywhere, but everyone knows that the newer the technology, the less it costs. After all, each component of the processor consumes a certain amount of energy, which entails certain costs. Also, the energy efficiency class of a computer depends on whether it is stationary or a small portable laptop.
In the first case, studies have shown that an office PC spends an average of no more than 100 W per hour, home - up to 200 W per hour, gaming - 300-600 W per hour. These figures may vary depending on how heavily loaded this device is. But it is safe to say that office equipment is the most economical. The energy efficiency class can vary for laptops. It depends on the age and workload of the system itself, but the average value is 50 watts per hour. Therefore, from the point of view of economy, the lastoption is more beneficial. Moreover, it is practical and takes up much less space.
To reduce the amount of electricity consumed, you need to play less "heavy" games with high-quality special effects, do not run a bunch of unnecessary programs at the same time, do not increase the screen brightness to the maximum point, but simply reduce it to a comfortable level.
Printer
Another device that has firmly entered our house along with the computer is the printer. It is very convenient, since many students and working people constantly need to print something. Everywhere there are a bunch of shops in which this is done for a fee. But this is not always convenient, because they do not work early in the morning or late in the evening, and printing at home is much cheaper. When choosing this device, they are guided by its multifunctionality (printer, scanner, color and black-and-white printing). The energy efficiency class of the printer is rarely taken into account, which is not correct. Although it is not regulated anywhere, like other computer equipment, it is still worth paying attention to so that there are no unpleasant surprises later.
It is impossible to give an exact answer to the question of how much electricity a printer consumes per hour, because each model will be different from the others. You can find out the necessary information from a special sticker or instruction manual. But there are average data about the costs that make up for a laser printer -2-3 kW per hour, for a jet - up to 150 W, but these figures are very approximate. To save on this device, you need to disconnect it from the network, if the printer is not needed now, since even in standby mode it can wind up a considerable amount of electricity, it is better to turn it off.
Lamps
The thing that no civilized house can do without is an incandescent light bulb. It would seem that it could be easier. But here, too, there are energy efficiency classes of lamps that must be indicated on the packaging. Usual for us is the power of 75 and 100 watts, but it is considered very costly. Instead of such devices, it is better to purchase lamps, the class of which will be the highest. They have the same level of brightness, the flow of light is no worse, and at the same time they last much longer. Their high cost fully pays off and even saves money, which is important.
Buildings
Another very important area in this area is the energy efficiency class of the building. How to define it, and what will it mean? There are several criteria by which houses are assigned to a particular class:
- The difference in the values of actual and normatively designated indicators that display energy consumption for ventilation and heating.
- Type of building, materials from which it is built.
A building's energy efficiency class is assigned after verification and comparison with reference values. Based on this, the developer or owner is issued a special passport. The energy efficiency class of a building is rated on the same scale asand household appliances, i.e. from A to E, where A allows less than 45 percent deviation from the norm, and E more than 51%.
Bitter experience shows that most high-rise buildings have a very low economy. The first reason for this is the age of the building. After all, many buildings were built in the time of Khrushchev. Therefore, it is worth thinking about the fact that if you change the windows and insulate the walls, then the energy efficiency of the house will increase significantly. But not everyone is able to afford it. New buildings that appear from year to year should already be of a high class. After all, they are being built in accordance with European standards, which oblige to increase the energy efficiency class of the building. How can you tell if this is actually happening? When buying an apartment, you should require a technical passport for the house, where all this will be indicated.
Thus, energy-saving technologies have become very fashionable lately. But this is not a whim, because saving in a difficult economic period is very important. Therefore, before buying anything, you should find out which energy efficiency class this object belongs to.
