While the government has just announced a significant increase in the price of electricity from February 1, 2024, you will find in this article some tips to reduce your energy consumption and lower the amount of your bill.
As you may know, the Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire spoke this Monday, January 22, 2024 to announce a significant increase in electricity prices from February 1, 2024. The exact figures are already known: + 9.8% on peak and off-peak rates, and 8.6% on basic rates.
As specified by the tenant of Bercy, this increase comes as part of the gradual lifting of the famous tariff shield established by the government in October 2021. As a reminder, this system was put in place to limit the surge in energy prices in France, an inevitable consequence of the war in Ukraine.
Until now, public finances have reduced the domestic final consumption tax on electricity (TICFE) to a minimum to one euro per MWh instead of 32 euros before the crisis. As of February 1, 2024, this tax will therefore rise to €21 (before returning to its original amount on February 1, 2025).
How much will your bill increase?
Concretely, the increase in your bill will depend on the contracts signed. In an effort to be transparent, the government gave some examples:
- For a person in a gas-heated apartment (consumption of 2.2 MWh per year): + 4.5 euros per month
- For a person in an apartment heated by electricity (consumption of 4.2 MWh per year): + 8.3 euros per month
- Four people in a gas-heated house (consumption of 3.7 MWh per year): + €7.6 per month
- Four people in a house heated by electricity (consumption of 9 MWh per year): + €17.8 per month
Other typical cases concern professionals such as bakeries or restaurateurs.
Our tips for reducing your energy consumption
As you will have understood, faced with this inevitable surge in prices, saving energy has never been so relevant. Although you will unfortunately have to expect to pay more, you can now adopt simple behaviors to limit your consumption as much as possible and, by extension, the increase in your bill. Here are some examples.
1. Unplug your Internet and TV box at night
Between our smartphones, streaming platforms, online video games, teleworking, we tend to leave our internet box on 24 hours a day. However, we tend to ignore that an internet box can consume on average up to 200 kWh per year, as much as a washing machine. By unplugging your box at night, you can reduce your annual consumption by 25%, which is far from negligible. Remember that the annual cost of an Internet box is 16 euros according to ADEME figures.
The same goes for your TV decoder. With an average usage time of 19h42 per day (your decoder remains on even if you are not watching TV), the average annual consumption of a TV decoder rises to 97 kWh per year. Or a cost of 16 euros per year. By unplugging it, you can save a few extra dollars.
Also read: Power cuts – EcoWatt, the free tool that will save you from unpleasant surprises
2. Limit the size and brightness of your TV
In recent years, the diagonal of our televisions has continued to increase. But who says bigger screen necessarily means greater consumption. Because, a 160 cm diagonal TV consumes as much as 3 or 4 80 cm televisions! By activating the option which automatically adapts the brightness of the panel, you are able to reduce the power consumption of your TV by 25%.
Furthermore, ADEME shared some additional figures. With an average usage time of approximately 7 hours per day, your TV can consume up to 187 kWh per year, representing an annual cost of 32 euros.
3. Turn off your devices rather than leaving them on standby
Many electronic devices or household appliances today have a Sleep mode (it is sometimes hidden on some of them, such as Expresso coffee machines, for example). Even if European legislation limits their power to 0.5 W, this value can go up to 2W for devices connected to the Internet or to data networks like:
- game consoles
- desktop and laptop PCs
- TV and internet boxes
- some connected kitchen appliances
However, some manufacturers have made efforts to limit the consumption of their devices in standby mode, like Sony with the PS5 and Microsoft with the Xbox Series X.
However, as ADEME points out, unplugging your devices rather than leaving them on standby saves money up to 15% on your electricity billor more than €100 per year (excluding heating and hot water). To avoid spending long minutes unplugging everything every evening, the best is to use multiple sockets with switches to turn off your devices at the same time.
4. Choose LED lighting
It’s not new, but opting for LED lamps and bulbs offer many advantages. Indeed, they consume less electricity and have a significantly longer lifespan (up to 40,000 hours), enough to compensate for their higher selling price. Furthermore, be sure to choose an appropriate intensity depending on the room (between 15 and 20 W² for living rooms and between 10 and 15 W² for corridors and bedrooms, for example). Before checking out, a quick look at the packaging will allow you to obtain valuable information such as:
- power expressed in watts
- the energy label (between A and G)
- lifespan in hours
- the possibility of installing it or not on a variator
- the luminous flux expressed in lumens
However, beware of LEDs integrated into furniture (a trend visible for several years on TV cabinets for example) or on your PC which only increase your energy consumption.
5. Charge your electric car during off-peak hours
Notice to electric car owners, if you have a terminal at home, there is a simple method to save money on your bill: recharge your vehicle during off-peak hours using the integrated scheduler.
To go even further, it may be interesting to subscribe to offers designed specifically for EV users. There are several on the market such as Vert Electrique Auto from EDF which offer preferential rates on charging during off-peak hours. This is also the case at Elec’Car from Engie and Mobilite Verte from Total Spring. This type of dedicated offer allows you to save up to 50% on your energy bill.
Also read: Charging your electric car will cost more from February 2024
6. Choose “Eco” programs on your washing machine and dishwasher
In case you don’t know, it’s the rise in water temperature that consumes the most energy on your washing machine and dishwasher. In fact, by opting for the “Eco” program, i.e. washing at 50° C, you can reduce the energy consumption of your device by up to 45%. The logic remains the same by further reducing the temperature (at 30° C, we exceed 50% energy savings).
However, from time to time it will be necessary to agree to washing at high temperature, in particular to avoid clogging of the drum and the drain pipe. In addition, get into the habit of doing washes with a full load. On average, the French carry out 200 washing cycles per year. However, by filling his drum to the maximum each time, we can avoid 30 cycles and therefore save 15% of electricity just on washing clothes.
7. Invest in a thermostat to regulate indoor temperature
Connected thermostats have several advantages. First of all, these devices allow you to regulate the temperature of your home in real time, depending on the weather or the time of day. It also allows you to adjust the temperature in each room. Another good point is that these devices are generally accompanied by a mobile application, which allows you to control the device remotely according to actual needs.
According to the government, a connected thermostat allows save an average of 15% on your heating electricity bill. Since November 2023, please note that the State has implemented the Thermostat Plan. Via this system, owners and tenants with an individual heating system can benefit fromhelp in acquiring a connected thermostat. The amount varies between 260 and 624 € depending on the heated surface area of your home.
