Turn down the heating, take a colder shower – saving energy doesn’t have to be difficult. But there are other tips that consumers can use to save money even in the expensive winter of 2022. Stiftung Warentest has collected a few tricks that you can use to keep a little more money in your wallet, even with high energy prices.
Saving electricity in the expensive winter: That’s the advice of the Stiftung Warentest
With winter, many Germans face a challenge that has not existed for decades. The prices for energy, whether gas, oil or electricity are higher than ever, presenting many consumers with seemingly insurmountable problems: How are they supposed to pay for it?
Stiftung Warentest takes this as an opportunity to put promising savings tips to the test. The basis is the annual consumption of a family of three in an uninsulated three-room apartment with around 75 square meters. For the cost savings, the product testers expect a price of 34 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity and 15 cents for the kWh of gas – a certain increase in the current time is already recognizable.
Saving tip no. 1: You get the most money out of the shower
the biggest savings can be the example family in the shower reach. One degree colder water, shorter showers and a water-saving shower head result in annual savings of according to Stiftung Warentest 707 euros out. In the example, the shower water is heated by a flow heater that runs on electricity – a common installation in German households.
The costs cannot be transferred one to one if you use a gas-powered hot water boiler. But even here, savings can be made by changing showering habits. By the way, you need don’t buy a new shower head right away if you save water and money want. There are also practical inserts that you can easily install yourself between the shower head and the hose (see at Amazon).
Saving tip no. 2: Turn down the heating – that really helps
When it comes to heating, you can change a lot to save money. You can find a number of tips in our article:
According to Stiftung Warentest, one degree less room temperature brings about a saving of around 6 percent, but the second degree minus only brings out 1 percent more. In the example you fetch with two degrees minus in the entire apartment over 151 euros per year.
If you don’t need to keep the temperature constant all the time, you can save even more with automatic thermostats. Our GIGA savings fox Peter has summarized his experiences with smart thermostats here for you. According to Stiftung Warentest, heating is currently a total of 189 euros less. Once the initial investment in the thermostats has been recouped, they drive the cost down even further.
Saving tip no. 3: Wash clothes properly – and dry them
According to the product testers, anyone who consistently uses the eco-program with a modern washing machine saves 23 euros per year. The dryer is also a major cost factor. Anyone who hangs their laundry out to dry as often as possible instead of using the machine can look forward to a few euros more. Except in winter, the washing line is always used in the example, instead of only in summer as before. This leaves 38 euros more in the account.
But you can do it yourself in winter laundry dry outside. It may take longer than in the blazing summer sun, but it’s easy on the wallet and brings a fresh scent to your clothes. The tip from Stiftung Warentest: either use the dryer or hang up the laundry outside, but do not let it dry in the apartment. Evaporation removes heat from the room, so the heating has to work harder. The dryer is the cheaper alternative. Also spin the laundry properly, then the dryer uses less energy.
The perfect supplement to reduce electricity costs – a solar power plant for the balcony:
Saving tip no. 4: Switch off WLAN functions
The proverbial small livestock can be found everywhere in the household. Word has gotten around practically everywhere that you should use a power strip for standby devices if possible. But you can also do it differently with many modern devices reduce power consumption. Because more and more smart devices are constantly connected to the Internet via WLAN. However, this function draws a lot of power.
If you are not permanently dependent on the Internet on the television, refrigerator, sound box or WiFi-enabled radio, it may be worth deactivating the connection. If you use a LAN cable instead, you can save 15 euros due to the lower consumption. You should also think about using the night shutdown on your router. Devices in continuous operation, like the refrigerator, are among the biggest sources of costs in the household and you usually don’t need the router around the clock.
With these and a few other savings tips, the example family from Stiftung Warentest creates a total saving of 1,074 euros per year on the electricity bill. However, even with these tips and tricks, the rising prices cannot be completely offset. The coming winter is likely to be more expensive for pretty much all of Germany than the previous ones. Those who consistently use energy sparingly can at least cushion the price explosion somewhat.