Saving energy in December
Helpful tips for the Christmas season
Many are worried about the upcoming electricity bill after the Christmas season.
© Zivica Kerkez/Shutterstock.com
The energy crisis doesn’t have to mean a dark Christmas. With these tips we don’t have to give up lighting and frying.
Whether twinkling fairy lights, the much-loved roast goose or warming radiators for the holiday guests: despite Christmas, many people are willing to go without those things for fear of not being able to pay the electricity bill. But are all these measures really necessary? In an interview with the news agency spot on news, Alexander Rudow, lawyer, financial journalist and author of “Saving energy: Tips and tricks for household, heating, car and much more”, has helpful tips ready so that you don’t have to go without the celebration of love.
Is it advisable to do without more Christmas lights this year?
Alexander Rudow: Saving energy shouldn’t make our lives joyless, but happier because we live more consciously. Christmas lights in Germany consume as much electricity as a medium-sized city does in a whole year. We can all save cleverly there. We don’t want to promote a blackout.
What should consumers consider in order to save electricity and energy with lighting?
Rudow: Less is more. A single string of lights in the front yard sets an enchanting accent, preferably without blinking or color changes. LED lamps come into their own when it’s cold and consume up to 90 percent less electricity than conventional fairy lights. And there are also LEDs in cozy warm white for the atmosphere inside.
Which type of lighting is currently the most economical?
Rudow: The lighting champions are LED energy-saving lamps. Because lighting accounts for around eight percent of the electricity bill, they are valuable helpers: they are three to five times more economical than conventional light bulbs. They also have the best eco-balance of all energy-saving lights. The worst performers are incandescent and halogen lamps.
How can we save electricity and energy in the kitchen, for example when cooking and baking?
Rudow: There are many great tips. Cooking and baking account for ten to fifteen percent of the electricity bill. A general recommendation: If you can choose between the stove and the oven – it’s better to use the stove. He needs four times less energy. Water can usually be pre-boiled more economically in the kettle. On the stove you can “cook in the tower”. Then you cook in two stacked pots on just one stovetop. The residual heat is also a friend of all of us. The hob does not need full power until the end. If you have time, you can cook longer at a lower temperature. That saves electricity. This is how a slow cooker or slow cooker works. Ovens do not usually need to be preheated, only if dishes are to be baked briefly at a high temperature.
Often there is roast or goose at Christmas. Don’t those dishes consume a lot of energy?
Rudow: Roast and goose cook in the oven, and the poor man has to heat up a room of 54 liters and maintain the temperature. That costs energy and money. But there are resourceful minds like the French chemist Hervé This, who is turning the Christmas menu into a scientific challenge. I’m his fan! A proper goose must first be roasted on the stove. This is how the delicious brown crust is created in the so-called Maillard reaction. But now comes the trick! Inject the goose or duck with about 100ml of Cointreau in several places using a syringe. Now the bird comes out of the pan – the microwave. It causes the water molecules in the meat to rotate and rub, so the dish cooks from the inside out. And that in a few minutes. The preparation is not only fun, but also protects the environment and your wallet.
How do we heat energy-efficiently during the Advent season? You often hear the tip to invite many guests over Christmas to heat up the rooms.
Rudow: The tip with the many guests is reminiscent of the Jesus crib with ox and donkey, which provided a little warmth. A human gives off about 75 watts of heat. For comparison: A tea light creates around 35 watts. When the guests are still dressing warmly or, depending on how close they are, snuggling up under blankets, things are as peaceful as in Bethlehem. No matter how cold it is outside – you also save on heating costs with regular airing, because oxygen-rich outside air heats up more easily.
Many go to their families for the holidays. Should the heating stay on at a low level anyway?
Rudow: If you’re going away for the holidays, it’s best to turn the heating down to level 1 or 2 (12 to 16 degrees). If you switch off the heating, the living room cools down completely. Then it costs more energy to heat your four walls again than you saved before.