At the dawn of winter, and when the cold is already well established in our homes, we take stock of the most energy-consuming household appliances and the right reflexes to adopt to reduce electricity bills.
According to a study posted on the site LeLynx.fr, electrical appliances represent on average 17% of our energy consumption. On the invoice side, its price would be 1,320 euros per French person each year. The most energy-consuming electrical appliance, and therefore the least economical? The fridge / freezer combination. It consumes, on its own, no less than 346 kWh / year. This appliance is closely followed by the dryer (301 kWh / year), the freezer alone (288 kWh / year) and the television (187 kWh / year). Surprisingly, the kettle is not on the list of the 10 most energy-consuming devices and the desktop computer only arrives in ninth position.
To reduce electricity bills, certain reflexes can be adopted. First, proper maintenance of your devices will ensure that they do not consume too much. For example, if you regularly defrost your fridge and freezer, they will consume less electricity and better preserve your food. Lowering the temperature of the radiators, turning off your television rather than putting it on standby, unplugging your chargers rather than leaving them on the outlets also allows you to reduce the total cost of your bills. And of course, opting for LED bulbs and remembering to turn off the light when you are not in the room are good techniques so as not to waste too much electricity.
The challenge of fuel poverty
This issue of saving electricity is crucial at a time when so many households are in a situation of energy poverty. According to the Abbé Pierre Foundation, this phenomenon affects 12 million people in France. It is often the accumulation of discrimination that occurs for these people, since the homes in which they live, nicknamed “thermal strainers”, are often located in isolated and modest suburbs. To this must be added the fact that, over the past year, the price of energy has increased by 14%.