Introduction :
- Each French person annually spends half as much energy and electricity as an American.
However, our energy consumption remains above the European average.
- Half of the energy produced in France is used to meet domestic needs, such as lighting, heating and household appliances.
Information :
07/02/2012 at 18:41
For several days now, he had been asking for nothing but to fall. It is now done. The historical record for electricity consumption in France was broken on Tuesday at 6.30 p.m., while polar cold still reigns over France.
A peak of more than 100,500 megawatts (MW) was observed at 7 p.m. by the EDF subsidiary in charge of electricity transmission, RTE. The previous record, set on December 15, 2010, was 96,710 MW. Monday evening, France had once again come close to its consumption record, with 96,300 MW at rush hour, when the French turn on their electric heaters on their way home from work.
EDF and the authorities assure that this leap will not cause a national “blackout”.
Energy Minister Eric Besson, however, called for moderation in consumption, noting that housing should be “adapted with adequate thermal protection”.
The departments of Var and Alpes-Maritimes as well as the Brittany region were placed on Tuesday under EcoWatt orange alert, a device which encourages users to restrict their electricity consumption between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Communities have set an example by reducing their lighting. Traffic remained delicate on Tuesday on many secondary networks.
Definitions :
Measurement units
We speak most often of watts (W), kilowatts (kW), watt-hours (Wh) and kilowatt-hours (kWh), without necessarily fully understanding what it is. Here is a little reminder on the meaning of these units of measurement.
The watt is a unit of power. It expresses the instantaneous energy power used by a device.
The kilowatt is a multiple of the watt. 1 kW is equivalent to 1000 W; therefore a device that consumes 1 kW uses 1000 W (1000 joules per second).
The watt-hour makes it possible to measure the energy consumed over a given period (1 hour) by a device consuming 1 W.
The kilowatt hour is its multiple. It corresponds to the energy consumed in 1 hour by a device displaying a consumption of 1000 W. 1 kWh is therefore the equivalent of 1000 Wh.
Economy of electricity :
- If you use your dishwasher or washing machine during off-peak hours, you will save 10 euros per year on your bill.
- Choose appliances bearing an “A” energy label.
- Avoid combined devices (refrigerator and freezer) which consume more energy than those purchased separately.
- No need to wash your laundry at 90 °, the 60 ° program of the new washing machines is more than enough.
- Prefer washing machines with 1200 spinning if you dry your laundry in the dryer, this will shorten the drying time.
- Close your shutters and double curtains as soon as night falls on winter days.
- Ditto in summer, if you have an air conditioning system, close the shutters and double curtains.
- When you ventilate in winter, do not do it for more than 5 minutes to prevent your room from cooling too quickly and turn off the electric heating.
- Remember to have your cumulus cloud descaled every 2 years and prefer showers to baths.
- Are you going on vacation soon? Remember to turn off your energy-consuming devices, whether electronic or household appliances.
If in your electrical panel, there is a device marked “I”, “AUTO”, “0”, it is a device which controls the operation of your cumulus (hot water).
Put it in position “0”.
When you return from vacation, put it in position “I”.
Check afterwards whether the device is in the “AUTO” position after 24 hours.
- Start cleaning your electric oven when it is already hot or during off-peak hours.
- Do not open your oven too frequently to taste a dish in order to avoid heat loss.
- Let your food thaw in the refrigerator. The latter will benefit from the freshness released.
- Do not put hot food in your refrigerator to avoid overconsumption.
- When preparing the meal, take everything you need out of the refrigerator before you start, you will avoid the loss of cold air.
- 3 mm of frost in a freezer or refrigerator leads to overconsumption of electricity of up to 30%. So remember to defrost your devices regularly.
- The consumption of the freezer depends on the temperature difference with the outside, so it is better to place it in a cellar, in an unheated outbuilding.
- The dust accumulated behind the refrigerator can multiply electricity consumption by 2. It is therefore necessary to regularly clean the back of the latter.
- The electronic thermostat allows you to better control the temperature of the rooms in the house if you invest in an electric heating, check that the thermostat is indeed electronic.
- Christmas decorations are good for the spirit of the holiday season. But at one in the morning not many people see them and putting a timer on will save you quite a bit of money.
Using bright decorations that use LED lights will consume less electricity.
- Systematically turn off the light when you leave a room, and teach it to your children.
- Install an economical shower head. Easy to install and inexpensive, an economical shower head saves hot water without any loss of comfort.
- Where possible, place a lid on your pots or pans. You will save time and energy.
A saucepan that matches the diameter of the hob also uses less energy.
- Adapt your cookware (casserole, frying pan, saucepan, etc.) to your hotplates (glass ceramic, gas), you will thus gain in energy consumption.
- Do not leave any electrical appliance on standby. Unplug them as soon as you no longer use them, if possible.
- Electric heating = double glazing.
- Clear the space in front of the radiators, especially the radiant radiators, so as not to block the heat and clean the back regularly of dust.
- No need for a high temperature when you are bundled up in your duvet! Just a tiny degree less in the bedroom and you save 7% energy. Something to sleep soundly!
- A computer on standby, such as a television or other increases your electricity consumption by 10%.
- A modem / router / switch: Livebox, Freebox,…, these devices which allow you to access the Internet and create a local network consume a lot of energy.
Count 10 W for Livebox or a Freebox just to access the Internet (almost as much in standby and double with a TV decoder).
An estimate of 16 euros per year.
Estimated cost of a computer system: 171 W (computer) + 10 W (one Box) + 5 W (one printer) + 20 W (speakers) = 206 W = 0.206 KW.
Current cost (2014) of KWh: 0.13720 € (365 days per year, 24 hours per day) -> balance sheet = 365 x 24 x 0.206 x 0.13720 = 248 €
