Equipment in dwellings

With light colours on walls and ceilings, you make better use of natural light and reduce the use of artificial light.

Replace incandescent and halogen lamps with low-consumption LEDs. They last longer and consume 90% less.

Look at the energy label on lamps and choose ‘Class A’ lights.

Keep lamps and shades clean; dirt reduces light levels.

It is advisable to avoid lamps with a lot of bulbs (e.g. chandeliers).

Buy appliances with an A+++ energy label: they will save you a lot of energy and money.

Place the fridge or the freezer in a cool, well-ventilated place away from possible heat sources: cooker, oven, sunlight, etc.

De-frost the freezer before the layer of ice reaches a thickness of 4/5 mm. You will obtain savings of up to 30%.

Never put hot food in the fridge, you will save energy by allowing it to cool outside.

Wherever possible, wash with cold water.

Spin mode consumes less energy to dry clothes than a tumble drier.

Buy a dishwasher with an A+++ energy label, to save energy and money.

Choose the dishwasher size according to your needs.

Try and fill the dishwasher before using it. For half-loads, use short or ‘economy’ programs.

Whenever you can, use economy or low-temperature programs.

Clean the dishwasher filter regularly, it will work better and save energy.

If you need a tumble drier, buy one of ‘Class A’ or higher.

Preferably, use the spin cycle on the washing machine instead of a tumble drier.

Use the capacity of the tumble drier to the maximum and always fill it to the top.

AWhen using a tumble drier, spin clothes in the washing machine first.

Do not mix cotton and heavy clothes in the same load when drying light clothes.

Clean the tumble drier filter on a regular basis, and inspect the ventilation hole to ensure that it is not blocked.

Use the humidity sensor of the tumble drier to avoid excessive drying of clothes.

Induction hotplates save up to 45% of energy in comparison with vitro-ceramic hobs because they heat the pot or frying pan directly instead of heating the glass.

Gas cookers: ensure that the base of the pots is slightly higher than the cooking zone to keep the flame under them.

Electric cookers: use pots/frying pans with a thick base to ensure a more balanced temperature distribution.

Whenever you can, use super-fast pressure cookers (they lose very little steam during cooking). They consume less energy and save a lot of time.

Cover pots during cooking, to consume less energy.

Switch off electric cookers (except induction) about 5 minutes before finishing cooking, to take advantage of the residual heat.

Electric ovens have an energy label that indicates their level of efficiency.

If you are going to buy an electric oven, ensure that it is Class A or above.

Do not open the oven unnecessarily. Every time you do this you will lose at least 20% of the energy accumulated inside.

Try and make the best use of the oven's capacity and, if possible, cook as many different foods as you can at the same time.

It is not usually necessary to preheat the oven if you are going to cook for over 1 hour.

Switch off the oven just before finishing cooking. The residual heat will be sufficient to complete the process.

Buy devices with a Class A energy label; they are more efficient, and get advice from specialists.

Set the room cooling temperature at 25ºC. A temperature difference of more than 12ºC with the outside is not healthy.

To stop a dwelling getting too hot inside, install canopies and close sun blinds and curtains.

In summer, air the house when the outside air is cooler (early morning or at night).

A fan may be sufficient to keep a pleasant temperature. The movement of the air produces a sensation of lower temperature (between 3 and 5ºC) and fans consume very little energy.

All air conditioning equipment should be protected from the sun and there needs to be good air circulation around it. If the condenser units are on a roof, cover them to ensure that they are in the shade.

Light colours on roofs and exterior walls reflect the sun and stop interiors heating up.

Adhesive strips can be stuck on the outside of windows to reduce the flow of heat to the interior of the dwelling.