Ademe frequently publishes “general public” guides aimed at informing consumers on the varied themes covered by the Agency. Among other things, she put online a publication in November providing advice, relevant in the current context, for “ reduce your water and energy bills »(1).
Orders of magnitude
A French household spent on average €3,551 on energy expenses in 2022(2) : €1,808 for fuel and €1,744 for energy costs in housing (including 59.6% for electricity).
In a home, heating and hot water alone account for nearly 77% of energy consumption according to Ademe (66% for heating and 11% for domestic hot water).
On this subject, Ademe recalls the recommendations regarding temperature:
- 19°C in occupied living rooms (and 16-17°C when they are unoccupied);
- 17°C at night in your room at night and when it is unoccupied;
- 22°C in the bathroom while washing (and 16-17°C the rest of the time).
Reducing heating by 1°C can cause “ a 7% reduction in energy consumption » according to Ademe. The Agency recommends, on the basis of these indicative temperatures, to turn down the heating in the event of a short absence and when the outside temperature is milder and to put the heating in frost protection mode in the event of a prolonged absence.
Simple actions to reduce your consumption
Apart from the 2 recommendations above in terms of temperature, Ademe distills 35 other “ tips and tricks for saving money » energy that you find below(3).
In living rooms (living room, bedrooms, etc.)
- turn off the light when leaving a room;
- close the doors to poorly heated rooms;
- place bottoms of doors on those opening onto the cellar or the outside;
- close the shutters at night (which results in up to 60% less heat loss through the windows);
- install thick curtains and close them at night;
- avoid covering radiators and hanging curtains in front of them;
- purge the radiators regularly;
- avoid electric or gas space heaters;
- let in light to limit illumination;
- avoid dark or thick lampshades;
- prefer a fan to an air conditioner in summer (“ a class A mobile air conditioner with a power of 2.5 kW represents more than €130 for 1 month of use and can consume up to 2.5 times more than a fixed air conditioner and almost 30 times more than a fan », underlines Ademe);
- do not leave devices charging overnight;
- activate “power saving” mode on the computer and smartphone;
- completely turn off the box before going to sleep;
- completely turn off the computer, television and other devices when not in use;
- plug several devices into a power strip with a switch to turn it off more easily;
In “water” rooms (kitchen, bathroom) and others
- use pans adapted to the size of the plates;
- cover pans while cooking (resulting in 25% electricity or gas savings);
- turn off the electric hotplates a little before the end of cooking;
- avoid opening the oven door to check cooking;
- start pyrolysis cleaning of an oven after cooking (the oven is already hot);
- place your cold appliances far from heat sources (radiator, sun, etc.);
- defrost the freezer and refrigerator regularly;
- clean the rear grill of the refrigerator regularly;
- let the dishes cool before putting them in the refrigerator;
- regularly clean the filters of your dishwasher and washing machine;
- favor “Eco” programs;
- favor short washing machine cycles at low temperature, or even cold;
- wring the laundry out as much as possible before putting it in the dryer;
- dry your laundry in the open air (rather than in the dryer);
- favor the cold position by closing the mixer taps;
- set the temperature of your water heater to 55°C;
- program your water heater during off-peak hours;
- turn off your water heater if you are absent for more than 2 days.
- insulate the pipes and the hot water tank.
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