Save money if you stop doing it. Typical mistakes when using home appliances

International Energy Saving Day is celebrated in Belarus on November 11. For owners, this is a great reason to reconsider their habits in everyday life in order to save the family budget. The most energy-intensive appliances in our apartments are the refrigerator and washing machine. The correspondent of the agency “Minsk-Novosti” worked out together with experts what errors in operation increase electricity bills.

The refrigerator

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Mistake 1. Put it right against the wall

On the back wall of the refrigerator are a compressor and a condenser. Thanks to the compressor, the refrigerant circulates. This is a substance with which heat is taken from the refrigerator chamber. The capacitor -- and it looks like a big grid -- that heat blows out.

- Many people, especially those living in small apartments, move the refrigerator sideways to the wall, and someone even hides in a closet, Nikolai Zhuk, senior lecturer of the UNESCO Department of Energy Saving and Renewable Energy Sources, correspondent member of the International Academy of Refrigeration, draws attention. Between the capacitor grille and the wall should be a distance of at least 5-10 cm. And this air channel cannot be closed with anything from above - put boxes and boxes on the refrigerator. It is desirable that both the right and left side walls also have free space.

If the conditions are not met, the refrigerator does not give heat to the outside. The compressor operates in enhanced mode and constantly overheats. It is pointless to “wind” extra kilowatts, and as a result, the compressor simply burns.

In order for the refrigerator not to “kiss” with the wall, the manufacturer has provided plastic limiters behind, which leave breathing space. But these constraint consumers often lose or fail to set.

There are special built-in refrigerators designed to drown them in the kitchen set. But even in this case, the installation specialist must still provide a channel for free air circulation.

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Mistake 2. Putting a refrigerator at heat sources

The refrigerator is best located in the coolest place, away from sunlight, heating batteries or a working stove.

- If it is heated by the sun or appliances, the compressor will work longer to take in additional heat and cool the interior space, says Zhuk. Paying for electricity, of course, will be more. Residents of Khrushchev with kitchens of five squares due to the lack of space often move the refrigerator in the hallway. In terms of energy efficiency, this is correct.

Mistake 3. Do not defrost the refrigerator in time

To increased work of the compressor, which means that overpayment for electricity leads to untimely defrosting of the freezer.

- It is believed that modern refrigerators do not need defrosting. But in fact, not all, says the expert. We are talking only about those equipped with the No Frost system. It is really enough to maintain the cleanliness of the internal space. Defrosting is done automatically.

If there is no such system in the refrigerator, the freezer should be defrosted as a thin layer of frost appears. Frequency - 1-2 times a year. If this is not done, the frost will prevent the refrigerant, which is inside the thin pipes, to take heat from the chamber and from the products. The thicker the ice layer, the more energy will be needed to maintain the desired temperature.

Mistake 4. Do not clean the condenser

On the back wall of the refrigerator, dirt, fat and other fumes accumulate over time. And if there are pets at home, then wool. Because of this, air exchange is disrupted, which leads to greater operating pressures of the compressor, and it begins to consume more electricity. Therefore, you need not only to defrost the refrigerator and clean it inside, but also be sure to clean the outside.

- At the same time, washing the condenser with water, rubbing with sponges with abrasives is prohibited, warns N. Zhuk. Clean with a vacuum cleaner or a wet cloth. Violation of integrity guarantees a rapid outage of the unit.

Washing machine

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Mistake 1. Fill in the laundry all the time

Overuse of energy and money leads to both insufficient and too dense loading of the drum.

- The machine has a minimum cost threshold: for heating even a small volume of water, pump operation and drum rotation, almost the same amount of electricity is spent as when half loading, explains Galina Marshalova, Head of the Department of Energy Saving, Hydraulics and Heat Engineering of BSTU. Therefore, washing a pair of T-shirts in full cycle mode is completely irrational. If, on the contrary, to score the drum to the tie, then a dense lump of underwear will not be able to move freely. Water and powder do not penetrate between things, and you will have to wash again. And that's a double energy overrun.

There is another argument against too much loading. Wet, tightly knocked underwear becomes very heavy. When pressed, there is an imbalance that creates extreme vibration and a huge load on the motor, bearings and shock absorbers, accelerating their wear.

Fill the drum to about 80% of its volume.

Mistake 2. Wash often, but little by little

Some housewives wait Saturday to wash everything that has accumulated in a week. Others wash a little every day, giving the car the right rest. “Saturday marathon”, that is, several washes in a row full loads, more economical.

- Modern washing machines are designed with the expectation of intensive operation, said G. Marshalova. The main reason why the car needs a break is not because the iron is “tired”, but because the engine and electronics must cool down, as well as dry the insides so that mold does not start. To do this, it is enough to make a break of 15-30 minutes between consecutive washings.

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Mistake 3. Do not take into account the hardness of water

Hard water is the main enemy of all washing machines. Dense scale crust on TEN increases electricity consumption by 20-30%.

- You can use household softeners based on soda, but they do not dissolve the existing scale, but only slightly slow down the formation of a new one, says G. Marshalova. Constant purchase of advertised funds is an unreasonably expensive waste.

Scaling effectively dissolves citric acid. 50-60 g of the substance is poured directly into the drum and started washing without laundry at 60 ° C. Just don't put citric acid in the powder compartment. This will damage the inside of the car.

Idle washing with citric acid (or special equipment) should be carried out 1 time in 3-6 months. And if the water is extremely hard and the TEN is covered quickly - every three months.

By the way, scale actively crystallizes only when water is heated above 60 ° C. In cool water, the salts remain dissolved and calmly washed into the sewer, without settling on the details. Therefore, washing in eco mode, at low temperatures save your money and save the car.

Mistake 4. Wash everything in hot water

The higher the water temperature, the higher the energy consumption. Modern washing products contain enzymes - enzymes that work optimally at a temperature of 30-40 ° C, and in water 60 ° C and above are destroyed. Prolonged washing at low temperature washes off organic stains - sweat, fat, blood - better than short washing at 60 °C. Severe contaminants or bedding can still be washed at 60°C or higher, but for 80% of everyday clothing, ecoregimes are more than enough.