In Our Daily Lives: Everyday Energy-Saving Tips

Updated on 07.01.2021

5 min read

Middle School High School

Life and earth sciences

We can all reduce our energy consumption, our greenhouse gas emissions and save money in the process. How? By simply changing a few habits in our day-to-day lives.

In our home

Heating accounts for more than two-thirds of a home’s energy consumption. Heating-related energy bills can be reduced by:

Turning the thermostat to a lower but still comfortable temperature. Heating a room to 19°C instead of 20°C, for example, reduces energy consumption by 7%.
Turning down the heating at night or when you go out and closing the shutters.
To reduce the need for air-conditioning, keep the shutters closed on very hot days and air your home after dark.
It is also a good idea to limit your hot water system to 60°C and to take showers rather than baths.

You can also reduce energy consumption by:

Using compact fluorescent lamps, which consume four to five times less energy than standard light bulbs.
Turning off televisions, computers and other electronic devices rather than leaving them in standby mode, which uses up to 10% more than necessary.
Covering the pan with a lid when boiling water, which reduces the energy required by 75%. Installing your freezer in an unheated room and waiting until food has cooled down before putting it in the refrigerator ensures that these appliances don’t use unnecessary energy to keep your food at the right temperature.
Installing your freezer in an unheated room and waiting until food has cooled down before putting it in the refrigerator to ensure that these appliances don’t use unnecessary energy to keep your food at the right temperature.
Using your household appliances on low settings.

According to ADEME, you consume 50% less energy by washing your laundry at 30°C instead of 60°C, and 25% less by washing it at 40°C. If you choose the economy setting on your dishwasher, you use 45% less electricity per cycle. And not using your clothes dryer can reduce your annual electricity consumption by 15%.

Consumer Choices

Follow these tips:

Eat seasonal fruits and vegetables. In winter, it can take the equivalent of five liters of to get a kilogram of strawberries to your home!
Opt for products with an environmental logo whenever possible.
Buy in bulk, such as a one-kilogram bag of rice rather than four 250-gram bags. This reduces packaging and can also save you money.
- Manage waste wisely. Each of us generates 590 kilograms of waste per year, which is double our waste output 40 years ago. To reduce this, we need to eliminate unnecessary waste and sort our waste for .