Energy consumption: 5 tips to reduce your bills

Do you want to reduce your energy consumption? At a time when the prices of electricity and gas continue to rise, many people are looking to reduce their energy costs. Small daily gestures or major works, thanks to certain adjustments, you can lower your energy consumption. Here are 5 tips to reduce your energy bills!

Heating accounts for approximately 60% of a household’s energy expenditure. From this observation, we understand that it is essential to properly control the temperature of your home.

There are different ways to do this:

• Lowering the room temperature by 1 degree saves 7% to 10% energy.
• Equip your home with a heating regulation and programming system to adapt the temperature.
• Replace your old radiators with efficient and less energy-consuming convectors.
• If necessary, use a heating source other than electricity such as wood heating.

Your electric water heater can represent up to 50% of your annual energy consumption. An old installation can even be in first place in your electrical expenses. It is therefore essential to examine the operating condition of your water heater.

If it is old or damaged, it is advisable to change it in favor of a new generation, more economical system. Today, there are thermodynamic hot water tanks which operate on the principle of a heat pump. Quite expensive to buy, they nevertheless considerably reduce your bill.

Of course, if your budget does not allow you to change your hot water system, small simple gestures can have a big impact on your electricity or gas bill. Prefer showers to baths, prefer short showers and turn off the water when you soap!

Refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, dishwashers, dryers, homes today have many household appliances. The first advice is to refer to the labeling of the product before purchasing it in order to choose a low-power device (A+++, A++, A+ and A).
On the other hand, equip yourself with devices adapted to your lifestyle. Do not succumb to a 10 kg washing machine if you live alone, for example.

Then, clean your appliances regularly. Indeed, good maintenance avoids wasting energy. Accumulated dust, limescale or frost requires more energy from your devices to operate.

Small daily actions can reduce your overall energy consumption. Adopt reflexes concerning your connected electrical devices, your lighting and your way of life:

• Systematically turn off unused devices and avoid standby (television, internet box, computer, etc.). You can equip yourself with electrical power strips in order to cut off all your appliances.
• Remember to install low-consumption LED bulbs and turn off the lights in the rooms you leave.
• Save your hot water consumption.
• Install curtains to increase the insulating power at the level of the windows and close your shutters in the event of a cold snap or extreme heat.

Energy renovation consists of carrying out work in your house or apartment to reduce your energy consumption. A well-insulated home is less energy-intensive and more airtight to heat and cold.

In addition to realizing significant savings, energy renovation increases the value of your property and your daily living comfort.

Before starting the renovation process, it is interesting to carry out an energy diagnosis in order to know precisely your problems in terms of insulation. This also allows you to assess the order of priority of your jobs. From there, several improvements are possible:

• Attic and roof insulation.
• Insulation of the walls from the inside or the outside.
• Insulation of doors and windows (installation of double glazing or triple glazing, PVC and aluminum windows and door).
• Improved ventilation: air leaks are one of the causes of heat loss.
• Replacement of your boiler: today there are very economical models such as condensing boilers or micro generation boilers.

Since January 1, 2022, the Belgian government has merged the Energy, Housing Renovation and Façade Beautification bonuses. This new scheme, called Renolution Bonuses, helps owners, landlords and tenants to finance renovation work and energy-saving work.

How it works ?
Have your work carried out by a professional company registered with the Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises (BCE) subject to VAT and having regulated access.

Submit a grant application by grouping all of your work to IRISbox (electronic counter of the Brussels-Capital Region). You have 12 months to submit your file.
The amount of the premiums is adjusted according to the income and the composition of the household. You can carry out a simulation via the IRISbox and find out about the work supported directly on the Rénolution Brussels site.

We note that there are several solutions to reduce energy expenditure. Insulation work, less energy-consuming household appliances, small daily gestures, the important thing is to act to reduce your electricity or gas bills. In addition to realizing great savings, reducing your domestic energy consumption helps preserve the environment!