Energy saving, good for the environment and your wallet

On International Day of Energy Saving, here are a few simple steps you can take to be more efficient with your energy use

It’s the hot topic and one of today’s biggest concerns: rising electricity bills. International Day of Energy Saving is celebrated on 21 October, a date that aims to raise awareness of excessive daily energy consumption and the consequences it can have on the environment.

Energy and the environment are closely linked, because depending on the energy consumed, fossil fuels are burned, which emit polluting gases and cause the greenhouse effect and consequent climate change.

Energy saving in the EU

The European Union has made energy efficiency one of its priorities, and the war between Russia and Ukraine has reinforced this commitment.

One of its main measures is REPowerEU, the 2022 shock plan that establishes financial and legal measures to build a new energy infrastructure by 2030, and thus reduce dependence on fossil fuels from Russia.

In addition, to lower electricity prices the European Commission has proposed creating a joint EU gas procurement platform, and setting a dynamic and temporary gas price cap. It also proposes diverting 40 billion from the Cohesion Fund to tackle the energy crisis.

Measures to help energy saving

European governments have already taken measures to save energy, such as regulating air conditioning in public buildings or turning off lights in monuments and shop windows at night. But as this is an issue that concerns us all, we propose a series of measures that you can apply in your daily life to raise your awareness, contribute to saving energy and reduce your energy bill:

· Defrost food at room temperature, without resorting to the microwave.

· Adjust the heating so that it does not exceed 21º. Each extra degree can increase the price of the bill by up to 7%.

· Clean and ventilate the back of the fridge.

· Use energy-saving light bulbs.

· Use more natural light and turn off lights that are not necessary.

· Use power strips with switches to avoid phantom consumption, which is the consumption of energy by appliances connected to the mains when they are not switched on.

· Plan and control the use of air conditioning.

· Encourage teleworking to avoid commuting.

· Walk and use public transport, which uses on average four times less energy than private cars.