Cold in Santa Fe: how to save energy so that electricity and gas bills “don’t hurt so much”

Sunday 2.6.2024

/

Last update 11:26

Did you know, dear reader, that in autumn-winter, if the air conditioning is set to 20 °C, no more than that, the electrical energy savings can be very significant? That for each degree added, consumption increases by an additional 10%, and with one degree less, 10% savings are achieved?

And if the filters are cleaned, the savings can be up to 10% per month? Or that using the electric kettle twice a morning, two thermoses for mate, can “fatten” the number of kilowatts on the ticket?

Were you aware that it is economically advisable to heat a house with gas rather than electricity? And if you don’t leave it on pilot, you also save up to 10% on average? Or that heat plates, used correctly, work in your favor over two-candle stoves?

In context, according to a report from the Rates and Subsidies Observatory of the Interdisciplinary Institute of Political Economy (IIEP, of UBA-Conicet) from December to April the increase in the average cost of water, gas, electricity and transportation services was 241 % average. To this we must add the new increases in these services for June, already authorized by the national government.

Therefore, the impact of increases in electricity and natural gas have become a central variable in the increasingly limited domestic economies of middle class families. And the drop in temperatures of the current autumn season forces us to consume more electricity or more gas to heat a home.

The point is that, so that when the ballots arrive, there are not too many “headaches.” And then, the concept of efficient use of home energy consumption appears.

“It is a question of changing habits. For example, we are very used to leaving the heater on when we go to work. If it is turned off and turned on again when you return home, the savings can be very important,” Electrical Engineer José Stella (UTN Santa Fe), university professor and specialist in energy consumption, tells El Litoral. In addition, he teaches a subject on Energy Policies and is a member of the Giedi (Research Group on Engineering Education).

Also, you must have a clear parameter: in autumn-winter, the temperature inside a home must be like in spring, between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius.. “In the spring season, the temperature is pleasant. Everyone says: ‘What a nice day!’ Well, it’s 20°C average. These temperature and humidity conditions should be replicated inside a home,” he explains.

First recommendation for heating a home with electric energy: The air conditioning in heat mode must be at 20 °C. If you go up one degree more, it is approximately 10% more consumption; one degree less, same percentage but savings.

“You must also verify that the air filters are clean (Lid is lifted, taken out and cleaned). There is a saving of 10%, with clean filters”; he assures.

Another recommendation: verify that the pipe that connects the air conditioner to your outdoor appliance is thermally insulated. “If that pipe is not properly insulated and is in contact with air, there will surely be a leak. Either the cold or the heat will escape,” warns the engineer.

In addition, There is a button on the remote air control (“Sleep”) that can be an “ally” in energy saving.. That function, if the air conditioning is at 20 °C, every five hours and automatically lowers one degree: “One more hour passes, and it lowers another degree, and so on, until it turns off. In a bedroom, the person is already warmed up and asleep. And he is saving a lot of electricity consumption,” says Eng. Stella.

Candle stoves and heat plates

And what about candle stoves and heat plates? With respect to candle stoves, “here it is worth clarifying that these candles have a certain power (like all electrical devices), which must be measured by the time they are connected. Those candles have 2,000 watts. If they are connected for one hour, it means that they consumed 2 kW/hour. It is a lot for an appliance,” says Eng. Stella.

With respect to the heat plates, these have a larger surface area, and then the heat by convection moves upward, thanks to the air. “The plates improve the heating of a bedroom, for example,” he says. They have a power of 600 watts (0.6 kW/hour), making it more efficient.

“Compared to candle stoves and heaters, Heat plates consume three times less. That is, they are more efficient for heating.”, explains the specialist.

The electric kettle is another matter. If a quick calculation is made (power of an electric kettle in kW/hour), it would cost about 23.4 pesos to use the electric kettle twice to heat two thermoses in one morning. About 700 pesos per month (30 days) just for that minimum use. The nominal value will be higher, of course, if the kettle is used more times a day. “It is advisable to reheat the kettle on the gas burner”Stella insists.

Regarding older natural gas heaters, what should be taken into account so that they do not consume as much? First, if the flame is not blue but half orange, there is a problem: “The device may be burning badly. Because over time the burner was not cleaned, and then carbon was deposited. This makes it not work well, and it consumes more,” says Stella.

To clean the burner, it is best to call a licensed gas fitter. “And if you smell gas, you should also consult a gas fitter. In these cases there is no need to improvise. If there is a smell of gas, a leak check must be carried out.”, insists the specialist.

There is another element to take into account when it comes to efficient energy consumption, and it is related to something more cultural: leaving the house and leaving the gas heater on. “If you leave home to work, the first recommendation is to leave it on pilot; and the second, turn it off,” adds Stella.

The pilot continues to heat up, and represents something like 10% of the consumption of that heater. “But it happens that he continues using. So, if you leave your house, turn off the heater. And when you come back, you turn it on again”says the electrical engineer didactically.

And if someone has the economic possibility of changing that old heater for a new one, what should be considered? “This is very convenient in terms of energy savings. What you are going to look for in a new heater is that it has a thermostat. The good thing about the thermostat is that it allows you to adjust that heating source. Ideally, it should be at 20°C.”

“More numbers, less numbers, heating a home with gas rather than electricity costs half: at any rate level, the savings are 50%. Now, if that natural gas heater is on all day (if a person does not turn it off when leaving, or at least does not leave it on pilot), it will be cheaper to heat with air conditioning or thermal plates,” Stella emphasizes.

“The issue is to achieve 18, 19, 20 °C inside a house. If a stove is used or the air is turned on, it is precisely to achieve that temperature range and contribute to the efficient use of energy resources. It is the ideal parameter, which is nothing other than the spring temperature,” concludes Engineer José Stella.