With many small and larger tricks, you can save a lot of money in everyday life. MeinMMO presents you with 8 tips with which you can save almost 1,000 euros a year.
In times when electricity and gas prices are at an all-time high, it is always advisable to conserve resources or use them sparingly. Therefore, MeinMMO presents a whole range of tips that can help you save electricity, energy, and thus money in everyday life or at home office.
What numbers are we starting from? We usually assume a household of 4 people. The average electricity consumption of a 4-person household in Germany is about 3000 kWh. In January 2024, the average price for a kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity is around 37.37 cents/kWh, according to the comparison portal Verivox.
The high price is also associated with the cost explosion in 2023, where electricity suppliers passed on the high wholesale prices to end consumers. Depending on how high the electricity and energy prices are, the theoretical savings potential is also greater.
Seal doors and windows
The most energy is lost when heating through doors and windows. Therefore, it is worth checking whether windows and doors are really sealed. New sealing rings or aids usually don’t cost much, but heating costs can be reduced by up to 20%. That amounts to about 150 euros depending on the household. This is also stated by the online magazine Enercity.de.
Another tip: Close the doors so that the heat stays in the rooms and doesn’t drift through the hallway or other areas.
What does it cost? DIY insulation usually costs only a few euros and can be found at hardware stores. Professional insulation from a tradesman will cost you more like 200 euros or more. A good insulation also increases the property value, by the way.
How much can you save? Depending on your household, you can save about 150 euros a year with good sealing.
Install a water-saving showerhead
With a water-saving showerhead, you can save not only water but also electricity in everyday life. Saving models reduce energy consumption by around 30% and lower water usage: While a normal showerhead uses about 14 liters of water per minute, the consumption with a saving head is about 6 to 8 liters.
Before you worry about standing under a trickle: The water-saving showerhead limits the flow, but the water pressure is usually not reduced.
What does it cost? For a water-saving showerhead, you usually pay between 15 and 20 euros. However, there are also models for which you can pay 50 euros. Normally, a cheap model is enough.
How much can you save? The website wertgarantie.de calculates the savings in water and electricity to be about 100 euros per year for a person who lives alone and showers once a day. With more people showering daily or even multiple times a day, you will, of course, save more.
Wash clothes cooler
You can also save electricity and money with the washing machine. By reducing the temperatures, the Verbraucherzentrale Hamburg states, it is worthwhile for you (via vzhh.de):
- By lowering the temperature from 60 to 40 degrees, electricity consumption decreases by up to 45 percent.
- Washing at 30 instead of 40 degrees even saves up to 40 percent.
In general, experts recommend washing laundry with cooler water. Modern detergents are now made from washing enzymes and surfactants. Therefore, hot water is no longer needed to clean clothes deeply.
However, there are exceptions where lower temperatures are not recommended:
- If sick people or persons with allergies are in the household, washing at higher temperatures is recommended.
- Additionally, you should wash hot a few times a year to prevent a bacterial film inside the washing machine.
- Certain items like underwear, bed linens, and towels should also be washed at 60 degrees.
What does it cost? Nothing, washing laundry at cooler temperatures costs you nothing initially.
How much can you save? If you count on a 4-person household with about four loads of laundry per week, you can save about 75 euros a year by washing at cooler temperatures.
Install digital thermostats
Digital thermostats can be attached to radiators to automatically regulate the temperatures in the room. But beware: Not all thermostats are suitable for every radiator and in some cases, the heating system must also be suitable.
The question of whether such smart devices are worth it at all depends on the building and the occupants:
- If the building is already well insulated and you usually turn down the heating when you leave the room, then you can save little with a digital thermostat.
- However, if you are someone who turns on the heating in the bathroom in the morning but then forgets to turn it off later, then it is worth purchasing just like in a poorly insulated house.
The Stiftung Warentest calculated for a rather poorly insulated 70-square-meter apartment that smart heating could save about 108 euros per year. This was valid for 2022. Due to the sharply rising prices in 2023 and early 2024, the saving potential is likely even higher.
What does it cost? Depending on the manufacturer, you pay about 25 euros for a digital thermostat, but some devices can be had for 50 euros. However, you also need to consider that for each radiator you want to control, you need a thermostat.
In some cases, you also need a control unit through which you can control your thermostats. For example, if you buy thermostats for the Fritzbox and own a Fritzbox, you do not need a control unit anymore.
How much can you save? If the house is poorly insulated and you constantly forget to turn down the heating, you save about 108 euros per year.
Lower the heating
By turning down the heating, you can also save money and energy, says the Verbraucherzentrale (verbraucherzentrale.de).
- Level 1 means a room temperature of about 12 degrees.
- On level 2, the room is heated to 16 degrees.
- At level 3, it is already 20 degrees.
- At level 4, you already get 24 degrees.
- Level 5 means a room temperature of 28 degrees.
Each degree less corresponds to roughly a saving of 6% energy. If you set the heating to level 3 instead of level 4, that is about 24% energy that you can save.
In well-insulated houses, you should also not turn down the heating, as the heat stays in the building.
What does it cost? Nothing. Setting your heating lower is completely free for you.
How much can you save? If you calculate with a typical 4-person household, then you save about 60 euros per degree.
Replace old light bulbs
Officially banned in Europe, there are still many households with old light bulbs. And some stocked up again with old lights before the sales ban. New LED bulbs consume up to 90% less electricity compared to old bulbs. For comparison, the Verbraucherzentrale states the following values:
- A 60-watt incandescent bulb that lights for three hours a day costs about 24 euros in electricity per year.
- An LED lamp uses about 5 watts and only costs you around 2 euros per year.
What does it cost? Prices for LED bulbs typically range from 5 to 10 euros, but it also depends on the type of bulb and the device.
How much can you save? Compared to an old incandescent bulb, you save about 22 euros per bulb per year. Depending on how many bulbs you replace, the more you save.
Instead of using the console, use a TV stick for streaming
Consoles like the PS5 or Xbox Series X are only partially designed for home entertainment and are primarily gaming consoles. This is also reflected in energy consumption, because PS5 and Xbox consume a lot of power:
- Consoles like the PS5 consume an average of 70 – 80 watts per hour when streaming a series.
- An Apple TV 4K, on the other hand, only consumes 6 watts and a Chromecast even just 3.4 watts.
The consoles are optimized for gaming and are officially gaming platforms, and are significantly less efficient when streaming compared to something like a streaming dongle. Consoles also do not have a low-energy chip that would make streaming more efficient.
If you want to save electricity and money, we would recommend either a TV with smart features or a TV stick. The latter allows you to upgrade an old TV to smart features easily.
What does it cost? A TV stick usually costs between 20 and 30 euros, depending on the model.
How much can you save? The former Vice President of Netflix stated in 2019 that we watch an average of 2 hours of Netflix a day. If you pay about 4 cents for 100 watts, you save about 8 cents per day. That adds up to about 29 euros if you watch 2 hours of series every day.
Avoid standby, turn off devices properly
Many people leave their devices in standby rather than turning them off completely. This way, devices can start up quickly but also continuously consume power. However, in many cases, it can be worthwhile to completely turn off devices. Especially large devices like sound systems, gaming consoles, or gaming PCs consume quite a bit of power while in standby.
However, there are exceptions: You should not completely turn off routers and OLED TVs either: Because as soon as the OLED TV enters standby, a process is started in the background to prevent burn-in effects.
What does it cost? Turning off your devices does not cost you anything at first. For switchable power strips, you usually pay between 15 and 20 euros, with surge protection you’ll pay an additional 5 to 10 euros.
How much can you save? You can save about 140 euros a year. In an average 3-person household, the NDR explains that you can save 8% of your electricity costs, or about 140 euros a year.
All tips for saving at a glance
Everything at a glance: Depending on your bill and the number of people, your saving potential will vary. Here’s a recap of all the possible points with options at a glance:
- Seal doors and windows: About 150 euros.
- Water-saving showerhead: 100 euros per person for daily showers.
- Wash clothes cooler: 75 euros a year with 4 loads per week.
- Digital thermostats: Around 108 euros per year.
- Lower the heating: 60 euros per year.
- Replace light bulbs: 22 euros per bulb.
- TV stick instead of PS5: 29 euros a year.
- Avoid standby: 140 euros a year in a 3-person household.
More ways to save power while gaming: Because PC, PS5, or Xbox are not designed for “power savings.” Instead, a gaming PC is supposed to provide the best possible performance while gaming, and to achieve that processor and graphics card will be utilized to their maximum.
However, with a few small tips and tricks, you can reduce power consumption and save money that way.
