On average, every French household has around 100 electrical and electronic appliances. Between avoiding waste and reducing consumption, here are a dozen tips to help you cut your bills.

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• Switch off appliances on standby

A European regulation limits standby power to 0.5 W for a certain number of appliances. However, all devices connected to the internet or data networks have a limit of 2 W. Turning off devices on standby can save up to 25% of your electricity bill, or more than €100/year.

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Keeping audiovisual and computer equipment, cooking appliances and small household appliances on standby doesn t do much good. Opt for a power strip with a switch that turns everything off at the end of their use to simplify your task.

However, be careful with washing machines and dishwashers: they are often put on standby to detect water leaks. So it s not a good idea to unplug them.

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• Choose the "eco" program for your washing machine and dishwasher

The "Eco" program saves water and electricity despite the fact that it takes longer. The soaking time is longer, but the water is heated less. This saves on electricity.

Washing dishes at 50°C or with the Eco program uses 45% less electricity than an intensive program. Similarly for the washing machine, using the Eco program saves 15% electricity and this can rise to 50% by choosing a 30°C program.

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• Filling your washing machine and dishwasher

When your washing machine is half-full, you use less water but just as much electricity. Every household runs around 200 wash cycles a year. By filling up your machines, you can save around 30 machines, which saves 15% on electricity.

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• Save by cooking

By covering your pots and pans, cooking becomes faster. By using lids, you save up to 25% energy.

By turning off the oven before the end of cooking, you save 10% electricity.

If you buy a kettle with a thermostat, you can choose the water heating temperature. By choosing 80° and not 100°, you save 25% electricity.

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• Pay attention to your kitchen layout

It s highly recommended to keep your oven away from your freezer and refrigerator. Indeed, the hotter it is near your cooling appliances, the more electricity they will have to use to cool down.

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• Don t leave computers and game consoles plugged in

When you re no longer using these devices, I urge you to turn them off and unplug them so you don t consume electricity unnecessarily.

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• Switch off the box when you re not using it.

A box is often left on 24 hours a day and can consume up to 200kWh a year, or as much as a washing machine. Unplugging it when you re asleep can save 25% of your electricity bill. Unplugging it when you re at work boosts your savings to 50%.

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• Save hot water

Small everyday gestures that we do with lukewarm water, such as rinsing our sponge, washing vegetables or our hands, cost us rather dearly, whereas cold water is perfectly suitable! Push the mixer tap all the way to the cold side so you don t have to constantly turn on your boiler.

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• Controlling heating temperatures

You can set room temperatures according to their purpose. Living rooms are used all day long, unlike other rooms like the bathroom and kitchen. The latter can be heated to 17°C in order to make some savings, unlike the living rooms, which you can heat to 19°C.

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• Keep the heat in

Investing in curtains and closing your shutters as soon as night falls allows you to save heat inside your home. During periods of extreme cold, leave your shutters closed to prevent heat loss through the glazing.

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