How to save

Use energy saving light bulbs
LED technology allows for great energy savings because, with the same absorbed power, it produces 5 times more light than traditional incandescent and halogen bulbs. The operating life of a white light LED is approximately 15,000 hours; comparing it with fluorescent bulbs (7,500 operating hours) and halogen bulbs (750 hours), you can see the savings in terms of maintenance over time.

Reduce hot water usage
Taking a bath compared to taking a shower involves a four times higher water consumption. In fact, the average water consumption for bathing is 120-160 liters, while for a 5-minute shower it is estimated to consume 75-90 liters and for a 3-minute shower 35-50 liters. To further reduce consumption, it is important to turn off the water when soaping yourself or when doing treatments such as conditioners or masks; further savings can be achieved by installing jet aerators or flow reducers on taps and shower heads.

Use power strips
On average, a television or any electronic device in stand-by, that is, with the red light on, absorbs 1 to 4 Watts of power (depending on the brand and model).
If we multiply this figure by 24 hours, it turns out that between 24 and 96 Wh have been consumed. This figure becomes impressive if multiplied by the entire year, that is, cumulating an estimated useless consumption between 8,760 Wh and 35,040 Wh and, if the house has not only a television on stand-by but also a DVD player, a decoder, a stereo or a computer, the situation is even worse. The solution to this problem could be to gather all the plugs of the electronic devices in a multi-socket power strip with an attached switch, so that you can turn them all off with a single gesture if not in use.

Don't leave the light on unnecessarily
During the evening, it is a good idea to keep only the light in the room you are occupying on and, as you move around the house, it is always a good habit to turn off the light and all the electronic devices you were using.
During the day, however, it is important to make the most of the sunlight, trying to keep the lights off as much as possible.
Currently, remote control systems are being developed and are starting to appear on the market, which allow you to turn lights on and off with your smartphone. There have also been more sophisticated home automation systems for managing not only lights but also, for example, roller shutters and curtains.

Don't leave the light on unnecessarily
During the evening, it is a good idea to keep only the light in the room you are occupying on and, as you move around the house, it is always a good habit to turn off the light and all the electronic devices you were using.
During the day, however, it is important to make the most of the sunlight, trying to keep the lights off as much as possible.
Currently, remote control systems are being developed and are starting to appear on the market, which allow you to turn lights on and off with your smartphone. There have also been more sophisticated home automation systems for managing not only lights but also, for example, roller shutters and curtains.

Pay attention to the hours you turn on your heating
It is useless to keep the heating system on day and night. In an efficient home, the heat that the structures accumulate when the system is in operation guarantees a sufficient degree of comfort even during the off period. The maximum daily on time varies by law depending on the 6 climate zones into which Italy is divided: from a maximum of 14 hours per day for systems in zone E (north and mountain areas) to 8 hours in zone B (coastal strips of southern Italy).

Screening windows at night
Closing shutters and blinds or putting up heavy curtains reduces heat loss to the outside.

Avoid obstacles in front of and above radiators and do not leave windows open for long periods.
Placing curtains, furniture or screens in front of radiators or using them as clotheslines is a source of waste as it hinders the diffusion of heat. Instead, it is advisable to insert a reflective panel between the wall and the radiator, especially in cases where the radiator is embedded in the wall, reducing its thickness and degree of insulation. Even a simple sheet of tin foil helps reduce dispersion towards the outside. Furthermore, to renew the air in a room it is sufficient to keep the windows open for a few minutes, while leaving them open for too long only leads to useless heat dispersion.

Defrost refrigerators and freezers regularlythe
A defrosted refrigerator is more energy efficient. But if the refrigerator is near the oven or in a warm room it consumes up to 10% more. The suggestion is therefore to position the refrigerators and freezers appropriately.

Prefer electronic devices with a higher energy class
According to the 58%, household electricity consumption is attributable to household appliances and it is by replacing these that a significant reduction in energy consumption can be achieved.
For example, replacing a 20-year-old washing machine with a current class A one could achieve an electricity saving of 35%; instead, considering the replacement of a refrigerator, it could reach up to 40%.

Carry out maintenance on the systems
It is the number one rule in terms of safety, savings and attention to the environment. In fact, a system consumes and pollutes less when it is correctly adjusted, with clean filters and without limescale deposits.

Equip your system with a temperature control unit
It is essential to equip your system with an automatic temperature control unit that avoids unnecessary peaks or power surges. The possibility of hourly, daily and weekly programming guarantees further energy savings. Home automation also helps to save: chronothermostats, presence sensors and electronic regulators allow you to adjust even remotely, via mobile phone, the temperature of individual rooms and the time the heating systems are turned on.

Use thermostatic valves
These devices are used to regulate the flow of hot water in the radiators and allow the average temperature of the entire apartment not to be exceeded in the rooms where they are installed, especially in rooms exposed to the South.

Use a heat metering system
It allows you to independently manage the heating of your apartment and allows the individual user to save and pay only based on actual consumption. To use it, you need to install heat measurement devices on the radiators or in the pipes connecting the apartment to the central heating system and thermostatic valves on the individual radiators. The law has made its installation mandatory in condominiums and multipurpose buildings heated by a centralized system.

Do a property check-up
A technician's assessment of the efficiency level of a property, carried out through an energy diagnosis or an energy performance certificate (APE), allows you to determine the most convenient interventions to contain consumption and costs. The technician's fee is generally affordable and the interventions are even more convenient thanks to tax deductions and non-repayable incentives from the "Conto Termico". Even the cost of the consultancy is deductible.

Replacing the existing boiler with a condensing boiler
Condensing boilers differ from traditional boilers because they achieve higher efficiency and guarantee energy and economic savings, as heating costs are reduced. In a traditional gas boiler, water is heated by the heat of combustion: the resulting exhaust gases normally pass into the flue and are expelled outside. The result is that the energy contained in the exhaust gas fumes is lost.
A condensing boiler, on the other hand, uses the heat contained in these exhaust gases, which consist largely of water vapor: in fact, the water vapor present in the exhaust fumes condenses. In this way, the latent heat of condensation is recovered and consequently energy efficiency is greater than that of a traditional boiler. In order to obtain energy, however, the water vapor present in the fumes must condense: this can be possible at a temperature lower than approximately 54° C. The condensing boiler cools the water vapor present in the fumes through a specially designed heat exchanger. The energy obtained is used to preheat the water in the heating circuit that returns to the boiler: the preheated water can be further heated to reach the desired temperature by passing through the primary heat exchanger as happens in a traditional boiler. It is important to underline that the flow temperature to the heating circuit is important and depends on the temperature of the air outside the building: for example, it may be useless to send water at 70°C to the radiators if it is 12°C outside. This means that if I send less hot water to the heating circuit (e.g. 50°C), colder water will return to the boiler (e.g. 40°C) making the most of the operating principle of the condensing boiler. To do this, simply combine an external temperature probe with the condensing boiler in order to be able to manage the so-called "climate compensation" of the flow temperature to the heating system.
An excellent solution, however, is to combine a condensing boiler with low-temperature heating systems (e.g. radiant floor panels: maximum flow temperature of 35°C), which have optimal operating temperatures to make the most of the principle of condensation of the water vapour present in the fumes.

Improve the insulation of your home
Improving the insulation level of your home is a very important step as it significantly reduces your energy needs.
The creation of a thermal insulation coat of the envelope and in particular the insulation of the roof, reduces dispersion by between 40 and 50%.
The lower requirement for thermal energy once the work has been carried out also allows for the installation of a less powerful and therefore less expensive boiler.
The thermal coat installation intervention is very convenient if included in a general discussion of extraordinary maintenance of the home, such as redoing the roof or redoing the facade, otherwise it implies a significant initial cost, but with the advantage that over time it does not involve further maintenance costs.
External insulation can be done both on the outside and inside. The second option is generally less invasive but involves the loss of internal surface and is not possible in all cases.

Insulate roof and ceiling
A well-insulated roof makes a difference on the energy bill, managing to contain heat dispersion upwards. A significant investment but one that offers considerable advantages. In any case, it is good to start from the ceilings of the rooms, insulating them well with a proper false ceiling, which can save you up to 20% of energy.

Use double-glazed windows
Another very important step for the insulation of the house, in addition to the creation of the coat, is the replacement of the old windows, which often bring drafts and thermal bridges.
The windows and doors must be made:
1. in highly insulating materials such as PVC and wood;
2.a thermal cut;
3. with double or triple glazing based on climatic requirements and air chamber with argon;
4.with particular attention to soundproofing and internal acoustic comfort of the home.
When installing roller shutters, it is a good idea to check that the boxes are well insulated to avoid air infiltrations that can alter the comfort of the home.

Build renewable energy generation plants
The construction of a plant that uses renewable energy is very useful in the production of electrical or thermal energy.
These systems, if well combined with each other, can allow homes to be completely independent from external supplies of electricity and/or other fuels. These types of systems can exploit different renewable sources such as the sun, wind, water.
One of the most widespread systems is the photovoltaic solar system, which is made up of a series of panels composed of silicon modules, which exploit the incidence of solar radiation to produce electrical energy. The solar thermal system involves the exploitation of solar energy according to a principle similar to a photovoltaic system for the production of electrical energy, but with the aim of heating a liquid placed inside special panels, which in turn, thanks to an exchanger, transfers the absorbed heat to water that can be used for heating or for domestic hot water.
Another type of system is the mini wind turbine, which involves the installation of a mini vertical wind turbine on the roof to produce electricity.
A final example is the geothermal system, which, in combination with a water-to-water heat pump, uses the heat released by the ground or groundwater to heat the water inside the heat pump via an exchanger; this in turn can be used for domestic hot water or heating.