Low temperatures increase the consumption of electrical appliances in households
The average daily temperatures in the territory serviced by ENERGO-PRO vary between +3 and +22 degrees depending on the season. Traditionally, the peak in electricity consumption is in January and February, since then the minimum temperatures vary in the range from -7 to -15 degrees Celsius.
During the cold winter months, heating accounts for the most significant share of electricity consumption in homes. Even if the heating appliances are set to maintain the same temperature throughout the winter, the consumption graph rises sharply upwards with decreasing temperatures. This is due to the fact that most electric heating households use air conditioners that, according to their manufacturers, sharply reduce their efficiency at -5 degrees Celsius and lower air temperatures, and to maintain the same temperature in homes use significantly more energy.
A reflection on consumption is also given by the duration of the cold. If low temperatures persist, the walls cool down, and heating appliances increase electricity consumption. The number of hours with lower values in the daily course of temperatures is also important. Traditionally, throughout the year, households spend more energy in the evening and night hours, with the average bill for the month including a significant amount of energy at a nightly rate, which is at a much lower cost than that of a daytime rate. At negative values, or those around zero degrees of daytime temperatures, there is an accumulation of the effect of lowering the CPAs of air conditioning systems and rapid cooling of buildings. Thus, the energy consumed in more than the warmer months during the day increases the proportion of the more expensive daily rate, and this has an impact on the monthly bills.
In winter, the consumption of electricity and other appliances in the home increases — we run more washing machines because of the thick winter clothes, the water heater works longer hours to reach the usual temperature due to the slower heating and faster cooling due to the lower temperatures in the bathroom. Hobs and ovens give off more heat easily and more indoors. Frequent opening of the refrigerator and prolonged holding of the door open also leads to an increase in electricity consumption.
Traditionally, bills in the months of January, February and March for consumed electricity in cold December, January and February, respectively, are relatively high. If in individual households the increase is significantly higher than the average, this is due to the individual consumption profile and the energy efficiency of the home. Typically, in houses and apartments with more external walls, heating appliances spend an additional amount of electricity on heating the same type of room.
ENERGO-PRO periodically gives advice on energy-efficient behavior to customers. Experts of the company consider that of paramount importance in the winter months is the quality insulation of homes, the use of energy-efficient appliances (class A, A+, A++), as well as the correct behavior to prevent the “leakage” of heat from the premises. Reflection on consumption is given by the exposure of the home (especially north) and the size of the windows not covered with dense curtains. Failure to close the doors to unheated rooms and the use of blowers and calorifers with high energy consumption, for example, may prove to be the reason for further increase in electricity bills by tens of leva. The investment in energy-efficient appliances and the installation of appropriate insulation pays off with lower electricity bills.
