Beyond the economic benefit of saving on bills, virtuous behaviors in terms of **energy consumption** also contribute to achieving another fundamental goal: environmental protection. Let's see what the main tactics are to optimize the use of gas and electricity at home.

Optimizing gas consumption

• Boiler: the keyword is maintenance. For most standard gas boilers, a check by a qualified technician every two years is mandatory to certify its correct operation. In addition to being a legal requirement, it is a good practice that keeps the boiler healthy, ensuring its efficiency and extending its life.
• Radiators: if your home has gas heating with classic radiators, remember to bleed them periodically through the appropriate valve to release the air present in the system which could hinder the circulation of hot water. Also, avoid covering the radiators with cloths or garments that would prevent hot air from spreading into the rooms.
• Indoor temperature: in winter, it is more than sufficient to set a maximum temperature of 19 degrees on the thermostat to have a comfortable climate at home. In addition to avoiding unnecessary energy waste, this also prevents possible health problems due to too dry air in domestic environments or sudden changes in temperature with the colder outdoor climate. Another good practice to minimize heat loss is to lower the blinds or close the shutters when it is dark outside (and therefore the temperature drops) to protect the house from the cold.
• In the kitchen: the use of a pressure cooker allows you to significantly reduce cooking times, and therefore gas consumption, for some preparations. If you don't have a pressure cooker, remember to use lids to bring food to a boil faster. In many cases, you can also use the microwave to speed up the steps of some recipes that would otherwise require longer times and higher consumption.

Optimizing electricity consumption

• Computers, TV and other devices: these devices consume a bit of electricity even when they are on standby, so it's best to remember to turn them off completely. A tip: to get around the inconvenience of having to unplug the plug every time, use the typical power strip with a switch so you can just turn that off.
• Refrigerator
• The internal temperature of the refrigerator should not be too low, the ideal is around 4 degrees.
• If possible, there should be a little space between the appliance and the wall (about ten centimeters) to ensure sufficient ventilation.
• When storing leftovers, you should wait for them to cool down before putting them in the refrigerator, otherwise they would increase the internal temperature, forcing the appliance to work longer.
• The door should not be left open for too long and periodically it is good to check and clean the gasket, to ensure that the closure is airtight.
• Washing machine and dishwasher
• Try to use both appliances at full load (without exaggerating).
• Avoid pre-washing: for the dishwasher, it is sufficient to remove food residues from the dishes with a napkin; for the washing machine, in case of very dirty clothes, you can pretreat them with specific products before washing or simply leave the clothes in a container with water and soap.
• Take advantage of eco functions, which allow you to obtain an adequate level of cleanliness without exceeding with temperatures.
• Keep appliances in good health: clean gaskets and filters periodically, to avoid breakdowns and ensure efficient operation.
• Air conditioner
• Clean the filters periodically to keep the appliance efficient.
• Do not lower the temperature below 25 degrees Celsius in summer and, on not excessively hot days, try to use only the dehumidifier function.
• If you still have to install the air conditioner, or if you want to move the splits, position them in strategic points that allow optimal diffusion of cool air, without obstacles.
Energy class: if you intend to buy new appliances, carefully consider the energy class. The new classification in force since 2021 goes from G to A and the devices in class G consume 2 or 3 times more than those in class A.

And the bills?

In addition to optimizing consumption, it is also good to optimize the tariff. The energy offer landscape is very vast and varied, but knowing how to navigate in this field is important because choosing the best offer on the market can guarantee significant savings on bills. For those who do not want to do it themselves, there are online services, such as Switcho, which analyze the current bill to understand if there are more convenient offers available and, if so, take care of the activation for free. In this way, for the same consumption, you will receive lower bills.