Celebrating Energy Efficiency Day to increase of power bill savings

At Robinsun we’re fully committed to lowering your power bills and driving down the carbon footprint of your household. While a plug & play solar kit is a great way to achieve this, another great way is to not consume electricity in the first place. That is why today we celebrate Energy Efficiency Day, aimed at raising awareness of the need to reduce energy consumption and promote sustainable energy use.

What is energy efficiency?

The US Department of Energy defines energy efficiency as “the use of less energy to perform the same task or produce the same result. Energy-efficient homes and buildings use less energy to heat, cool, and run appliances and electronics. [...] Energy efficiency is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to combat climate change, reduce energy costs for consumers [...]. Energy efficiency is also a vital component in achieving net-zero emissions of carbon dioxide through decarbonization.” This pretty much sums it up.

Key drivers of energy efficiency

Energy consumption at home is the biggest source of CO2 emissions for a person, along with transportation. As we electrify transportation (think electric vehicles of all types), energy in households becomes ever more important. Energy efficiency in households is driven by several factors.

Avoiding unnecessary use of electricity is the cheapest way to save on energy. Turning the lights off when you’re not in a room, or turning the AC off when you’re not at home are some obvious examples.

Using energy efficient devices is another driver, although this one is likely to cost money. Replacing old light bulbs, your fridge, washing machine, dishwasher and other appliances with energy efficient ones isn’t exactly cheap. In the long run you save on your power bills, but you need to invest in these new devices upfront.

Once you generate your own solar power, whether that’s with a plug & play solar kit or a bigger rooftop installation, another factor comes into play: how to concentrate your energy consumption during those hours of the day when you produce your own, fully renewable and free energy with your solar panels? As you understand the times of the day when your solar installation generates the most energy, you can start shifting your higher consumption activities (washing machines, dishwashers, water heating etc) into these hours, when you have more production of free energy. This way you avoid using energy in times where you cannot produce it yourself and have to buy it from the grid. While this doesn’t reduce your overall consumption, it does make a much more efficient use of your solar installation, since consuming energy on the spot when and where it is generated is the most efficient. You avoid transporting or storing energy and the loss and costs associated with that.

How everybody can save with energy efficiency

Solar installations have become so cheap and readily available, that there is really no excuse left for any of us to not go for one. While bigger installations require the intervention of a professional installer, that can take time, plug & play solar kits are a very easy, fast and affordable way to start producing your own solar energy for self consumption, and save big on your power bills.