How to save electricity: modern ways of saving, making special devices with your own hands

Electricity has long been an integral part of a comfortable life. Without it, not a single room appliance will work, which will lead to a huge number of problems. Every year, more and more powerful devices appear that require large expenditures of constantly expensive electricity. People get huge bills that are very difficult to pay. Therefore, the manufacture of devices for saving electricity with your own hands is gaining popularity.

Simple ways to save energy

In connection with the constant increase in electricity tariffs, the question of saving it has become acute. On the Internet, you can find dozens of devices that allow you to reduce consumption without any restrictions. However, they are often all illegal and ineffective.

It is possible to reduce the amount of energy consumed without special devices. To do this, it is important to know a few simple and affordable ways. Among them it is worth highlighting the following:

1. The use of energy-efficient lighting fixtures. This saving method is one of the most popular. It is enough to replace old lamps with modern (energy-saving) ones. Recently, LED lamps are gaining popularity. They are durable, are not afraid of frequent switching on or off, and are also very durable. The latter is achieved by eliminating fragile glass bulbs and tungsten filaments. Their main drawback is the high price, which pays off over time.
2. Simple switching off of the light. This way of saving energy is often neglected by people. During the research it was proved that due to forgetfulness or unwillingness to turn off the light, a person spends 2% more electricity.
3. Checking the condition of household appliances. Everyone in the house has at least a dozen different devices. People use them every day, but forget to monitor their condition. Because of this, the amount of consumed electricity increases. For example, if you do not clean the kettle for a long time, then salt deposits will form on it, which increase resistance and increase energy consumption.
4. To save electricity, it is enough to change the old dark wallpaper to a new lighter one. This will help make the room more illuminated and prevent the lighting fixtures from turning on prematurely.
5. Wipe light bulbs. This simple procedure should be performed as often as possible, as the accumulated dust layer will lose approximately 20% of the light emitted from the lamp. The same goes for lamps and chandelier shades.
6. The use of heat reflectors. In the winter season, most of the electricity is consumed to heat the apartment. You can reduce this figure by using thermal mirrors. They are made from environmentally friendly materials and are harmless.
7. You can use a two-zone meter to pay differentiated tariffs. In some countries around the world, there is a rule that the cost of electricity at night is much lower than during the day.
8. Purchase only such equipment that has the lowest energy consumption (class A). In most cases, all modern devices meet this parameter or even exceed it.
9. Insulation of the apartment. A lot of energy is spent on heating poorly insulated apartments. To fix this problem, you need to close up all visible gaps in the windows or replace them with plastic ones. In addition, you can insulate the facade of the room and increase the level of its thermal insulation.
10. The use of renewable energy sources. This type of savings is available only to wealthy people and consists in the use of modern smart technologies.

Devices for reducing electricity consumption

With the development of technology, devices for saving energy began to appear. They all work according to the same principle, but in most cases they practically do not reduce consumer costs. However, there are some appliances that can help you save a lot more electricity.

Factory production

Very often you can find an advertisement for a device to save electricity. Manufacturers assure potential buyers that electricity consumption will be reduced by at least half. You can check whether this is true or not only on your own experience, by buying a device or making it yourself.

The authors of this invention assure that the device is capable of:

• save reactive power in the power grid;
• protect the network from lightning strikes and voltage surges;
• filter interference.

To make it yourself, you need to choose the right parts and be able to work with electrical appliances. The cost of all components will be significantly lower than the price asked by manufacturers.

The circuit of the device is as simple as possible, and even a person who has never attended physics classes can figure it out. It includes:

• diode bridge;
• fixed electronic board;
• power supply unit (for LEDs);
• film capacitor.

All of these parts are fairly simple and are designed for low power only. Therefore, the device can only be effective when using small devices (charging a mobile phone, a lamp, and others).

The device is made as follows:

1. The first step is to take the electronic board, and the power supply for the LEDs is soldered to it.
2. Then the diode bridge is connected.
3. A film capacitor is attached to it in parallel.
4. The product is placed in the case and securely fastened there.

Such a device will help to save only a small part of the energy consumption. However, he can do much more harm to the owners or their apartment. The negative aspects of the device include:

1. Electricity consumption for continuous operation of LEDs. Although its number is very small, it is still there.
2. May become a fire hazard due to sudden voltage drops.
3. The capacitor is used without a current-limiting resistance. Because of this, the possibility of electric shock is not excluded.
4. It can create a resonance in the network, which will disable all energy-saving light bulbs in the apartment.
5. With massive use, vibrations can occur that will disable most household appliances.
6. Helps to increase the voltage in the network. This is especially important at night, when the load is minimal, and its additional increase can provoke a breakdown of the refrigerator or any other switched on device.

Homemade scheme

To protect yourself from low-quality goods, you can come up with your own scheme for an energy-saving device. It will not only be more efficient, but also cheaper.

To perform such work and achieve the desired result, you must have skills in working with electrical circuits and various devices.

For work you will need:

1. A small microcircuit that will act as the main element. You can buy it at an electrical store, remove it from an old device, or make it yourself. The last option is the most difficult and requires a lot of time and effort.
2. Power rectifier.
3. Plastic case. For increased safety, you can use a rubberized one.
4. Film capacitor with a capacity of at least 5.18 μF.
5. Several diodes that indicate voltage drops.
6. A set of screws.
7. Switch.
8. Plug for socket.

It is very important to prepare all the necessary items in advance. This is necessary in order not to be distracted by trifles during work and not to look for this or that item.

The manufacturing process consists of the following steps:

1. The microcircuit is taken and placed on the work surface.
2. All components are sequentially soldered to it.
3. The assembled workpiece is neatly attached to the bottom of the plastic case.
4. Then the upper part is attached to the lower one and fixed with screws.

Complicated version

For greater energy savings, you need to assemble the device according to a complicated scheme. Such a device turns out to be much more efficient and allows you to save a significant part of the electricity consumed.

Before starting production, you need to buy:

• chip;
• diodes;
• zener diodes;
• transistors;
• electrolytic and high frequency capacitors;
• low-power transformer;
• resistors.

If it was not possible to find any part from the list, then it can be replaced with an approximate analogue. This will not change the assembly process of the device and its efficiency.

The device is manufactured according to a previously developed scheme. The individual parts are alternately attached to the microcircuit and form the base. During work, it is important to take into account some of the nuances:

1. Transistors must be installed with insulating spacers.
2. It is imperative to use only fuses.
3. During assembly, it is necessary to check the operating mode using an oscilloscope.
4. The finished device is designed for a voltage of 220 V and only works with alternating current.

Making appliances to save energy is a rather difficult task that requires special care, attention and experience in such work. If everything is done correctly, then you can not only speed up the whole process, but also greatly simplify it. It is important to remember, however, that electricity is an important part of modern life, and saving it can help you cut costs.