Energy saving tips: How to reduce your gas and electricity bills in Germany

Saving energy is a big topic of discussion right now in Germany with the prices of gas and electricity going up by the day. Here are some of our energy-saving tips to lower your bills in the coming months and help the planet, too. This is also a space to share your own tips and tricks for saving energy – just leave a comment below with any ideas you have…and let’s all get through this together!

First, very quickly, why?

Well, it’s a simple equation at the core: Germany imports oil from Russia and oil makes energy.

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine means Germany cuts imports from Russia and Russia cuts supplies as well. Though Germany has a reserve of oil, the concern is that it won’t last through the upcoming cold-weather season. Hence the price increases, along with initiatives to make what we have last as long as possible. So before it comes down to government mandates on rationing gas, which hopefully doesn’t happen, let’s figure out how we can individually save for the greater good.

Are you in?

I sure hope so…

Save energy, save money, save the planet!

Here is how I, a single person living in Berlin, am consciously trying to reduce my energy consumption, and my tips for you:

• Unplug appliances when not in use
  Easy. The effort needed to unplug/plug my toaster and coffee-making toys is totally manageable. One person also commented on our YouTube about buying timer plugs for certain things – but do your research, some products use just as much energy as if you’d just left them plugged in.
• Check your own laziness
  Is the automatic pet feeder really necessary when I’m working from home? No. Save it for when I’m away all day and it’s necessary.
• Reduce internet usage
  I can survive without you while I sleep. (…Right?!) Some people say I’ll even sleep better without your intrusive waves. Schauen wir mal…
• Check your shower habits
  How long am I actually in there? I did at one point challenge myself to 2-3 min showers (hair washing not included). Maybe not a bad idea to do it again. Same idea for water temperature – it’s way better for your skin and hair when you don’t try to boil yourself in there…You can also go the extra mile and turn off the water when shampooing/soaping yourself and turn it back on just to rinse.
• Be smart when doing dishes
  Turns out that dishwashers are actually more water and energy efficient than handwashing..who knew! But since I don’t have one, I’m making an effort to use hot water to wash/soak dishes, and cool water to rinse. And same thing as the shower – you can turn the water faucet off when soaping the dishes and only turn it on to rinse them.

Ok, but what about people with larger households and kids?

Kathleen has us covered! She got the inside scoop from EnviroSustain and compiled the info here.

Otherwise, enjoy this video of a single person trying her best to save the world!
(featuring a cat cameo because why not)…

How are you going to save energy? Any tips and tricks to share?

No matter how you slice it, being conscious about your energy consumption is a win-win. Not only is it good for our wallets, but also the planet.

Leave your ideas in the comments – we want to hear your tips!

And share this post so we can all benefit and help each other get through this impending energy crisis.