Energy-saving tips for families in Germany – from the experts at EnviroSustain

Winter is coming. And while we all hope that the Berlin winter doesn’t resemble an icy episode of Game of Thrones, we’d like to be prepared for anything. So we chatted to some experts to get their best energy saving tips for you to use… 

The war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine has had German residents feeling uneasy for months now, and the consequences are far-reaching and impossible to ignore. Supply restrictions from the controversial Nord Stream 1 pipeline continue to have us on our toes. Germany recently committed to reduce both consumption and its reliance on Russia’s supply significantly. In any case, we will all be dressing warmly (wir ziehen uns warm an).

If you live in a German apartment, your property manager or landlord may have sent you a warning about increased gas prices or even adjusted your operational costs in advance. Whether they have reacted or not, you may feel compelled to react swiftly yourself, and we’re keen to get the conversation started on how families in Germany can really save energy. We want to know what really makes a difference in a private household.

So we talked to some experts – the team at EnviroSustain. This Berlin-based sustainability consulting firm just happens to be one of our favourite long-term translation clients. While translating recently, Kathleen noticed that EnviroSustain has a wealth of terrific energy-saving tips to share with tenants and property owners, so we asked Dr. Birgit Memminger-Rieve, the managing director, if we could share them with you.

Appliances

Half of the electricity generated in private households comes from the kitchen 😲.

• Set your fridge temperature to 7 degrees.
• Unplug appliances instead of leaving them on standby.
• Choose energy-safe models when buying new appliances.
• 40 degrees is an ideal temperature to get your clothes clean in the washing machine.
• Load your dishwasher and washing machine to maximum capacity before switching on.
• Turn the TV off when not in use.

Heating and electricity

• Switch to an eco-tariff.
• Investigate using green energy.
• Maintain a constant temperature around the clock (ideal temperatures for each room below)
• Curtains or furniture in front of radiators prevents the room from heating properly: keep radiators clear and exposed.
• Get your radiators vented at least once a year to avoid blockages and keep the water flowing freely.
• Avoid mould by measuring room humidity and keeping it under 50%.
• Don’t turn off the heating completely and let rooms cool down severely. Re-heating cold rooms costs more energy than maintaining a constant temperature.

Water

We use on average 126 litres of water per person per day in a private household 😬 😱 🤦. When confronted with this fact, we didn’t believe it either! But here it is:

• Have a shower instead of a bath – a bath uses three times as much water as a shower. Happy singing!
• Time your showers with an hourglass.
• Turn the tap off while you’re brushing your teeth and teach your children to do the same.
• Repair drips and leaks quickly.
• Load your dishwasher and washing machine to maximum capacity before switching on.

Lighting

• Replace conventional light bulbs with LEDs (this makes a difference in consumption of up to 90 per cent).
• Turn lights off when you’re not using a room, or use sensors that do it for you.
• Take advantage of the daylight as much as you can.

Air quality

• Put plants in your apartment to aid ventilation and regulate humidity.
• Learn how to “air your apartment” properly – just ask any self-respecting German to take you through it (do you have an hour?).

Out and about

• Travel with public transport.
• Take your bike (Berlin is a flat and bike-friendly city).
• Walk 🚶🏽
• Use e-mobility and vehicle sharing. Companies that operate in Berlin with scooters, cars, vans and motorbikes include Tier, Bolt, Voi, Lime, Bird, WeShare, Miles, ShareNow and Share die Robbe.
• Avoid flying if you can travel by train.
• Avoid in-person meetings if you can meet online.
• Carbon offset your plane travel.

If you’ve got something we haven’t covered, leave a comment below. Brie also wrote a post about how she’s trying to save as a single-person household if that applies to you more. Our ears are open so that our toes stay warm.