At home, children can be expensive on energy. Washing machine, night light, television, game console, transport for extra-curricular activities… So many sources of expenses that weigh heavily on some families and even more so today with the rise in energy prices. Here are our tips to reduce these expenses and save some money.
If you are a parent or in the process of becoming one, you know better than anyone the expenses that can represent the daily life with a dependent child. Some people don’t necessarily realize it, but at home, energy expenditure inherent in a child, whether small or large, can represent a certain budget at the end of each month. Just make a list: between the different washing machines to throw, the night light that stays on all night, the tablets and game consoles used by the child, and the round trips by car on Wednesdays and sometimes even on weekends for extracurricular activities, a child also consumes energy on his own scale. According to Hello Watt energy advisor, the average electricity consumption of a family of 4 living in a 120 m² house was 18,796 kWh in 2020 over a year. Consumption that is likely to increase in terms of price this year with the rise in electricity prices but also gas, despite the price shield extended until 2023. To cope with this, families can now and already put in place tips on a daily basis to limit energy expenditure and save money on their bills. Here are 8 of them:
1. Do your washing machines at off-peak hours
The washing machine is one of the appliances that consumes energy, especially if it is a particularly energy-intensive appliance (classes D, E, F and G). On average, the share of electricity consumption of a washing machine is approximately 191 kWh per year. This amounts to nearly 16 kWh per month and 0.5 kWh per day. In November 2022 in France, the price per kWh of electricity was 0.1740 euros. We also know that with children, a family generally makes more than one machine per week. So to be able to save money, it is recommended to start your washing machine during off-peak hours at nightusually between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.and sometimes even on weekends depending on the offer of certain energy suppliers. The electricity rate is cheaper during this time slot. Also give preference to cold and short programs for your washes. If that’s not enough to remove stubborn stains from children’s clothes, rest assured there are grandmother’s tips for removing them beforehand. Tricks that actually work.
Moreover, many followers say, Doing laundry at home is financially rewarding. This can be a good alternative to industrial products, which have not been spared by the price increases of recent months. A economic study of 60 million consumers on household products goes in this direction: with “Raw and cheap ingredients, home-made almost always turns out to be the cheapest”, they say in their conclusion. And no need to separate your laundry from baby’s. Make common machines, with natural products and suitable for the whole family… Double savings!
2. Air drying
Even if the dryer can be very practical, especially when there are several people at home, air drying is highly recommended. According to TotalEnergies, a tumble dryer consumes twice as much electricity as a washing machine. On the electricity bill of French households, the share of the washing machine represents approximately 15% of expenditure. In addition, to help the natural drying of your clothes, remember to spin them well beforehand in the washing machine and then place them in a room with as little humidity as possible, which is sufficiently ventilated. If you have one of your heaters on, remember to put your drying rack in its radiation to let your clothes benefit from the heat. This is an economical trick to make them dry faster.
3. A bottle at room temperature
The bottle warmer is an electrical device that is often bought and used by young parents. For years, health professionals agreed that it was necessary to warm the bottle. However, the trend has reversed a bottle can very well be given to a baby at room temperature. It is enough simply to use a bottle of water, which is suitable for the preparation of baby bottles, and which has been stored outside the fridge. As you grow, milk from the bottle can also “to be drunk at room temperature”noted Health Insurance on its website. By opting for this solution, you make a double saving: no need to buy a bottle warmer, nor to connect it to an electrical outlet to make it work.
4. Reduce console and TV time
For entertainment or to learn, children nowadays use more and more digital tools. It’s a reality. We are thinking in particular of story boxes for listening to nursery rhymes or tales, but also of consoles, tablets and television. These tools inevitably consume at one time or another energy and electricity, just to recharge their battery. If you are looking to save energy, you can reduce their console or television timeat least a quarter of an hour or half an hour a day. This less time can be replaced by an activity that does not require screens : a puzzle, a board game, reading a book etc. It is also a moment that you can share with your child.
5. Phosphorescent stickers to light up the night
At night, while they sleep, most children want to have a night light in their bedroom or a lamp that stays on in the hallway. Although some pilot lights consume very little energy, they can still be easily replaced by phosphorescent decals which for once consumes absolutely no electricity. If your child really cares about his lamp, you can use LED bulbsreputed to consume little electricity, or even special LED motion detector bulbs. This can be an economical solution. In any case, it is better to have a discussion with your child beforehand to warn him of this change. You can explain to him in simple words why he will no longer have his night light constantly on or why the light in the hallway will not shine as brightly as before.
6. Rechargeable batteries
If your child regularly uses battery-operated electronic devices, you can opt for Rechargeable batteries. Admittedly, they are more expensive to buy, but they last longer, which saves money. Depending on the brands, a rechargeable battery can last between 5 and 10 years. It is also a good gesture for the planet because in general they are easier to recycle depending on the materials that compose them.
7. Reduce time in the shower
In some families, the parents have the habit of bathing their child every day. However, a daily shower is not essential, especially since taking a hot water shower or a bath costs electricity or gas depending on the systems, but also water. Today, “it is estimated that a person consumes about 50 liters of hot water per day”, detailed the TotalEnergy website. In order to save energy, you can take action by reducing the time spent under the shower head. To make it fun for the child, you can set up a stopwatch. The idea is not to scare the child, nor to hurry him more than necessary, but with this technique, you can teach him to wash properly while going fast. Another solution: space out the showers and opt for a glove washespecially when the child has not really gotten dirty.
On Wednesdays or weekends, children’s extracurricular activities often require driving back and forth to drop them off and take them home. If you want to save on gas, consider the carpooling or to walking bus. For this second option, it is a pedestrian school bus. In principle, in turn, volunteer parents take it in turns to accompany the children on their way to school on foot. This concept can just as well be adapted to go as a group to the gymnasium or to the MJC of your municipality if the route allows it. Other parents might be interested in this solution.