Our energy consumption is unique and differences person by person. One of us is accurately adjusting all his electrical appliances according his living, another one is satisfied when it goes nearby there.

There are good reasons to be aware of energy efficiency (in Finnish, energiatehokkuus) of our living, and one of the best ones is money. The amount of energy we are using is easily understood when energy efficient choices are compared to those that are more careless, and this all valued in euros. The difference between the exact and carefree energy consumption in the western industrialized economies is surprisingly large.

In the following two identical households are compared. These two families are living in 120 square meter single family houses, which is the home of the parents and two school-age children. The only difference between families is their energy consumption: the other one is living energy efficiently, whereas the other family is more careless with their use of energy. The energy prices used in the calculations are: heating 8 euro cents / kWh, electricity 12 cents / kWh and water 3,50 euros / m3.

Biggest energy eaters in single family house are heating and ventilation. For the family who are energy efficient, the heating and ventilation of their house costs 8 000 euro per year; for the family who is not so eager to watch over energy consumption levels, the cost is 13 000 euro. The 5 000 difference is significant, and can be easily obtained by lowering the room temperatures to 18 – 22 degrees of Celsius, keeping even lower temperature in spaces like garage and storage rooms, and adjusting the temperature based on the living rhythm of inhabitants.

The second biggest savings can be done with hot water usage, especially when bathing. From our example families the one more care-free is spending hot water worth of 5 000 euro per year, whereas the family with more cautious way of living and bathing uses 3 000 euro per year for hot water. The steps for these savings are simple: the family with smaller bill takes quick showers, closes the taps when they are not needed and checks that there are no leaks or problems in faucets.