The European Commission’s latest reports on the State of the Energy Union and Climate Action 2025 highlight the EU’s significant progress towards a clean energy transition and greater independence, with a notable reduction in dependence on imported fossil fuels. However, achieving the 2030 targets will require faster adoption of renewable energy and improvements in energy efficiency by governments, institutions, businesses and individuals.
5 strategies to improve energy efficiency
There are many ways to achieve the goal of reducing energy consumption, specifically the Naturgy energy company proposes five simple strategies to improve energy efficiency levels both at home and in small and medium-sized businesses.
Improve building insulation
Air conditioning is one of the main reasons for the high energy consumption of homes and companies. In winter, to heat the rooms and, in summer, to keep them cool. However, the use made of these devices is not always the most efficient.
This is largely due to the existence of leak points in buildings. Spaces that allow the interior temperature to “escape” to the outside, while facilitating the entry of the outside temperature into the property. As a result, you have to raise the thermostat in winter or lower it in winter. This, translated into energy terms, means that consumption skyrockets.
However, there is a simple way to avoid it, applying one of the most efficient energy management strategies, such as improving insulation, to eliminate these leak points.
There are many ways to achieve this. For example, changing the windows for ones that have frames that are well fitted to the wall, free of thermal bridges and with double or triple glazing. Another alternative is to cover the façade if it is already old, or apply insulation to the interior walls and ceilings.
Hire the right power
A simple way to take steps in the right direction when it comes to energy management is contract the power needed in each building. The idea is to have a sufficient supply of electricity, but without becoming excessive.
With this, energy demand is covered and, at the same time, unnecessary costs are avoided. In addition, it is also advisable to review the alternatives on the market to contract the rate that best suits the needs of each home or company.
With adequate power and a well-adjusted tariff, both consumption and the amount of the bill decrease.
Implication and good practices
The good results of an efficient energy consumption strategy require the involvement of all those involved in electricity consumption, whether it is the workers of a company or the members of a family.
Changes in habits such as completely turning off electrical appliances that are not in use, or always turning off the lights when leaving a room, can have a significant impact on energy consumption. For this reason, Naturgy recommends doing a lot of education, emphasizing the importance of applying good energy saving practices.
Renew lighting
Lighting systems represent between 10% and 50% of the monthly electricity bill. To get your contribution closer to 10 than 50, changes need to be made. Removing incandescent, halogen and fluorescent bulbs, and installing low-consumption lighting such as LEDs in their place.
Additionally, additional measures can be taken such as enhancing natural lighting. For example, painting the walls in light colors.
Periodic monitoring and evaluation
Ultimately, any strategy to improve energy management must go through a consumption evaluation process to be aware of the results. It is about checking if, with the adjustments made, we are close to achieving the objectives we have set.
To do this, you can review the results on a quarterly basis and regularly monitor the consumption pattern. With the idea of checking the depth of the changes applied.