10 Oct 2024 15:25

Ukrainian Energy Ministry urges consumers to limit use of electrical appliances

MOSCOW. Oct 10 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian Energy Ministry has urged Ukrainian citizens to assist power engineers in balancing the energy system through economical electricity consumption.

"It is important to give up using a boiler if the apartment has a centralized hot water supply and minimize the use of electric heaters, heat convectors and 'warm floor'," Ukrainian media quoted the Energy Ministry as saying.

The ministry also asks to minimize the use of electric kettles and microwaves if there is a gas stove. If the stove is electric, consumers are urged to choose minimum power modes, especially during peak hours. An induction stove consumes less electricity, due to its fast heating and operating principle than a conventional infrared stove.

"When buying new household appliances (washing machines, hobs and ovens, refrigerators, etc.), be sure to pay attention to the energy efficiency class. The optimal choice is A+-A+++. The difference in consumption between appliances of the categories A and B can be 20%-25%, and those of category C up to 50%," it said.

The power engineers also recommend replacing old incandescent lamps with modern LED-lamps, which makes it possible to cut lighting consumption by 10 times (10-12 W vs. 100 W), as well as installing battery lamps to move around the apartment in the dark, without turning on the general lighting.

The recommendations also include connecting a dual-rate electricity metering service. Doing loads of laundry, recharging gadgets and storage devices is better during the night tariff, which allows you to save money and lower the load on the grid during peak consumption hours.

"We urge people to use government targeted credit programs. Using them, in particular, you can buy solar panels with storage devices for your own home," it said.

The ministry also said that 515 communities in Ukraine remain partially or completely blacked out for various reasons, including technical violations, as of Thursday morning.

The substation equipment and household consumers were cut off from electricity in the southern region of the country for technological reasons, while in the central region the overhead line was cut off twice due to technological violations, which resulted in a drop in the voltage of energy facilities.

Power engineers resumed power supply to 8,400 consumers over the past 24 hours.