User Manual

Status quo and potential savings
Energy costs
Private households are increasingly looking for ways to save energy. Reasons
include:
– Energy costs represent a fairly large portion of household spending.
– Rising energy prices: Between 2000 and 2006, the price for heating oil has gone
up by 50% (source: Swiss Federal Office of Energy, SFOE).
– Energy consumption is a key issue in the overall discussion on the environment.
As a result, requests for information on how to save energy have increased
drastically.
Energy consumed for room heating
Nearly three quarters of all energy consumed by private households are used to
heat living quarters. The illustration below shows overall energy consumption by
private households in Switzerland for 2006 (source: SFOE).
Hot water
12%
Cooking/Laundry
8%
Lighting
3%
Electric appliances
5%
Room heat
72%
Possible savings
Measures aimed at curbing energy consumption for room heating thus represent
the most effective means to counter ever rising energy costs. Even more appealing
is the fact that heating and ventilation systems offer potential savings of up to 30%.
This brochure presents measures you can implement to help reduce your energy
consumption:
• Section "Information on Synco controllers" tells you how Synco controllers by
Siemens can help increase energy efficiency.
• Section "Guide – From energy consumer to energy user" describes practical
measures for end users.
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