Electricity Saving tips for Households:
With the changing attitudes of people all over the world about energy conservation, we would like to present some energy saving tips for you to consider. Keeping in mind that your comfort at home is a high priority, these tips and little known facts are a way not only to help you lower your energy bills, but at the same time keep you comfortable in your own home.
- Replace incandescent bulbs with energy savers, which can last up to 10 times longer than old-fashioned bulbs, and produce less heat while using only a quarter of the electricity.
- Tv, dvd players and computers use a lot of electricity simply on stand-by mode. Always switch off at the plug point to shut off properly.
- Make maximum use of sunlight during the day. You may not need artificial lights like bulbs and tubes during the day. Drapes or curtains on windows & doors are to be drawn apart during day time, for natural light to reduce need for electrical lights inside the home.
- Reduce the usage of lifts. Use stairs as much as possible as it is good for your health as well.
- Switch off your mobile chargers after your mobile is charged as it consumes 100% electricity if not turned off.
- Use iron, vacuum, washing machines in off peak hours that is before 6.00 pm and after 11.00 pm.
For Household Electrical Appliances
REFRIGERATOR
Do you know that there are chances that your refrigerator accounts for 25% of your electricity energy usage? The following tips will help you reduce electricity consumed by your refrigerator.
- Keep the fridge as full as possible. If empty place water bottles to fill the space.
- Make sure that the refrigerator is not placed against outside facing wall or walls exposed to the direct sunlight.
- Cleanout surface beneath and behind the fridge every month or so, for better air flow & cleaning of dust deposits to get better heat transfer.
- Make sure the door is sealed tightly. If it is not, you are wasting energy.
- Do not put uncovered liquids in the refrigerator. The liquids give off vapours that add to the compressor workload.
- Allow hot food to cool off before putting it in the refrigerator.
- If your fridge is over 10 years old, consider getting a new one.
- Washing machines can account for as much as 20 % of the electricity you use.
- Use cold water, as almost 90% of the energy is consumed by washing machines to heating the water. Set the washing machine's temperature to cold or warm and the rinse temperature to cold as often as possible.
- Each wash cycle uses up to 60 to 90 litres of water. Use washing machine on full load and plan washing periodically to save on water too.
- Follow detergent instructions carefully. Adding too much detergent actually hampers effective washing action and may require more energy in the form of extra rinses.
- Wash only full loads of clothing but do not overload the machine. Use cold and warm water cycles as much as possible when using your washing machine. Many detergents can clean perfectly adequately in cold water.
AIR CONDITIONING
- To cool your house efficiently, your air conditioner has to be cool itself. So try to keep it in the shade. An air conditioner exposed to direct sunlight uses 5% more energy than a shaded one. If your air conditioner is already in the sun, you can build a simple shade screen for it.
- Do not block the air flow at the back of the air conditioner.
- Do not lower your air conditioner thermostat to a colder setting when you first turn it on. It would not cool your home any faster and it will waste energy when you forget to turn it back.
- Minimize the amount of direct heat entering your home by pulling shades and curtains on hot days.
- Every time you open a door you are letting in new air that needs to be de-humidified, thus making your air conditioner work much harder. Set the temperature as high as possible while still being comfortable.
- You can use combination of air conditioner with ceiling fan. Ceiling fans consume as little energy as a 60 watt bulb. Ceiling fans are often used instead of air conditioning, but it is not necessarily one or the other. Fans produce air currents that carry heat away from the skin, so even air conditioned rooms feel cooler when one is running. Ceiling fans save energy in reverse as this pushes warm air caught near the ceiling down to where you can feel it.
- Check and clean or replace air filters every month.
More ways to conserve and save the earth:
- Turn off the lights, tv, and other electronic appliances when you are done with them. Do not waste energy on an empty room.
- Talk to your friends and family about saving energy. More energy saved means a healthier planet.
- Walk instead of taking a car or a bus for shorter trips. Remember, vehicles burn fossil fuels, which contribute to global warming. The less we use the better it is.
- Do not keep water running unnecessarily from taps or any kind of faucet. Water is precious so do not waste it.
- Use both sides of a paper before throwing it away.
