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Most
equipment and devices at home consume energy. But rarely are we aware as to how
much energy they consume and how it can be reduced. An understanding of the
main household energy guzzlers and how they can be more energy-efficient is
vital both in our interest as well as in the interest of the environment.
All
our equipments from lamps to heaters are marked by the amount of energy they
consume for a very hour of usage. The electrical energy consumed per hour by
any appliance is specified in Watts (W). 1000 W is equal to 1 kilowatt (1 KW),
which is nothing but one unit of consumption. The Electricity Board charges us
based on the units consumed.
In a
summer month a normal household consumes on an average about 526 units a month.
In a winter month, the same household consumes about 282 units. A break-up of
this shows that bulk of the consumption in summer is in the usage of
air-conditioners. It works out to about 53 per cent followed by fans and
refrigerators, which are about 11 percent each. Television and lights each
consume about 8 percent of the total energy. A 4-hour usage of computer
consumes another 4 percent. It is evident that usage of the air-conditioner is
the main source of energy consumption.
On a
winter day, when no air-conditioner is used, the fans consume the maximum
energy and the refrigerator is the next biggest consumer of energy at 18
percent. Water heaters and TV each consume about 17 percent energy and the
lights at our household consume around 15 percent energy.
Obviously,
the lower your electrical consumption, the lesser is your electricity bill. You
will note that as our consumption goes up, the cost per unit increases as well.
A bimonthly consumption of 600-800 units is an optimum level for a typical
Indian middle class household and energy saving measures adopted by each one of
us will go a long way in reducing energy consumption.
Saving
energy at home is fairly simple; it just requires us to adopt some of the
guidelines indicated below
Air Conditioners
Use
leak proof doors and windows and seal all openings in an air-conditioned room
to avoid leakage of cool air, thereby improving the efficiency of the air
conditioner. Regular cleaning of A.C. filters (at least once a month) also
improves the unit efficiency and reduces power consumption. In case the room to
be conditioned has an exposed roof, then under deck insulation for the room is
highly recommended to reduce the heat transmission from the roof slab. Set your
air-conditioner thermostat to 25 Degree C of higher. For every degree you raise
your thermostat setting above 22 Deg C, you can save up to 5-7% on your cooling
costs.
Refrigerators
Defrost
the refrigerator once the ice gets more than quarter inch thick. Regular
defrosting helps reduce the power consumption. Avoid placing the refrigerator
near any heat source and locate the refrigerator at least 200mm away from the
wall. Ensure that the refrigerator door is airtight to prevent leakage.
Ideally, set your refrigerator temperature at 2.2 Deg.C. and your freezer
temperature at-15 Deg. C. for energy-efficient operation.
Fans
Replace
conventional fans with energy efficient fans. Use electronic regulators instead
of electromagnetic regulators. Lubricate fan motor bearings periodically and
clean fan blades regularly.
Lights
Replace
T12 or T10 fluorescent tubes with T8 or T5 energy efficient fluorescent tubes
which are more than 10 to 30 percent energy efficient. Use compact fluorescent
lamps (CFL) which are 70 to 80 percent more energy efficient instead of
incandescent light bulbs. Replacing electromagnetic ballasts in tube lights
reduces the energy consumption by around 20 to 30 percent. Utilise energy
efficient 36W slim tubes instead of 40W tubes. Use standard pins to tap supply
from plug points. Reduce the wattage of bulbs in areas where less lighting is
needed such as toilets store rooms etc.
Water Heaters
Lower
the thermostat on your water heater since most factory settings of water
heaters are at higher temperatures. A setting of 12o F provides comfortable hot
water for most applications. Insulate your electric hot-water storage tank, but
be careful not to cover the thermostat. Keep the area around your water heater
clean and well ventilated.
Grinders & Mixers
Use
energy efficient motors for the grinders. Use the gadgets to their full
capacity. Avoid rewinding of the grinder & mixer motors.
Computers
Configure
your computer to “hibernate” automatically after 30 minutes or so of
inactivity. The “hibernate mode” turns the computer off in such a way that you
do not have to reload everything when you switch on your computer on again.
The
less energy we use, the longer the world's natural resources such as oil and
coal, will last. Energy saving is essential because the world's energy reserves
will be consumed at a slower rate.
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