Saving Electricity
This is one area where even the smallest effort can be extremely effective in protecting the environment and saving us money.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
You may not be aware of the environmental consequences of using electricity. That's understandable because when you plug something in you don’t see or smell any obvious pollution. When you turn on lights, the TV or anything else requiring electricity you are assisting in creating pollution. So, saving electricity doesn’t just keep money in your pocket, it helps make the planet cleaner, too.
The problem with saving electricity is that it seems such a huge task. Almost everything we use is powered by it, so how can we possibly reduce our use to a level that will actually be effective?
Well, by making a few simple changes to our daily behaviour we can see a substantial reduction in our electricity bills which is also reflected in the environmental benefits we’re achieving. Because we use so many electrical items, the areas for reduction are plentiful and most savings can be achieved with very little effort or expense. You may be surprised at how much you can actually save.
Air-conditioning (AC) is probably the biggest burner of electricity in homes on Samui. Employing simple and easy passive-cooling techniques can drastically reduce the need for air-conditioning (see previous article, Naturally Cool at www.samuipropertyonline.com). But there are other things you can do in relation to how you can reduce your use your units.
Just setting the timer and thermostat can be effective. Set the timer to turn off when you leave home, and to turn back on just before you get home. It’s a myth that leaving the AC on is better than turning it on and off when you need it. This is because heat naturally goes to areas where it’s cooler. So, with the AC off, your house absorbs heat from outside until it’s so hot it can’t absorb any more. When you come home and turn the AC on, that accumulated heat only needs to be removed once. However, if the AC is on when you’re out, then your house is constantly absorbing heat because it’s constantly cooling down. The AC will turn your house into a heat magnet and therefore it has to keep removing absorbed heat over and over again.
You can also try to not cool at too low a temperature. This is especially easy to do if you have ceiling fans. Each degree below 25 degrees Celsius increases your energy use by 3-4%. Only use AC in the rooms you need it and have each unit regularly maintained to ensure it’s functioning properly and thereby economically.
Having cut back the AC you’ll already enjoy lower monthly bills. And you can reduce this even more.
Buying energy-saving appliances, such as fridges, freezers, washing machines, dishwashers and driers will all help. These tend to be a little more expensive initially but will pay for themselves with the savings you make in the long term.
Fridges and freezers are big users of electricity and the location of them can affect how energy efficient they are. Place out of direct sunlight, away from the oven and against an outside wall, so that the heat generated can escape easily. Defrost regularly; an iced-up freezer has to work harder, therefore wasting more energy. Only set your fridge to as cold as you need it and avoid keeping the door open for too long; the more cold air that escapes, the harder it has to work. If you put warm food into the fridge this also makes it work extra hard to try and make it cold.
Chest freezers are more efficient than uprights and the larger the freezer, the more electricity needed. So don’t buy a freezer that’s bigger than you need.
For washing machines and dishwashers, follow the water-saving options of short cycles and only using when you have a full load will both reduce wasted energy. For washing that’ll be dried naturally don’t use the energy draining fast-spin cycles. However, for washing going into the drier, use the maximum spin which reduces the time needed to dry. Driers use an incredible amount of electricity when operating.
Solar water-heaters are a fantastic energy saving and practical addition to a home on Samui. However, you could also consider installing a tank-less water-heater. Such systems heat water only when you need it; between 8% and 30% of the energy consumed by standard water-heaters goes towards keeping water hot while it’s not being used. Tank-less systems heat water instantly when the tap is turned on. Other advantages are that you can’t run out of hot water; systems tend to last twice as long; leaks are less likely; and they save space. With a traditional system it’s advisable to insulate the tank; turn the thermostat down to the lowest temperature you’re comfortable with; and fix any leaks.
Do you realise that appliances left on standby are actually using 85-90% of the energy they would if switched on? Just by unplugging appliances your bills will be noticeably cheaper. In 2000, the estimated total energy loss to standby in households of the 15 EU countries was 94 billion kW; the equivalent of 12 large nuclear or coal power plants. The fast growth of inefficient products and multimedia applications has possibly seen this figure double between then and now.
Laptops use five times less electricity than desktops; LCD screens are better than CRT ones; laser printers use more energy than ink-jets; and switching the computer off will extend its life. Leaving a computer running for a year will cost almost as much as the total yearly electricity consumption of a whole household.
Lighting is the easiest and cheapest area to cut costs and waste. In most homes 10-15% of the electricity bill is for lighting, so energy-saving light bulbs can cut your costs considerably. Energy-saving bulbs last10 times longer and use up to four times less energy; where you use a standard 100w bulb you only need a 20-25w energy-saving bulb. Whatever type of lighting you use, always turn the lights off when you leave a room.
For all-night lights use low wattage bulbs; replacing 75w bulbs with 15w bulbs reduces energy usage by 80%.
With outside lighting you can install a motion sensor that automatically turns the lights on when approached, or light sensors that turn the lights on when it’s dark and off when it’s light. Alternately, use solar lighting for your outside areas.
Microwaves use a lot of power but because they’re quicker they save energy; similarly, convection ovens cut cooking times by 30%; don’t pre-heat ovens (unless prescribed in recipes) or open the door too often during cooking; and only boil what water you need in the kettle.
Using a water-saving shower-head can cut the amount of hot water used. Such a shower-head combined with a solar heater reduces energy needs to 10 percent of that required by an electric boiler and traditional shower-head.
Any reduction in the use of electricity is positive for the environment and financially beneficial for you. As you can see, it’s not difficult or expensive to incorporate some or all of the above ideas in your everyday life; making you feel good about the effort you’re making towards protecting the environment, and about the extra money you’ve saved each month
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