Do you live in a metropolitan city or in any other urban area? The electricity charges in an urban area can be very high and the price rise can be steep after a designated limit. Most families end up paying more than what they could have, had they used 10-50 units less than their present usage. The reason for this is the slab pricing policy of the transmissions companies and authorities.
For example, if the family uses 100 units of power, let the cost of consumption be 100X. However, if the family utilizes 110 units of power the cost might be 150X, as the price of each unit increases after the 100 unit slab. This differential pricing is supposed to help the people with lower income. It affects people who use marginally more than the others. So, it is always important for households to reduce the power consumption.
Energy conservation is easier said than done! How can you reduce the power consumption when you do not seem to be wasting any? The answer is simple – Reduce, Replace and Upgrade!
Step 1 – Reduce
No matter how much your utility bill is, you can always reduce the need for electricity. There are many key areas in which you can reduce the usage and hence power consumption. A typical household has a 4 or 5 tube lights in the rooms, 4-5 bulbs and an equal number of fans. Apart from this, there might be one or two air conditioners and some decoration lamps and few bulbs on the exteriors.
So, how to reduce the power consumption in this case?
- Firstly, by cutting down the usage of lights in rooms where people are not there. In the evening, most households leave the lights and fans on in the bedrooms and kitchen, even if the people are in the living room. This is a wasteful use of energy and they have to be promptly switched off.
- Switch off the AC when you are not in the room. More affluent households leave the AC on in the living room even when they go to sleep in the bedrooms. Again, ACs consume a lot of power and can cause a huge spike in the electricity bills.
- Use cold water for showers during summer and spring. The weather in these seasons do not call for a hot shower and even during cooler periods, it is better to have cold showers for a variety of reasons. So by switching off the geysers and water heaters in these times, it is possible to reduce the power consumption. Apart from that, switch on the geysers only when you need them instead of keeping them on for the whole day.
So, if there is a lot of wastage in power, then it can be reduced but what if you have nothing more to cut down? In that case we have to switch to the next option – Replace!
Step 2 – Replace
Replace is not replacing one fan or light with another fan or light but replacing one with better. Today, a lot of technological innovations happen in all fields and they are bringing more and more energy efficient products to the fore.
- Use low wattage fans – These fans have better aerodynamic blades and has electronic components instead of the conventional components. Moreover, the power of the motor is relatively lower than the ordinary 60W fan. So, it is up to 25% more efficient than ordinary fans.
- Use LED bulbs – The incandescent bulbs that are used in households range from 40W to 100W. A CFL bulb of 20W can produce the same light as a 40W incandescent bulb and an LED bulb of 30W can produce as much light as a 100W bulb. So, these technology in essence reduces the electricity bills by up to two thirds.
- Use Solar water heaters – Solar water heaters are easy to install and do not need that much maintenance. Even on a mild cloudy day, the heaters will get sufficient solar power to heat the water. They need no connection with the power grid and they convert the light energy to heat energy.
- Always use energy efficient products – The Bureau of Energy Efficiency or the BEE has a star rating for every product that is in the country. Always use the products that have a 5 star rating in the BEE rating. If not possible go for a 4 star rating product. Anything below 3 is not be used and replace them as soon as possible.
Step 3 – Upgrade
This is the most important part of the solution and you have to upgrade to a better technology as and when they are proven. For example, in the past, CRT or the Cathode Ray Tube television sets were used. Then flat TVs or LCD displays came into existence. As of now LED displays and OLED displays have come in the market. Apart from having a superior picture quality they are also highly energy efficient.
Similarly, use automated lights on and off switching mechanisms. This comes into play when people are forgetful or do not care to switch off the lights and fans when they are not in the room. These mechanism work with the help of a sensory system that senses for movement in the room and then either switch on or off the appliances accordingly. Usage of Ecova LED lights and bulbs enables easy pairing with these systems and you can check Ecova products to use them in your household.
Use smart ACs that can automatically detect the temperature in the room and switch off accordingly. This way, the energy conservation is made internal in all the appliances and devices of your house.
So, in short Reduce, Replace & Upgrade your appliances to have a more ecologically and socially responsible household!