How To Save Energy At Home

India suffers from electricity deficit and the problem turns acute during the summer season when the use of air conditioners in homes and offices increases by leaps and bounds. The use of electricity in industries also increases proportionately. Therefore, electricity is precious and we need to conserve the same.

You can save energy in many different ways. They range from bringing about simple behavioural changes to incorporating extensive home improvements. Saving on utility bills and protecting the environment are the two major goals of energy conservation. Having said that here are some tips on how to save energy at home:

#1: Simple Behavioural Changes:

For reducing energy consumption at home, you are not required to replace all your old items with energy-efficient products. It all starts with just putting off the lights and appliances when they are not being used. Additionally, you can reduce the usage of energy-intensive appliances by manually performing some of the household tasks. For example, hang dry your clothes instead of using the dryer and wash dishes by hand.

Other behavioural changes that could result in energy savings include cutting down the usage of the heater during the winter months and the air conditioner in the summertime. The contribution of the heating and cooling appliances to your utility bills is more than 50 percent. Therefore, a judicious use of these appliances can significantly cut down your energy consumption.

#2: Program the Home Thermostats:

This is by far the easiest methods of saving energy at home. When you are going off to work in the morning, you just have to press the “leaving home” button on the keypad or touchscreen. This turns off all the lights and reduces the usage of your heating or cooling system. Increase your thermostat setting by just two degrees and put on your ceiling fan. This way you can reduce your cooling costs by as much as 14 percent.

#3: Change Light Bulbs:

When thinking about ways to save electricity at home, this is one of the most important options to consider. Reduce energy consumption in lighting by using energy-saving incandescents, or LED and CFL bulbs. While energy-saving incandescents lamps or halogen lamps save nearly 25 percent energy, CFL lamps can reduce electricity consumption by up to 75 percent. In addition, they come in diffuse filters and warmer colours which go well with the ambience of your home.

Typically, CFLs payback in nine months. LED lights are also a better choice. They were mainly used for indicators and in traffic lights. Today, the energy-efficient LEDs are finding wider use.

#4: Use Solar Water Heaters:

Install a hot water system that uses solar energy. The hot water coming out of the system can be utilised for various purposes. This will help you to replace the energy-guzzling electric geyser. Such a hot water system that has a capacity of 25 litres is good enough for a family of four members. The maintenance cost of solar water heating system is generally very low. Moreover, most solar energy-based water heating systems carry a five-year or even a ten-year warranty.

#5: Buy and Use Minimum 3-Star Rated Appliances:

While an air conditioner with three-star rating can cut down energy utilisation by approximately 20 percent, a five-star rated air conditioner reduces electricity consumption by nearly 30 percent. Any gadget/equipment with a star-energy rating has the potential to provide significant energy savings. Five-star rated appliances consume the lowest amount of energy.

#6: Paint the Roof of Your House with Reflective paint:

Painting the roof of your house with reflective paint helps to reduce the heating up of the building from the top. This, in turn, reduces the load on the air conditioner. As the heat of the sun gets reflected from the roof, the building remains relatively cooler. It has been observed that the temperature of a painted roof increases only by 5 to 14 degrees Celsius above the ambient temperature during daytime. Painting the roof also saves nearly 15 percent of the yearly air-conditioning energy requirement for a single-story building.

#7: Use Inverters, Avoid Generators:

Generators are less energy efficient than inverters. In places where electrical load requirement is less or power failure frequency and duration of non-availability of power is low, inverters can be used instead of generators. Inverters consume DC power and it is proportional to power output. Additionally, they are silent compared to generators.

#8: Use More of Gas Stove for Cooking:

One unit of electrical energy saved contributes to a reduction in generation of at least three units of energy. This is to say that the use gas for cooking and heating purposes reduces the load on the electrical grid. Moreover, gas stoves create less heat overall than electric cooking appliances. Additionally, gas stoves enable better temperature control. In the case of gas stoves, the heat change is faster and more precise. Above all, the ovens designed for gas stoves heat up much faster than the ovens designed for use on electric stoves.

#9: Additional Tips:

Use minimum lights at home. Think of ways of improving natural lighting so that you use less of electrical power during daytime.

Unplug all electrical appliances when they are not being used. They consume a small amount of energy if left plugged.

Operate the refrigerator at the optimum temperature. Defrost refrigerators and freezers regularly. Make sure the seals of the refrigerator are airtight. Do not put warm or hot food in the fridge. Refrigerators account for 20 percent of household energy use.

Use the dishwasher only when it is full and operate it in the energy-saving setting.

Replace traditional fan regulators with electronic fan regulators.

Operate washing machines only when you have a full load of clothes to wash. Use the optimal amount of detergent and water.

Operate air conditioners in energy saving mode. Ensure that the air conditioner is shaded. It should not be exposed to sunlight.

Never keep the chargers of your mobile phones and laptop plugged in as they also consume a small amount of power continuously.

Hope you found this article on how to save energy at home helpful. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.