We people waste a lot of energy in our daily usage either by not turning the lights off when not in use or by utilizing old and inefficient appliances that consume large amount of energy or by not switching off the vehicle engine when the light is really long. Energy needs to be conserved not only to cut costs but also to preserve the resources for longer use.
As of today, most of the energy is generated from coal powered power plants. These plants do generate energy but also pollute the environment by emitting harmful gases in the atmosphere. These toxic gases are just not only harmful to the environment but also cause serious health concern to humans and animals. Every year millions of people die due to the presence of toxic substances in the air that we breathe. Air pollution therefore is one of the serious environmental issues that we are facing today.
Resources that are available to us today should be used economically to conserve them for future use since they are limited and will expire one day. The sad part is that we, humans, have been using these resources at such a high rate that we might end up using them much sooner. These resources such as coal, oil and gas are not sustainable. They might not be available for our coming generation. We, therefore, have a responsibility in hand to conserve and save energy as much we can to make it available for our kids and protect our environment from further degradation.
Below is a list that can probe helpful to you in saving energy in your daily life. Just go through them and learn how you can save energy by adopting these simple methods.
Ways to Save Energy at Home
1. Turn off air conditioning systems in unoccupied rooms and try to keep the room cool by keeping the curtains. Doing this will help in conserving energy and less consumption.
2. Turn off the lights when leaving the rooms and use dim lights in galleries, lobbies, balconies and bathrooms.
3. Make maximum use of sunlight 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.
4. Geysers consume the maximum amount of electricity. Use them to heat only that amount of water that is required. Thermostat can be set to a lower temperature i.e. 45 to 50 degrees.
5. Switch off appliances when not in use. Never forget to switch off lights, fans, refrigerators when you are going out for an outing on the weekend.
6. Use compact fluorescent bulbs more often as they consume 10% less power then the normal bulbs.
7. Seal off unused rooms. Turn thermostats off and leave vents closed in unoccupied rooms to save energy.
8. Number of electrical lighting points to be reduced to one per room, in side the flats. All additional fittings to be removed / permanently switched off.
9. Unplug electronic devices and chargers when they aren’t in use-most new electronics use electricity even when switched “off.” Turn computers and printers off at the power strip.
10. When purchasing a dishwasher, look for energy saving features such as a short wash cycle. Shorter washing cycles, with fewer rinses, save water and water-heating energy.
11. If you have a freezer or second refrigerator that is nearly empty, turn it off. Use second appliances only when necessary or have them removed.
12. Clean out beneath and behind the fridge every month or so, for better air flow & cleaning of dust deposits to get better heat transfer.
13. Allow hot food to cool off before putting it in the refrigerator.
14. Allow foods to partially cool before placing them in the refrigerator. It takes more energy to cool hot food. For added savings, cover foods and liquids. The moisture that is released by uncovered containers increases energy use during the refrigerator’s defrost cycle.
15. Turn off your electric range two to three minutes before the end of cooking time. Retained heat will finish the cooking.
16. Nothing is more energy efficient for cooking than your microwave. It uses two-thirds less energy than your stove.
17. Make use of the oven’s leftover heat. Your oven retains heat for I5 to 30 minutes after it is turned off. Use that free heat to warm up desserts, rolls or freshen crackers and cookies.
18. Install your dishwasher away from your refrigerator. The dishwasher’s heat and moisture make the refrigerator work harder. Keep your refrigerator away from other heat sources such as direct sunlight.
19. Lowering the thermostat setting at bedtime and before leaving the house reduces your energy bills without affecting your comfort.
20. Installing a water-saver flush kit in your toilet can save you thousands of liters of water per year.
21. Insulate your home. Wall, ceiling, floor and attic insulation will keep warmth in during the winter and heat out during the summer.
22. Never turn your thermostat way up or way down to speed up the heating or cooling process. This will force your unit to work harder, stay on longer and use more energy.
23. Each wash cycle uses upto 60 to 90 liters of water. Use washing machine on full load and plan washing periodicity to save on water too.
24. Follow detergent instructions carefully. Adding too much detergent actually hampers effective washing action and may require more energy in the form of extra rinses.
25. Select the correct drying time. Don’t over dry your clothes. Besides wasting energy, over drying can give clothes a harsh feel and cause unnecessary wrinkling and shrinkage.
26. Wash full loads only, but don’t overload. It takes about as much energy to wash a small load as it does to wash a full load. Full loads also save water.
27. Remove clothes from the dryer as soon as tumbling stops. If clothes become wrinkled from lying in the dryer, extra energy must be used to iron or dry them again.
28. Ensure floor registers and baseboard heaters are not blocked by furniture, carpets or drapes, limiting effectiveness.
29. Use a microwave or convection oven instead of a conventional oven whenever possible. Microwave ovens use about one-third and convection ovens about two-thirds of the energy used by conventional ovens to cook the same amount of food.
30. Always purchase a energy-efficient model. The high upfront cost will automatically pay up in few years as operating cost will be less in the long run.
31. Plant a shady landscape. A shady landscape will keep your home cool during summers by blocking sunlight and stop the harsh winds during winters. Both of them will result in huge cost savings for you.
32. Dry your clothes on clothesline instead of using a dryer.
33. Get your leaking faucets repaired regularly. Faucet leaking hot water will consume more energy to hot cold water.
34. Always put your computer or laptop to sleep mode when you are not using it.
35. Look for alternate sources of energy, like solar, wind to power your home.
Ways to Save Energy While Driving
1. Do not use choke, unless necessary (only necessary in cold season or, if car is not properly tuned)
2. When choke is used, put it off as soon as engine is warmed up.
3. After braking to reduce speed, unless the car is brought to a dead stop, don’t use first gear but only second or third depending upon the speed.
4. Always start in 1st gear (to get max. power). Run upto approx. 10 km. per hour before changing to 2nd gear; 20/25 km. p. h. before changing to 3rd and about 30/32 km. p. h. before changing to 4th gear.
5. When there is starting trouble, depress clutch to start the engine(this would take load off engine)
6. Avoid frequent starts/stops, to reduce fuel consumption, battery wastage, and starter overheating/failure.
7. To obtain optimum fuel consumption, maintain car speed as far as possible, between 55 to 60 km. Per hour.
8. Never race engine when clutched. Clutch fully when changing gears. Never ride on clutch pedal (this increases clutch wear and fuel consumption).
9. Switch to lower gears on gradients (up/down) at the right time – when you find the vehicle dragging/speeding.
10. You should turn off the engines of your vehicle on long red-lights or when stationed at one place for more than 2-3 minutes.
11. You can also avoid using the AC, which ups the fuel consumption of a car, if the outside weather is good.
12. Driving fast is not only hazardous to your personal safety; it also consumes a lot of fuel.
Read more about energy saving tips here.
