Temperatures are rising the world over. Natural resources of energy are getting more and more scarce. Sustainability has become more than a catchphrase. It has become the need of the hour.
India’s per capita power consumption is supposed to be among the lowest in the world. But that does not indicate the country’s growing appetite for power. With one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, per capita consumption is increasing at a steady rate.
So, how can you reduce your power consumption without spending too much? You can significantly lower your electricity bill simply by using everything more efficiently.
With few simple tricks and minor change in the way you operate your electrical appliances, you can cut down on energy costs.
1) Use the air conditioner efficiently
India has a predominantly hot climate for most of the year, and air conditioning usage accounts for the majority of our electricity bill.
So here is how you can optimise the usage of air conditioning in your home:
i) Check if all the vents of the air conditioner are open. Vents ease air-flow and allow the air conditioner to reach its target temperature and maintain it without putting too much stress on energy usage.
ii) The sleep mode or timer setting is probably the most energy-friendly feature in air conditioners. Set your air conditioners at a moderate temperature and switch on the sleep mode before going to sleep.
iii) Make sure there are no open windows or any other air-leakage pathways that will reverse the effect of the air conditioner.
2) Washing machines
Energy savings on washing machines is easiest of all and need very little effort.
Switch off the heat/dryer function: The heating of water in the washing machine accounts for the maximum energy usage. Unless the clothes are too dirty, switching off the heat won’t make much difference in the end result.
Also, if you are using the washing machine dryer to dry your clothes, you can consider drying them under the sun instead. It may be a little inconvenient, to begin with, but it clearly will help you save a lot on your electricity bills.
3) Switch off the desktop/laptop when not in use
Our generation is so used to having the laptop and desktop around us every time, we almost neglect the impact these devices have on our electricity bill.
Switch off your laptop/desktop before going to bed every night or when not in use for long hours. Not only will it help reduce the electricity bill, it is also more beneficial to your laptop or desktop. When going away from the computer or taking a break from work, put the computer in sleep mode to save electricity.
4) Electronic devices
We have a lot of other devices and appliances such as the refrigerator, electric kettle, television, video games, and mobile phones, etc, which have a significant impact on our energy usages.
When you have tons of devices and appliances, it becomes difficult to keep an eye on the usage of all of them. When going out of the home, switching them all might feel like a humongous task.
The solution? Use one common power strip for most of these appliances and switch the power strip when going out of the house.
5) Ditch the appliances you don’t need
One careful scan around your house and you will realise that there are many energy consuming devices in your house that you don’t need.
It is a good idea to keep the number of electrical devices and appliances to a minimum and get rid of the ones you don’t really need. For example, say goodbye to the electric kettle and use the gas stove to heat water instead.
Similarly, replace the designer chandelier with multiple bulbs with a big LED, which provides equal light but consume very little electricity.
These are few of the easily applicable energy saving hacks. It takes only a little bit of time and awareness to reduce that electricity bill.