Contents
Introduction .
..
..
..
Food refrigeration . ..
Cooking .
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
.3
..
4
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
6
Microwave oven .
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
8
Electrical kettle / Water Heaters. .. .. .. .. .. 9
Lighting .
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
10
Laundering . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 13
Ironing . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 15
Cooling system . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 17
Television & Video Sets . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 19
Introduction
When you avoid wasteful use of electricity, you will be
able to control electricity charges without sacrificing
your comfort or convenience.
Energy conservation or efficiency involves the use of
technology that requires less energy to achieve a desired
result.
Replacing an incandescent light bulb with a compact
fluorescent one to produce the same amount of light, is
an example of energy efficiency.
Introduction
5
1
Food Refrigeration
Refrigerators and Freezers
DD Keep freezers filled to capacity, but avoid
overcrowding refrigerator shelves as cold air does a
better job if allowed to circulate.
DD Dust the condenser coils after every three months,
as dust-covered coils impair the efficiency of the
compressor operation and increase energy usage.
DD Refrigerator door gasket seal should close tightly to
prevent penetration of warm air. Test the effectiveness
of the seal by placing a piece of paper between the
fridge door and the refrigerator. It must hold tightly
without falling.
DD Do not place uncovered liquids in refrigerators. These
absorb undesirable flavours and also give off vapours
that add to the compressor workload.
6
Food Refrigeration
DD Anytime a door of a refrigerator or freezer is opened,
the compressor has to run a bit longer to replace
the cold air that spills out; therefore, plan ahead and
remove all ingredients for preparation of each meal
at a go. Discourage frequent opening of refrigerator
door.
DD Locate refrigerators and freezers away from direct
sunlight and other warm air sources. Provide space
underneath, behind, and on top of the refrigerator to
allow hot air to escape
DD Your refrigerator works efficiently at a temperature
of 3 degrees Celsius. Any degree lower means that
you are using 5% more electricity than necessary.
To measure the temperature of the inside of a
refrigerator, place a thermometer on one of the lower
shelves inside the refrigerator and leave it there for at
least 20 minutes with the door closed.
DD Allow hot foods to cool before placing them into the
refrigerator.
DD Remove all heavy wrappings from food before storing
in the refrigerator.
Food Refrigeration
7
2
Cooking
Range Tops
If cooking is to be done efficiently, heat must be
transferred from the electric cooker to the food with
minimum loss to the surroundings. To help you do this:
DD Select pots and pans with absolutely flat bottoms.
Spherical bottoms leave air gaps which provide ready
escape routes for heat.
DD Tightly fitted lids help keep heat within the utensils,
permitting the use of lower temperature settings and
shorter cooking times.
DD Match pots and pans sizes to stove plate. A small pot
on a large plate means that heat around the pot is
wasted.
DD Reflector pans beneath stovetop heating element
should be kept bright and clean. Shiny pans help
focus heat rays on utensils’ bottoms. Dull or soiled
pans absorb heat wastefully. Be sure to use the right
size of pot for the element.
DD Carefully measure water used for cooking to avoid
having to heat more than is needed.
8
Cooking
DD Begin cooking on highest heat until liquid begins to
boil. Then lower the heat control setting and allow
food to simmer until fully cooked.
DD Thaw frozen foods first to reduce cooking time
DD When pre-heating an oven for baking, time the pre
heating period carefully. Five to eight minutes should
be sufficient. There is no need to pre heat for boiling
and roasting.
DD Don’t wait until food is completely cooked before
turning off the oven. Turn it off a few minutes before
the food is ready and let the heat in the oven finish
the job.
DD Rearrange oven shelves before turning the oven on.
To do this after the oven has heated allows heat to
escape and also poses as a safety hazard.
Cooking
9
3
Microwave Oven
DD A microwave oven reduces electricity used for
cooking by up to 70 per cent compared to an electric
cooker. Use it to re heat food.
DD Do not use the microwave oven to defrost food-stuff,
because it will use more electricity; rather defrost
foodstuff in the open overnight to conserve electricity.
DD Allow free circulation of air in your oven. Place pans
and containers so that they do not touch each other
or the sides of the oven.
DD When roasting or baking, avoid making frequent
progress checks that entail opening the oven door,
instead look through the oven door if need be.
The oven’s temperature drops by about 10 degrees
Celsius whenever the door is opened.
10
Microwave Oven
4
Electric Kettles /
Water Heaters
DD Use the electric kettle to boil small quantities of
water, not the electric cooker. It is cheaper to use the
electric kettle to boil water rather than the electric
cooker.
DD When boiling water use only the required amount
of water. For instance, if you want one cup of tea,
boil water that is just enough to cover the heating
element.
DD Store hot water in thermos flask for later use. This
helps save energy by avoiding constant use of the
kettle.
Electric Kettles / Water Heaters
11
5
Lighting
DD Design new houses that maximize on natural
sunlight as much as possible during the day. Ensure
that your house has large windows facing away from
obstructions, to let in as much natural sunlight as
possible.
DD Admonish people to turn off the light when leaving
any unoccupied room. This habit can be encouraged
more easily when every area has its own switch.
DD Select the type of lighting fixtures on the basis of
their efficiency. Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL)
produce about four times as much light per watt as
do incandescent bulbs. Please note that the emerging
12
Lighting
Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps are more efficient
and expensive than CFLs.
DD The reflectance of interior surfaces has an important
bearing on lighting efficiency. In home decorations,
therefore, choose lighter colours for walls, ceiling,
floors and furniture. Dark colours absorb light and
would require higher lamp wattage for a given level
of illumination. Light–coloured surfaces should be
kept clean for maximum reflectance.
DD In lamps and fixtures having two or more sockets,
consider using a single large bulb in one socket
rather than filling all sockets with bulbs of smaller
wattage. A 100-watt bulb, for instance produces 50
percent more light than four 25-watt bulbs for the
same amount of energy.
DD If possible locate floor, table and hanging lamps in
the corner of a room rather than against a flat wall.
Lamps in corners reflect light from two wall surfaces
instead of one and therefore give more usable light.
Lighting
13
DD Clean lighting fixtures regularly. Dust on lamps and
reflections impair light efficiency.
DD Invest in energy saving bulbs. The initial cost is high
but this is offset by the lower electricity consumption
cost in the long-term.
DD Make sure that outdoor lighting is turned off during
daytime.
DD Dimmer switches allow you to regulate the light
intensity and so reduce electricity consumption.
14
Lighting
6
Laundering
DD Use cold or lukewarm water for washing clothes.
DD Front loading washing machines use less energy than
top loading models.
DD Set the wash temperature selector to cold or warm
as often as possible. Not all fabrics require extremely
hot water for washing.
Laundering
15
DD Sort out laundry and schedule washing so that a
complete job can be done within a few cycles.
DD Always dry your clothes outdoors.
16
Laundering
7
Ironing
DD A pressing iron consumes as much electricity as
about ten 100-watt bulbs. Several steps can be taken
to increase ironing efficiency. Prevent scorching and
wasting energy by not over heating the iron.
DD If you remove clothing promptly from the drying line
and fold them carefully, many items will require just
a quick press.
DD First iron those fabrics that require lower temperature
and work up to those requiring higher heat. An iron
heats faster than it cools so it is quicker to go from
low to high than the reverse. Less energy will be
needed too.
Ironing
17
DD Turn the iron off five minutes or so before all clothes
have been ironed, and finish ironing with the heat
stored in the sole plate.
DD Always turn the iron off when work is interrupted by
the ringing of the telephone or doorbell.
DD Always use an iron which has a thermostat to regulate
the temperature of the sole plate.
18
Ironing
8
Cooling Systems
DD When selecting a central air conditioning unit, be
sure to choose one with the proper capacity and
highest efficiency.
DD Install a whole house ventilating fan in your attic or
in an upstairs window to help air circulate in your
home. Although not a replacement for a central air
conditioning system, a fan is an effective way to stay
comfortable on milder days.
DD Set your thermostat at 25 degrees Celsius, which is a
reasonably comfortable and energy efficient indoor
temperature.
DD Avoid setting your thermostat at a colder temperature
Cooling Systems
19
than normal when you turn your air conditioner on.
This is to eliminate long cooling periods as it will cool
to a lower temperature than you need and use more
energy.
DD Consider using a ceiling fan with your window air
conditioner to spread the cooled air to other rooms.
But be sure the air conditioner is large enough to
cool the additional space.
DD Don’t place lamps or television sets near your
thermostat. Heat from these appliances is sensed by
the thermostat and could cause your system to run
longer than necessary.
DD Clean or replace air conditioning filters. Dirty air
filters should be cleaned or replaced every month.
Foam filters can be rinsed with water and wrung dry.
Fiberglass filter needs to be replaced regularly.
DD No matter what kind of central air conditioning
system you have, clean the outside condenser coil
once a year. To clean, turn off the unit and spray coils
with water at a low pressure. (High water pressure
may bend the fins.)
DD Use duct tape to seal the cracks between each section
of an air duct on your central conditioning or forcedheating system.
20
Cooling Systems
9
Television &
Video Sets
DD Turn off TV and video sets that are not being watched.
Children especially are likely to leave a set on when
called outside to play.
DD Do not switch on the TV at the same time that the
radio or Hi-Fi system has been switched on. Listening
is ineffective at this point.
Effectively, a TV can be watched by selecting specific
programmes rather than leaving it on continuously.
Television & Video Sets
21