Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves.
Leo Tolstoy
Life on earth is almost impossible without the power of electricity.
From household appliances to industries – most of our daily activities are directly or indirectly powered by electricity.
While this is a comfort we can be thankful for, it also increases the pollution humans cause in this world. In fact, about 40% of the CO2 emissions in the world caused by electricity production by burning fossil fuels such as coal.
Although there are more sustainable options, such as renewable energy from wind or solar energy, the electricity supplied to our households has a negative impact on the environment when used excessively.
In addition to contributing to pollution, using too much electricity can lead to huge bills that will significantly drain your wallet at the end of the month.
However, this situation cannot be countered. On the contrary, there are several ways to change it by using more sustainable practices or energy sources.
Calculate your electricity consumption and costs with our Indian energy bill calculator
This article will walk you through the simplest tips that will help you achieve the most savings – both for the environment and for yourself.
13 practical ways to save electricity at home:
Switch to LED lights:
LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs generally consume only a small amount of energy. Although they are more expensive to buy, the initial investment pays off in the long term with a significant margin.
Incandescent lights, in addition to consuming more power, also produce more artificial light. LED bulbs also last longer than their counterparts.
To compare energy efficiency, we must first understand the parameters to look for known as useful lumens.
This is a measure of the light per unit of power (W) consumed by the bulb. In general – the installation of LED lights can lead to a reduction of 65% of the energy consumed – which also reflects a reduction in your electricity bill.
Unplug your devices
When not in use, always leave your electronic devices unplugged.
While you may not realize it, the standby power, called Phantom Power usage which is consumed by these also contributes significantly, about 10% of the total, to the energy consumption in your household. To know more about standby energy consumption, read this article from Eartheasy.
Even smaller kitchen appliances like toasters, coffee makers and other chargers sap and waste energy in the long run.
Wash your clothes in cold water
Allow only cold, or even lukewarm water to wash your clothes in the washing machine reduces its power consumption by up to 90%.
This is because most of the electricity is only used to heat the water before washing. There is hardly any difference in the cleaning process when lightly soiled clothes are washed with cold water compared to warm.
However, if your work clothes or children’s clothes tend to get dirty with mud, grease or other materials that are harder to wash than most – collect them and wash them in another load.
Although this may not seem like much – in the long run it will make a difference to the overall electricity consumption in your household.
use solar energy
By installing solar panels in your home, the initial investment will pay off easily in the long run because you will save up to 50% on your electricity bill. For appliances that can run on solar energy – think about switching to the clean alternative.
This is especially true for lights that are outside and on all night. Using solar powered lights for everyday use will make a definite difference in electricity consumption.
In addition to being green and clean, these bulbs require no maintenance or frequent replacement.
All this coupled with the elimination of long wires as well as manual on-off makes a pretty good case for switching to solar lights for the outdoor lights at your house.
Other solar powered devices include – water heaters, fans, and flashlights among others. All these options are easily available in the market and are great investments to make a better future.
Buy energy efficient appliances
A recent study by the Council of Energy, Environment & Water (CEEW) suggested that in India only 25% of the population understands the concept of energy efficient devices.
If you haven’t been, here’s what you need to know – energy efficient appliances are put to the test before being put on the market and given a BEE Star rating.
Every major electrical appliance – like AC, refrigerator, and washing machine gets a star rating between one and five stars.
Five stars mean that the device is extremely efficient and this is reflected in its power consumption.
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Turn off devices
On average, 5-10% of the total electricity used by a household is for lighting. Seems obvious, but we all sometimes (or often) forget to turn off the lights and fan in the room when we go out.
This could be for hours on end or just fifteen minutes – but wasting electricity is a waste either way.
This rule of thumb is not as applicable when using CFL bulbs. If you use CFL bulbs and leave the room for less than 15 minutes, you can save some energy.
Use outdoor light
Try to avoid turning on the lights in your house during the day, unless you need strong focused light for a specific purpose. This allows you not only to enjoy the natural light – but also to get some wind circulation from inside the house to the outside.
By using electricity-powered lights only at night, you can reduce a significant amount of electricity consumption. Doing this is easy regardless of where you live.
Remember to move your work area to the well-lit room in the house and always use light-colored curtains so that the sun’s rays pass easily through them.
Install motion sensors
Another great way to eliminate wastage of electricity is to turn to motion sensors. Several studies insist that there are 30% to 40% savings when switching to dimmers based on motion sensors.
Common in countries such as Japan and Taiwan – lights coupled with these sensors have shown promising results, especially when widely used in overall power consumption.
This is especially true for rooms that often have lights on by accident such as utility rooms and bathrooms. This could be a great way to fix the human error that often leads to electrical wastage in such rooms in the house.
Switch to air drying
Using a dryer for your clothes and your dishwasher may be a convenience you enjoy, but comes at a high price. Not using the heat-dry alternative on your dishwasher can mean you save from 15% to 50% on electrical usage.
You can still use the air pressure option or just leave it out overnight and let it dry. This also applies to dryers for your clothes. Use a hanging line and dry them either indoors or outdoors in the sun.
This allows you to save on energy consumption and gets your clothes just as dry.
Throw out the old ones
Heavy electrical appliances such as the TV, AC, washing machine and refrigerator alone are responsible for over 50% of the total electricity consumption in every household.
Using old models that have either been overused or no longer meet the star rating can waste more than 65% of the electricity consumed.
This may also be due to the wear and tear of these machines. For example, an old refrigerator can leak cold air from a gap in the door when the suction runs out and requires more power to keep the inside cold.
The use of appliances that meet the mark of energy efficiency can also reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and contribute to the fight against global warming.
Choose a microwave if possible
If you switch from a conventional oven to a microwave oven, you may be saving more energy than you think. This works in several ways. In addition to reducing the cooking time for most tasks – they also use less energy. In fact, to cook potatoes, Microwaves use 75% less energy compared to an oven.
In addition to this, the use of the oven will increase the heat in the kitchen, which is countered by an air conditioner or fan, which will ultimately consume more electricity than using a microwave.
Choosing to use the microwave for almost any task instead of the oven can allow you to save all around 30% to 80% of electricity.
Alternative cooling options
You may not realize this, but according to the Austin company – in warmer regions, ACs can add up 60-70% of the total electrical consumption.
Even otherwise, on average, the air conditioner consumes 16% of the total electricity consumption. If your household mainly depends on traditional air conditioners to stay cool, it may be time to think about other options to at least integrate into your daily life if not completely replace them.
Starting with better ventilation to water-based coolers, there are several options for cooling your house with minimal electricity.
In addition to this, it is also a must to use regular maintenance for your air conditioner.
This will also help reduce the overall electricity consumption in your household.
Place your fridge strategically
Your refrigerator uses about 15% of the total power consumption of an average household. With this statistic, it is only right to pay more attention to how you place and use this device.
First, keep it out of direct sunlight. It is also important to provide good air circulation around, so place it so that there is at least one 2 inch gap of the wall on each side.
Also, refuse to fill the fridge until it is full. This will require extra power to keep cool and reduce its efficiency.
Food for thought
All these tips and tricks if used consistently will certainly reflect on your electricity bills.
Not only will you feel better about the payment you have to make, but you can also be satisfied that you have played a role in reducing energy consumption in the world.
Whatever the change, however small – if we are all in it together, it can be revolutionary. After all, every great movement started with just one person and a great desire for something better.
In the long run, reducing electrical waste worldwide can reduce global warming and all the other problems it brings.
Saving our planet is up to us, and if it starts with something as simple as turning off the light – let’s take a pledge to start today and stick to it until the end of time!
Calculate your electricity consumption and costs with our Indian energy bill calculator