Energy is a basic commodity and every household in the PH consumes approximately 920 KwH a month. Gas prices are soaring and so are electricity costs. With the poor economy, everyone wants to squeeze every amount they can get in their peso. A few people do not see that one way of cutting costs can be done right inside their homes and with very simple steps. It doesn’t cost that much and savings can be achieved for a very long time.
Here are a few tips on how to cut down electrical costs without breaking a sweat:
Lighting
Like the back light or LCD of your smartphone, lighting can consume the most in your electrical bill, and it is the first and easiest way to fix and reduce electrical consumption. Replace your old incandescent bulbs with Compact Florescent Lamp bulb. These cost a bit more than incandescent bulbs but they last longer and are much brighter. They come in several low wattage forms and different shapes (usually coiled or tubular) and consume less than half of what incandescent bulbs but they could emit bright sun-like luminescence. Install lights either at the middle of your room or near doors going to the hall way, these are areas where sunlight doesn’t shine (or not as much as) in your place. Widen your windows so more sunshine can enter your room, reducing the need for using artificial light during the day. For areas that requires light but not as strong as day light, use low wattage bulbs. Every month, clean your bulbs and lighting fixtures as webs and soots can reduce as much as 50% of the bulb’s illumination. Do this instead of buying a new bulb. Installing motion sensors can cost a bit but can regulate the lights along hallways. That way, you don’t need to worry if you forgot to switch off the light or not.
Switches and Power Outlets
“Safety” is always tagged together with switches and outlets but is not always the case. During a re installation earthquake and power surges, these safety devices can move and cause loose or faulty wiring It could ground the electricity (consuming it without even you using it) or short circuit your electrical system. Touch the cover panels of these safety devices and check if they are warm. If they are, turn off your main switch or circuit breaker and call an electrician to have it fixed immediately. This will not just consume electricity but also cause electrical fire.
Electronic Devices
Most electronic devices manufactured by the year 2000 onwards come with an energy saving feature. Your laptops, mobile phones and tablets have energy saving features (if none, there are free apps that you could download) like regulating the brightness of the screen, disabling wi-fi or 3G when not in use and regulating the apps and other programs running in the background to increase their battery life. This would reduce the number of times you need to charge them in a week.
Air Conditioners, Fans and Heaters
Every household needs ventilation and a means of controlling the temperature, but not at the cost of a bloating electrical bill. Choose the right size of fan or air conditioner for your room. Use smaller fans or air conditioners with 0.5 Horsepower to cool small rooms. Keep other appliances and items that may generate heat (Televisions, lamps and ovens) away from the fan or air conditioner as it will consume more power to lower down the temperature even if the weather is just right. Same goes with heaters (manual or automatic), keep other appliances away from it as they could prevent it from warming the area or could both start a fire. Induction Air Conditioners are very good energy savers, they may come a bit pricier than other brands but like CFL lights, they can save a lot in the long run.
Appliances
The kitchen hosts a lot of appliances that eats the most energy when used. The microwave oven uses 1,000 to 2,000 Watts of energy per hour of use. Freezers use up almost the same amount when more than a quarter inch of frost has build up inside. Solution? Use the maximum temperature the food requires to heat so you only use enough amount of time. Defrost your freezer as soon as you see a quarter inch of frost building up on the sides. Unplug appliances that does not require continuous operation (i.e. Television, sound components, Stereos, etc). Appliances on standby consume as much as 60% of power when switched on.
Washing Machine and Flat Iron
These are also appliances but are separated mainly because they have specific energy saving steps. Do not overload your washing machine as it will consume more power to make that cycle. Make sure the clothes (even the ones on the top or at the front) are spinning, giving less drag to the motor, which means less energy consumption. Iron your clothes by large batches so you don’t need to reheat the iron several every now and then. This will also prolong the life of your iron because its heating element is not subjected to continuous changes in temperature. Turn off the flat iron when you are down to the last three clothes because the iron still contains enough heat by that time to iron these last pieces, conserving more energy.
Taking into account these energy saving tips cut your electric bill up to 30% lower. There are other energy saving tips and alternative sources of energy which you could install in your homes to save more and in some cases let you off the national electrical grid. Ask your friendly neighbourhood electrician about it before you go and check those nice outer banks houses for sale.
