Simple ways to conserve electricity in the home

Feb 26, 2023 News

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By: Richard Francois

Kaieteur News – We all know that the cost for electricity in Guyana is expensive. As long as you are a paying customer of the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL), you feel the pinch on your pocket every month, when you have to pay your electricity bills. What if there was a way you can control the amount you pay based on some adjustments to your consumption patterns? In today’s article, we will examine some simple things you can do at home to conserve on the electricity you use and as a result, save a little extra cash on your electricity bills.

Adjusting your daily behaviours

In the home, energy conservation must become everyone’s business. Everyone in the home must be encouraged to practice energy conservation at all times. One of the important steps to conserving electricity in the home is to modify one’s behaviour to electricity use; what I would call the responsible use of electricity. It is essential that everyone in the home develops a consciousness about energy conservation. Practicing energy conservation is learned behavior, therefore, it must be done repeatedly, until it becomes like second nature.

When no one is using a particular room switch off the light in it! Do not leave lights on in unoccupied rooms.

Unplug ALL unused appliances! Many of us if not all of us are guilty of turning off appliances and leaving them plugged in. How many of you unplug your cell phones and leave the charger plugged in? When you’re done with the computer, don’t just allow it to just go into sleep mode, shut it down. Turn it off.

Standby power or phantom power as it is sometimes called is wasted electricity. It is electricity that appliances use when they are in standby mode. Though standby power may be miniscule to a single appliance, when numerous appliances are left in standby more, the amount of standby power used can be quite significant.

I do not possess statistical information on Guyana, but according to the US Department of Energy, standby power accounts to five or ten percent of residen

tial energy use and costs the average US household as much as $100 per year. And this is a modest figure.

This phenomenon must exist right here in Guyana. Imagine if every household in Guyana leaves on two appliances in standby mode, the sum total of the power being wasted nationwide may surprise you. As long as appliances are in standby mode, little amounts of electricity is still being utilised. Unplug all appliances not in use.

Iron once a week! Less electricity is actually utilised when you do your weekly ironing at one time as against doing it daily. So please, I know you hate ironing. I most certainly do. But, try as much as possible to make the time and ‘press’ your clothes for the week on one day.

Replace light bulbs

Lighting accounts for approximately 15 to 20 percent of the power you use each month. Install compact fluorescent lamps (energy saving bulbs) and get rid of the incandescent bulbs you have. Energy saving bulbs use 1/5 LESS energy than regular bulbs and they last longer.

Energy saving bulbs do exactly what their name suggests; save energy. Less electricity is utilised and more light is dispersed when you use energy saving bulbs. Change any and all incandescent bulbs to the energy saving kind today.

Security lighting

Instead of having your security lights burn all night, install a photocell control and timer that switches the lights on and off automatically at dusk and dawn, and at intervals that you could determine. Also, motion sensors allow the light to respond to movement and would switch on when movement is detected nearby for a period of time.

In the Kitchen

The refrigerator is one of the biggest electricity consumers in the average home. Try to refrain from opening and closing your refrigerator more than is really necessary. Every time you open it, some of the cool air is let out and the motor is forced to work a little harder to restore the cold air.

Before you start preparing meals, think carefully about the things you need from the refrigerator and take out everything you need at one time, instead of opening the refrigerator repeatedly.

When packing the refrigerator, place the more frequently used items in the front of the refrigerator or the top of the freezer to limit the amount of time the door stays open. But, do not pack the fridge too closely. Products stored loosely allow for good circulation of the cold air.

Freezers work more efficiently when their compartments are full.

Don’t store food in open containers or plates in the refrigerator. Covering them properly in plastic wrap, or placing foods in covered containers prevents excess frost formation on the sides and coils of the fridge and keeps the appliance working efficiently.

Do not put hot food or water straight into the refrigerator! Let it cool to room temperature first before placing in the refrigerator.

In the event of a power failure, food will remain cold or frozen for at least 20 hours if the refrigerator/freezer door seals properly and is kept closed.

Cooking

When cooking on an electric stove, consider the size of your pot and how much liquid you use as this can greatly influence cooking time (and therefore the amount of electricity you use).

Electric ovens can be quite power-hungry, so use them thoughtfully. Do not open the oven to frequently to check on your food while cooking; if possible, check on the progress by looking through the oven glass. An investment in an air fryer can also yield long term energy savings.

A critical point to note is that old cookware can cost you in energy bills too. A warped pot can waste 50% of the heat used on a stovetop. Glass, cast iron, or ceramic pans are best in the oven; stovetops love copper pots (unless of course, you have an induction cooktop).

It is generally better to invest in countertop appliances like a pressure cooker or a slow cooker if you can. Rice cookers are excellent. Not only do they use less energy, but they are designed to cook rice to perfection.

Purchase energy efficient appliances

When purchasing an appliance, it is important that you pay careful attention to two numbers: the initial purchase price and the annual operating cost. Although energy-efficient appliances might have higher upfront purchase prices, they usually save you money on your monthly utility bill as well as energy.

When purchasing an energy-efficient appliance, you should look for appliances with the ENERGY STAR label, which is a federal guarantee that the appliance will consume less energy during use and when on standby than standard models. Energy savings differ based on the specific appliance. For example, ENERGY STAR-certified clothes washers use approximately 20 percent less energy and 30 percent less water than other washers, whereas ENERGY STAR refrigerators use only 9 percent less energy.

I hope the points discussed today are useful to you and that you practice more responsible electricity use moving forward. As usual, you are free to do additional research and broaden your knowledge on energy conservation and the many ways you can do your part in conserving electricity. Remember, the more electricity used, more generation capacity is needed, which in turn requires more fuel to be burned which costs more and negatively impacts the environment.

Let us all be responsible about energy conservation and remember that electricity is a cost you can control.

 

 

 

 

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