Enercon Tips #4

“Kuryentipid Tips”

• Electricity conservation does not mean “doing without” electricity, but “doing it” wisely.
• Electricity conservation means using the least amount of electricity without reduction in standards of basic goods and services.

Electricity efficiency measures are divided into two main categories, namely:

1. House keeping measures or no/low cost measures, like the simple switching off of appliances or lights when not in use.
2. High cost or with capital investment measures, like changing incandescent to fluorescent lighting, or the installation of power capacitors.

The following basic Tipid tips will be practical and helpful to home “energy managers”:

1. Lighting

• Turn-off unnecessary light.
• Use fluorescent lights instead of incandescent bulbs. A 40-watt fluorescent lamp produces more light that a 100-watt incandescent bulb at half the cost.
• Clean lamps and bulbs regularly. Dirt lessens illumination by as much as 50%.

2. Cooking

• Have all the ingredients ready when cooking to avoid frequent switching on and off of the electric stove.
• Avoid using a big burner for a small pan.
• Use flat-bottom pans with light covers to lessen heat transfer loss.
• Thaw frozen foods thoroughly before cooking.
• Switch the electric stove to “low” when the food begins to boil.
• Turn off the electric stove during the last minutes of cooking. The remaining heat will make the food simmer.

3. TV Viewing

• Switch off the set when no one is watching. Unplug it when a transformer is used.
• Black and white sets use less electricity than colored ones.
• Running several sets at the same time multiplies your entertainment costs.
• Substitute computer games with educational board games and light sports.

4. Electric Fan

• Turn off the fan when not in use.
• If comfortable enough, set the fan to “low.”
• Lock the oscillator when the fan is needed in one direction only. This way, air is blown directly to where it is needed.

5. Ironing Clothes

• Do all the ironing at one time.
• Iron when it is cooler and more comfortable. This lessens the demand for electricity during peak hours.
• Dampen clothes moderately. Excessively moistened clothes take longer to iron.
• Switch off the electric iron in the last few minutes of ironing. There will be enough heat to press lighter materials.

6. Refrigerator

• Choose a refrigerator model and size suited to your family needs.
• Defrost the refrigerator regularly.
• Replace loose refrigerator gaskets.
• Place the refrigerator away from the stove and the sun.
• Open the refrigerator door only when needed.
• Keep the refrigerator fans and coils clean and dust free.
• Do not store hot food in the refrigerator.
• Do not overstuff your refrigerator.

7. Air Conditioning

• Make sure that the thermostat is working. Keep the thermostat setting no lower than 25 degrees C.
• Install the unit in the coolest part of the room.
• Keep the unit’s filter, condenser and other parts clean.
• Air-conditioned room should be well insulated from direct sunlight. Open doors of air-conditioned rooms only when necessary.
• Install window-type air-conditioners at the highest accessible place.

8. Water Pumps

• Limit the use of automatic electric pumps.
• In hot weather, low water level makes water pumps work linger, thus more electricity is used.

Some basic measures are also applicable in the offices and other establishments:

1. Switch on aircon units 30 minutes after the start of office hours, switching it off 30 minutes before closing of office hours.
2. Switch off all office equipment running on electricity such as typewriters, computers, copying machines, air pots, etc. when not in use. Unplug it after office hours.
3. Switch off unnecessary lights and exhaust fans.
4. Switch off all lights, air-conditioning units, exhaust fans, and other electrical equipment on non-working days.
5. General cleaning of offices is scheduled on Saturday to save energy.
6. Clean lighting diffuser to maximize illuminance.
7. Sticker saying “SWITCH OFF WHEN NOT IN USE’ is placed in all lighting switches.
8. Put off the exhaust fans while the aircon units are in operation.

With a wasted kilowatt of electricity goes a lot of things. You waste a kilowatt and you waste P5.00. You also waste precious oil, which will need another 20 to 300 million years for it to be replaced. Most of all, you will waste a chance of being able to help alleviate the delicate condition of our energy supply.

“Reading The Electric Meter”

• “Be conscious of what you consume, you might be gobbling up one of your own.”
• Are you aware of the amount of electricity you are consuming every week, or every month? If not then stop and think. You might be eating up your budget, your savings, your business, your future and your life.
• How do we know we are eating up too much electricity? How do we prevent, top, and curb this if we are doing so?
• Energy efficiency has become a password these past few months following the years that saw the end of the power crisis. This is because our leaders in the energy field keep saying that those brownouts will be back if we do not start saving electricity soon.
• And soon means now.
• How do we save electricity? Perhaps the first question must be what is our average electricity consumption in say, one month? If your electric bill is making your budget sick, then there is one thing which can lead you to the cure – the electric meter.
• Knowing how to read the electric meter is like starting with the right foot in your own energy efficiency campaign. Saving means knowing how much you consume or spend. Learn to read the meter, you will know how much electricity you’re consuming.
• The watt-hour meter, also called the electric meter, installed in your home measures the amount of electric energy that you use at a given period of time.
• The watt-hour meter is factory tested, utility tested, and retested and sealed by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to make sure that it registers electric consumption accurately.
• Basically, there are two types of meter. The standard meter, the one used by MERALCO, and the digital meter used by most electric cooperatives servicing areas in some parts of the country.
• The digital meter is easy to read. Just list down the first four numbers shown through the small windows or screens and you have your reading.
• The standard meter is a bit challenging and will require you to be a little patient.
• The four digits are labeled A to D. Dials A and C move counterclockwise while dials B and D move in clockwise route.
• As long as you can catch a napping fly off guard, then your future as a meter reader is promising. It is just like reading your watch. With some practice and patience, you can even read a meter from a distance of 20 feet.
• For example, if the pointer is between “2” and “3”, you record the smaller number “2”. Set down, in the same manner, right-to-left order, the number you have read from the other dials.
• However, when the pointer is directly on the number, for example “5”, read it as “5” if the pointer of the dial on the “right” has passed its zero point. But read it as “4” if the pointer on the “next dial” is approaching its zero point.
• To complete the steps, you subtract the reading shown on your last bill from this reading and you get the number of kilowatt hours used since your last billing date.
• Meter reading must be a sustained activity, not a seasonal one. The fact that we are colossal wasters of energy is made worse because we are not aware of it. We will remain unaware unless we sustain our electricity consumption. We will remain unaware unless we commit ourselves to the energy efficiency campaign. (Power Patrol/Department of Energy)