The first step to taking a whole-house energy efficiency approach is to find out which parts of your house use the most energy. A home energy audit will pinpoint those areas and suggest the most effective measures for cutting your energy costs. You can conduct a simple home energy audit yourself, contact your local utility, or call an independent energy auditor for a more comprehensive examination.
Energy Auditing Tips
Save Energy- Check the insulation levels in your attic, exterior and basement walls, ceilings, floors, and crawl spaces. Visit www.energysavers.gov for instructions on checking your insulation levels.
- Check for holes or cracks around your walls, ceilings, windows, doors, light and plumbing fixtures, switches, and electrical outlets that can leak air into or out of your home.
- Check for open fireplace dampers.
- Make sure your appliances and heating and cooling systems are properly maintained. Check your owner's manuals for the recommended maintenance.
- Study your family's lighting needs and use patterns, paying special attention to high-use areas such as the living room, kitchen, and outside lighting. Look for ways to use lighting controls—like occupancy sensors, dimmers, or timers—to reduce lighting energy use, and replace standard (incandescent) light bulbs and fixtures with compact or standard fluorescent lamps.This information is a guide, which offers easy, practical solutions for saving energy in HomeAppliances. Please, take a few moments to read the valuable tips that will save energy & moneyand ultimately help conserve our natural resources.It would be useful to know which gadget consumes how much electricity. Economic use of homeappliances can help in reducing electricity bills.The following table shows the energy consumption of various appliances normally used athome:Appliances Rating Operating Units/(Watts) Hrs/Day MonthIncandescent Bulbs 40 6 760 6 11Fluorescent Tube light 40 10 12Night Lamp 15 10 4.5Mosquito Repellent 5 10 1.5Fans 60 15 27Air Coolers 175 8 42Air Conditioners 1500 6 270Refrigerator 225 15 101Mixer/Blender/ 450 1 13.5Toaster 800 0.5 12Hot Plate 1500 0.5 22.5Oven 1000 1 30Electric Kettle 1500 1 45Electric Iron 1500 1 45Water heater-InstantType(1-2 Ltr capacity3000 1 90Water heater-Storagetype(10-20 Ltr capacity)2000 1 60Immersion rod 1000 1 30Vacuum Cleaner 700 0.5 11Washing Machine 300 1 9Water pump 750 1 22.5TV 100 10 30Audio system 50 2 3The figures in this table are approximate. The actual power consumption of your household appliances may vary significantly from the figures in this chart. Before you do a final load calculation for your household, we strongly recommend checking the tags and owners manuals for your appliances to get precise figures.Each figure given for Watts used. This is converted to watt-hours by multiplying watts used by hours used. Many items, such as garage door openers, are used much less than 1 hour per day. Our PDF load calculation form will automatically calculate any appliance's Watt-hour consumption according the fraction of hours used per day, down to 0.1 hours. (0.1 hr = 1/10 of an hour = 6 minutes)
Useful Tips to Save EnergyBy following these simple tips one can save energy to a large extent.LightingØ Turn off the lights when not in useØ Take advantage of daylight by using light-colored, loose-weave curtains on your windowsto allow daylight to penetrate the room. Also, decorate with lighter colors that reflectdaylightØ De-dust lighting fixtures to maintain illuminationØ Use task lighting; instead of brightly lighting an entire room, focus the light where you needitØ Compact fluorescent bulbs are four times more energy efficient than incandescent bulbsand provide the same lightingØ Use electronic chokes in place of conventional copper chokesFansØ Replace conventional regulators with electronic regulators for ceiling fansØ Install exhaust fans at a higher elevation than ceiling fansElectric ironØ Select iron boxes with automatic temperature cutoffØ Use appropriate regulator position for ironingØ Do not put more water on clothes while ironingØ Do not iron wet clothesKitchen AppliancesØ Mixers§ Avoid dry grinding in your food processors ( mixers and grinders) as it takes longertime than liquid grindingØ Microwaves ovens§ Consumes 50 % less energy than conventional electric / gas stoves§ Do not bake large food items§ Unless you're baking breads or pastries, you may not even need to preheat§ Don't open the oven door too often to check food condition as each opening leads to atemperature drop of 25°CØ Electric stove§ Turn off electric stoves several minutes before the specified cooking time§ Use flat-bottomed pans that make full contact with the cooking coil
Ø Gas stove
§ When cooking on a gas burner, use moderate flame settings to conserve LPG
§ Remember that a blue flame means your gas stove is operating efficiently
§ Yellowish flame is an indicator that the burner needs cleaning
§ Use pressure cookers as much as possible
§ Use lids to cover the pans while cooking
§ Bring items taken out of refrigerators (like vegetables, milk etc) to room temperature
before placing on the gas stove for heating
Ø Use Solar Water Heater – a good replacement for a electric water heater
Electronic Devices
Ø Do not switch on the power when TV and Audio Systems are not in use i.e. idle operation
leads to an energy loss of 10 watts/device
Computers
Ø Turn off your home office equipment when not in use. A computer that runs 24 hours a
day, for instance, uses - more power than an energy-efficient refrigerator.
Ø If your computer must be left on, turn off the monitor; this device alone uses more than half
the system's energy.
Ø Setting computers, monitors, and copiers to use sleep-mode when not in use helps cut
energy costs by approximately 40%.
Ø Battery chargers, such as those for laptops, cell phones and digital cameras, draw power
whenever they are plugged in and are very inefficient. Pull the plug and save.
Ø Screen savers save computer screens, not energy. Start-ups and shutdowns do not use
any extra energy, nor are they hard on your computer components. In fact, shutting
computers down when you are finished using them actually reduces system wear - and
saves energy
Refrigerator
Ø Regularly defrost manual-defrost refrigerators and freezers; frost buildup increases the
amount of energy needed to keep the motor running.
Ø Leave enough space between your refrigerator and the walls so that air can easily
circulate around the refrigerator
Ø Don't keep your refrigerator or freezer too cold.
Ø Make sure your refrigerator door seals are airtight
Ø Cover liquids and wrap foods stored in the refrigerator. Uncovered foods release moisture
and make the compressor work harder.
Ø Do not open the doors of the refrigerators frequently
Ø Don't leave the fridge door open for longer than necessary, as cold air will escape.
Ø Use smaller cabinets for storing frequently used items
Ø Avoid putting hot or warm food straight into the fridge
Washing machines
Ø Always wash only with full loads
Ø Use optimal quantity of water
Ø Use timer facility to save energy
Ø Use the correct amount of detergent
Ø Use hot water only for very dirty clothes
Ø Always use cold water in the rinse cycle
Ø Prefer natural drying over electric dryers
Air Conditioners
Ø Prefer air conditioners having automatic temperature cut off
Ø Keep regulators at “low cool” position
Ø Operate the ceiling fan in conjunction with your window air conditioner to spread the
cooled air more effectively throughout the room and operate the air conditioner at higher
temperature
Ø Seal the doors and windows properly
Ø Leave enough space between your air conditioner and the walls to allow better air
circulation
Ø A roof garden can reduce the load on Air Conditioner
Ø Use windows with sun films/curtains
Ø Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible in the summer. The less difference
between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower will be energy consumption.
Ø Don't set your thermostat at a colder setting than normal when you turn on your air
conditioner. It will not cool your home any faster and could result in excessive cooling.
Ø Don't place lamps or TV sets near your air-conditioning thermostat. The thermostat senses
heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than
necessary.
Ø Plant trees or shrubs to shade air-conditioning units but not to block the airflow. A unit
operating in the shade uses as much as 10% less electricity than the same one operating
in the sun
Electrical Safety Tips for Homes
Ø Shocks
§ Electric Shock causes an involuntary grip which prolongs the period of contact.
§ More the period of contact, more the damage
§ Passage of current through the heart , stops the blood supply to the brain , resulting in
loss of consciousness and termination of breathing
§ When a person standing at a height receives an electrical shock , it is most likely that
he will fall
§ Personal sensitivity to electrical shock varies from person to person
Ø Burns
§ Whenever an electrical flash appears, and if a part of a body comes within flashing
distance, burns can be caused
§ Burns may be caused by short circuits as well, because a short circuit could create an
electrical fire
Preventive Measures
Ø Allow only a qualified person to attend to your electrical repairs
Ø Service your electrical equipment at frequent intervals through a competent electrician
Ø In case of a short circuit or a fire, switch off the mains instantly Make sure that you have
easy access to switch off the supply source quickly, in case of an emergency
Ø Make sure your extension cords are free from cuts, improper insulation, or joints
Ø Ensure pins of your plugs are tight and not loose
Ø Use switches of the correct current rating and preferably with indicators to indicate whether
the switch is ON/OFF
Ø Use appliances with 3 pin plugs and connect them to 3 pin sockets
Ø Do not overload electrical outlets or use extension cords in place of additional outlets
Ø Switch off electrical appliances when not in use
Ø Provide proper earthing for the building/house
Formulating Your Plan
After you have identified where your home is losing energy, assign priorities by asking yourself a few important questions:- How much money do you spend on energy?
- Where are your greatest energy losses?
- How long will it take for an investment in energy efficiency to pay for itself in energy cost savings?
- Do the energy-saving measures provide additional benefits that are important to you (for example, increased comfort from installing double-paned, efficient windows)?
- How long do you plan to own your current home?
- Can you do the job yourself or will you need to hire a contractor?
- What is your budget and how much time do you have to spend on maintenance and repair?
Once you assign priorities to your energy needs, you can form a whole house efficiency plan. Your plan will provide you with a strategy for making smart purchases and home improvements that maximize energy efficiency and save the most money.Another option is to get the advice of a professional. Many utilities conduct energy audits for free or for a small charge. For a fee, a professional contractor will analyze how well your home's energy systems work together and compare the analysis to your utility bills. He or she will use a variety of equipment such as blower doors, infrared cameras, and surface thermometers to find leaks and drafts. After gathering information about your home, the contractor or auditor will give you a list of recommendations for cost-effective energy improvements and enhanced comfort and safety. A reputable contractor can also calculate the return on your investment in high-efficiency equipment compared with standard equipment.
