Archive for May 2014
How to Participate in Earth Hour
Earth Hour is held anne last Saturday of March. It actually on started in 2007, in Sydney and has since spread across the world. The goal of this project, organized by the World Wide Fund of Nature, is to achieve greater energy efficiency by encouraging households and businesses toturn off non-essential lights and electrical appliances for an hour. It is hoped through this to continuously raise awareness among all communities about the impact of energy use on climate change and how our own energy practices can be far more efficient.
Saving energy makes good sense and showing your solidarity with others who would like to transition to a more sustainable, energy-conscious society are two great reasons to participate in this worldwide event.
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1Mark your calendar! Earth Hour is traditionally celebrated the last Saturday of March. In 2013, it will be celebrated on March 23rd, from 8:30-9:30pm (20:30-21:30) in your local time zone.
- Hop onto the Earth Hour website at: http://www.earthhour.org/. See what activities are happening in your region, as well as following countdowns and stories about what other people are doing for Earth Hour in different parts of the world.
- Create a virtual lantern for Earth Hour at http://www.earthhour.org/page/fun-stuff/virtual-lantern.
- Switch off a virtual light switch of your choosing in a house of your choosing at http://www.earthhour.org/page/fun-stuff/virtual-lightswitch. This can be a nice way to remind your online friends to switch off too, as it has a link to send to your friends once you've switched off your virtual light.
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2Starting at 8:30, turn off the lights. In order for everyone to see everyone else who is participating, and to see entire parts of your local landscape go dark, go the whole way and turn off the lights. Look for solar or kinetic powered lights and charge them before hand. Many people use candles, but some avoid them because they release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than light bulbs.[1]
- At the very least, turn off all unnecessary lights in your household. This means making sure to turn off the lights when you leave a room, turn off a lamp if you don't need it, or turning off an unneeded overhead light. Leaving on unused lighting consumes energy needlessly, and makes your electric bill even higher!
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3Turn off appliances you aren't using. If you're not using your computer, then turn it off! Same goes for your televisions, Xbox, or DVD player. Encourage your whole household to go a step further. Switch right off everything and even unplug appliances that are only switched off. Most electronics still consume a low amount of energy even while they're off. You can save more electricity by doing this on a regular basis (like every night), keeping those extra dollars in your wallet!
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4Tell your friends about Earth Hour! The more people that participate in Earth Hour, the more energy that is saved, along with raising more awareness.
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5Make Earth Hour fun! Earth Hour doesn't have to be something boring, make it special! Consider turning off every light, leaving your house in the dark and playinghide and seek with your friends or your kids. Put your imagination to it and you'll figure out that there are lots of fun things to do in the dark, including:
- Take a nap! Catch up on some rest that over-attention to electronics has stolen from you lately.
- Write a poem or short story about what you're experiencing.
- Brainstorm energy efficiency ideas with your friends and family. Look for ways to reduce your own household's energy consumption and think of ideas as to how you can all live more energy-efficiently while maintaining a comfortable lifestyle. It's a fun and doable challenge. There are some ideas in Relateds below, to help you out.
- Take photos of what the area around you looks like if you're good with night photography. If lots of houses turned off their lights in your area, this could look really amazing. If they haven't done so, there's a story in that for you your documenting too!
- Write a blog post for uploading when you go back online. Talk about what you're doing to celebrate Earth Hour, why you think it is important to make this symbolic gesture and the sorts of things you intend on doing to live a more energy-sustainable lifestyle.
- Go out. Get out of your house and go and join others who are marking Earth Hour by getting together. Look for local community and local government events in the paper or online, as well as meet-ups of individuals and groups interested in sustainable living issues.
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6Consider turning your Earth Hour experience into a lifestyle. Turning off unnecessary lights and appliances will save you money in the long run, along with helping lessen our dependence on dwindling resources. Thinking more about sustainable living will help you to find cost-cutting measures for your everyday life, as well as realizing that it's not about giving up a comfortable lifestyle but about finding ways to live well using and consuming a great deal less.
Earth Hour 2014Earth Hour is a global environmental initiative in partnership with WWF. At 8:30pm on Saturday 29th March 2014, individuals, businesses, governments and communities will turn off their lights for one hour to show their support for environmentally sustainable action towards the betterment of the one thing that unites us all: our living planet.
Earth Hour began in 2007 in a single city, but by 2012, Earth Hour reached more than 7,000 cities and towns across 152 countries and territories, becoming “the world’s largest campaign for the planet”. Please sign up here; the more people pledge to “Live Green”, the more powerful our efforts to protect our planet become.
Check out the video here!
Every little bit of effort counts. LOOK FORWARD TO EARTH HOUR 2015!
Energy is one of the foundations in developing a country. The main issue is the ability of a country to cater the people's needs and the ever increasing energy cost concurrently. Domestic, commercial and industrial consumers must realise the importance of 'efficiency' in the usage of energy and to play our roles and responsibility together with the government.
Realising this, Water and Energy Consumer Association of Malaysia (WECAM) or formerly known as Environment Desk of FOMCA has developed a 10 year framework, National Energy Efficiency Plan. This campaign is the first step in the implementation of the plan. This campaign is also supported by the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology, and Water (formerly known as Ministry of Energy, Water and Communication), Energy Commission, Tenaga Nasional Berhad, and National Energy Centre.
SWITCH! is an effort by Non-Government Organisation (NGO) with the support from government and industries for the benefit of the people and country.
SWITCH!
SWITCH off when you are not using
SWITCH to Energy Efficient products
For further information, energy conservation also can result in increased financial capital, environmental quality, national security, personal security, and human comfort.(citation needed) Individuals and organizations that are direct consumers of energy choose to conserve energy to reduce energy costs and promote economic security. Industrial and commercial users can increase energy use efficiency to maximize their companies or organization profit.
By reducing emissions, energy conservation is an important part of lessening climate change. Energy conservation facilitates the replacement of non-renewable resources with renewable energy. Energy conservation is often the most economical solution to energy shortages, and is a more environmentally benign alternative to increased energy production.
The Indian government establishes the Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) - www.pcra.org. It is an Indian government body created in 1977 and engaged in promoting energy efficiency and conservation in every walk of life. In the recent past PCRA has done mass media campaigns in television, radio & print media. An impact assessment survey by a third party revealed that due to these mega campaigns by PCRA, overall awareness level have gone up leading to saving of fossil fuels worth crores of rupees besides reducing pollution. Bureau of Energy Efficiency is an Indian governmental organization created in 2001 responsible for promoting energy efficiency and conservation.
The Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (KeTTHA), also promoting energy efficiency and energy conservation in Malaysia. The public have to change or switch their mind to energy efficiency products and conservation in daily life. The ministry also needs to increase the awareness of EE products and energy conservation in public for better life in future.
The question of energy efficiency is perhaps one of the most important issues facing the human race as a whole. The reasons for this are numerous. Not only is energy efficiency a sound economic platform, it is also a vital part of an overall approach to the way in which mankind relates to the environment around them. In short, energy efficiency can be seen as a necessary universal philosophy that must be adopted in order to ensure the future of the planet.
The economic aspects of adopting an agenda of energy efficiency across the board are themselves founded in practical sense. The resources that are used to fuel transportation and provide power for all of the various functions that have become an integral part of the way in which the modern world operates are not as endless as was once believed. Natural gas and fossil fuel sources that have been relied on so heavily for over a century are being depleted from a lack of energy efficiency at rapidly increasing rates, due to the demands of booming populations of developed nations and infrastructure improvements in third world countries.
Further research and development of alternative means of producing needed energy provides a means of increasing energy efficiency to conserve existing resources, while at the same time reducing energy costs overall. Advancements in biofuel technology, wind and hydraulic power sources, solar energy, and new designs in fuel cells and electric batteries for transportation have already been proven to increase energy efficiency. In time, the costs associated with these forms of power will decrease as they become more integrated into the current global infrastructure.
Source : http://energybusinessdaily.com
If you are used to being at lower temperatures, then try to get used to being in at least 24°C because it will help your home air-conditioner last longer.
2) Keep the windows and doors closed when using the air-conditioner
This practice is to avoid wasting energy when using the air conditioner.
3) Turn-off room lights when not in use.
Many consumers ignore the habit to switch OFF the lights when leaving the room. Habit of not switching OFF lights when necessary is one source of energy wastage.
4) Switch OFF the electrical appliances
Electrical appliances, equipment and devices at home such as computer, iron, television, etc need to be switched OFF when not in use for efficient management of electricity and to ensure that these equipment serves a long life expectancy. A step further to disconnect the power cable of equipment from the wall socket is the best practice.
5) Electrical Iron
The electrical heater inside the iron uses a lot of electricity. To minimize the usage of electricity, iron as much as possible the clothes at a single instance instead of few times in a day.
6) Refrigerator –Size factor
Get a fridge according to necessity and not because of interest of having huge ones at home because larger fridges uses more electricity. Always go for the energy efficient fridges having the 5 Star rating.
7) Refrigerator - Frost collection
There are some refrigerators that do not come with the ‘defrost’ system. If you have a refrigerator of this type, then contact a refrigerator technician for help to remove the frost.
8) Refrigerator – Arrangement of food items
Ensure the food layout allows free air movement between food items.
9) Refrigerator – Location
The efficiency of a refrigerator also depends on the location where the refrigerator is stored. Ensure that there is adequate space on the side and the back of the refrigerator for unobstructed movement of air.
10) Refrigerator – Condenser coil
The efficiency of a refrigerator also depends on the condenser coils and care should be given to the cleanliness of the condenser coils. The cleaning activity should be planned as a part of its preventive maintenance.
11) Electric oven / Microwave
Microwave door gaskets should always be in closed position to prevent loss of energy.
12) Electric Kettle
Using the electric kettle to boil the water is very much energy conserving because the heating element inside the electric kettle is in direct contact with water for boiling, thus reducing excessive loss of heat. Heating element should also be cleaned to reduce energy consumption.
13) Water Heater for shower
Instant water heaters can save more energy than stagnant water heater. If you have been using stagnant water heater in your house, the consider changing to instant water heater.
14) Computer operation
A computer that operates in standby mode or sleep mode wastes energy. It is best practice to shut down the computer when not needed to reduce energy waste.
15) Change to LCD Monitor
Conversion in using the to energy-efficient LCD monitors instead of the CRT monitor is a good move for energy conservation.
16) Replace old fans
If you have fans at your home that has been in operation for decades, then consider changing them to a new one which is more energy efficient. It uses lesser electricity.
17) Use fluorescent lights instead of round lights
Fluorescent lamps are several times brighter than a round incandescent bulb for the same wattage of electricity. Use energy efficient fluorescent lights where possible.
18) Change Incandescent lamps to CFL lamps
Incandescent lamps are not energy efficient and this means there is wastage in electrical energy. Change to Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) for energy efficiency.
Dirty air filters can cause excessive energy consumption in the cooling process. Get the air filter cleaned once in 3 months as part of the preventive maintenance for the air-conditioner.
20) Plant Trees
Planting trees around the home to some extent will help in the process of cooling our homes because the trees absorb Carbon dioxide gas (CO2) in the air. Excessive CO2 in the air is one of the biggest contributors to global warming.
21) Air-Conditioners should not be placed in places where there is obstruction
Ensure that there is no furniture that blocks the sensor of the air-conditioner and the air from the front panel is not obstructed.
22) Air-Conditioner that suits the consumer need
If an air-conditioner is needed for cooling in a small room, then a 1.5hp or 2hp air-conditioner is sufficient. There is no need to use high horsepower (HP) for small areas because it wills consumer more energy.
23) Roof and ceiling insulation
There is a connection between the roof & ceiling insulation and energy consumption in the home. There is a range of insulation material that caters for houses in cold and hot location.
For more information, visit SWITCH! website
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1Embrace natural light. Open up your curtains and let the sun shine in! Using natural light whenever possible instead of relying on artificial light can greatly reduce the amount of electricity you use during the day.[1] The same is true whether you work in an office or spend your days in your house. Exposure to natural light also increases happiness,[2], giving you an even greater incentive to raise the blinds.
- 2Change your bulbs. Replacing regular incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent (CFL) or LED bulbs is a big energy savor. Incandescent bulbs release most of their energy through heat, while CFL and LED bulbs are more energy efficient and last much longer.[3]
- CFL bulbs were the first alternative to incandescent bulbs, and they use only about 1/4 the energy of incandescent bulbs. They contain trace amounts of mercury, so they must be disposed of properly when they burn out.[4]
- LED bulbs are newer to the market. They're more expensive than CFLs, but they last longer and don't contain mercury.
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3Turn off the lights. This is the simplest, most common way to save electricity, and it really works. Start paying attention to how many lights are on in your house at a given time. Be mindful of how many lights you really need to be using at once. When you leave a room, make a habit of turning off the lights, every single time.
- If you really want to go all out, have your family use just one or two rooms at night, rather than spreading out all over the house and keeping your entire home lit.
- For maximum electricity savings, use candles! This old-fashioned system of providing light at night is effective, romantic and peaceful. If you don't find it practical to use candles every night, try doing it just once or twice a week. Be careful doing this with little kids, though - make sure all of your family members know how to handle candles safely.
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4 Unplug appliances when they aren't in use. Did you know that appliances that are plugged in keep using energy, even when they're switched off? Even an appliance as small as a coffee pot continues slowly sapping energy every moment it stays plugged in, long after the last cup of coffee has been consumed.- Power down your computer and unplug it at the end of the day. Computers use a lot of energy, and when they stay plugged in you're wasting both energy and money.[5]
- Don't leave your TV plugged in all the time. It may seem inconvenient to unplug it when you're finished watching, but the savings are worth the trouble.
- Unplug your sound system and speakers. These are some of the worst culprits when it comes to sapping extra energy when they aren't in use.
- Don't forget small appliances such as phone chargers, kitchen appliances, hair dryers, and anything else you've got that runs on electricity.
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5 Replace old appliances with energy-saving models. When older appliances were manufactured, companies weren't as concerned with saving electricity. Newer models are designed to conserve energy, reducing your household costs and lowering your carbon footprint. If you have an older refrigerator, electric stove and oven, dishwasher, washer and dryer, or other large appliance, look into getting it replaced.- Look for "energy star" ratings on new appliances. These help you asses how much energy the appliance uses. Many energy-conserving appliances are more expensive than those that don't have this feature, but you'll earn the money back over time through electricity savings.
- If replacing your appliances isn't an option, there are still plenty of ways to change your routine so that you're using as little electricity as possible.
- Fill the dishwasher up before running it, rather than running a smaller load.
- Don't open the oven while it's in use, since you release heat and the oven has to use extra energy to produce more.
- Don't stand at the refrigerator with the door open trying to decide what to eat. Open and close it as quickly as possible. You should also check the seals on your refrigerator and replace them when they get worn out.
- Do full loads of laundry instead of small loads.
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6 Reduce your reliance on appliances. In the old days people didn't need large appliances to run their households; experiment with ways to use only what you really need. Using fewer appliances can make some tasks more time-consuming, but if you get the whole family involved you won't be spending too much extra time on chores.- Most people wash their clothes more than necessary; try reducing the number of loads you do each week.
- Hang a clothesline in the backyard and let your clothes line dry instead of using the dryer.
- Wash your dishes by hand (using the water conservation method) instead of using the dishwasher.
- Limit your baking to one day a week, during which you make several dishes within the same period of time. This way you won't have to heat the oven over and over.
- Get rid of small appliances you don't really need, like plug-in air fresheners. Open the windows instead!
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7 Insulate your home. Making sure there are good seals on the doors and windows leads to huge savings in energy costs. Insulation keeps your home from leaking cool air-conditioned air during the summer and warm heated air during the winter.- Have a contractor inspect your home's insulation to determine whether it's efficient enough. Consider the attic, crawlspaces, basement, walls and ceiling. You may want to look into fitting your home with new insulation.
- Weather-strip your home by using caulk and weather strip in your doorways, windows and around window air conditioners. You can also purchase plastic sheeting to put over the windows during the winter.
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8 Use less hot water. Heating water takes a lot of energy. It's not necessary to take cold showers, but being mindful of how much hot water you use, and how the water is being heated, can save a lot of electricity and money.- Make sure your water heater is insulated so that it isn't losing too much heat.
- Consider getting a water heater that doesn't run on a continuously lit pilot light.
- Take showers instead of baths. Baths use a lot more water than showers.
- Take shorter showers. Spending 20 minutes in the shower uses up too much electricity.
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9 Use the air conditioner less frequently. Sometimes it's unavoidable to use the air conditioner, but there's no reason to have it on from the beginning of spring to the end of the summer without ever turning it off. Find other ways to cool yourself down when possible.
There are a couple of different ways to measure electricity, but the main one is the watt-hour.
The watt (W) is a measure of electrical power. Light bulbs are marked with a watt rating, such as 40 W, and so are appliances such as air-blow heaters (around 1,000 W). This gives an indication of the amount of electrical power they need to work.
Electricity consumption is a combination of the amount of electricity (that is, the watt) and the period of time for which it’s used. So a standard measure of electricity consumption is the amount of watts used over an hour: the watt-hour (Wh). For example, a 40 W light bulb turned on for one hour will use 40 Wh of electricity.
An electricity bill records the number of kilowatt-hours (kWh) consumed over a period, which is usually around three months. A kilowatt-hour is simply a thousand watt-hours.
1. Measuring total electricity consumption in kWh
Power(W) x Number of hours
1000
kWh = measurement unit for electricity usage (kilowatt per hour)
kw = 1000watt
h = hour
2. Measuring cost of electricity consumed
Cost = Electricity used (kWh) x Rate of electricity tariff
For easier calculation method, visit the tenaga nasional website.
An electricity bill records the number of kilowatt-hours (kWh) consumed over a period, which is usually around three months. A kilowatt-hour is simply a thousand watt-hours.
Power(W) x Number of hours
1000
kWh = measurement unit for electricity usage (kilowatt per hour)
kw = 1000watt
h = hour
Cost = Electricity used (kWh) x Rate of electricity tariff
For easier calculation method, visit the tenaga nasional website.
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt, one joule per second.
Electric power, is the rate of doing work, measured in watts, and represented by the letter P. The term wattage is used colloquially to mean "electric power in watts." The electric power in watts produced by an electric current I consisting of a charge of Q coulombs every t seconds passing through an electric potential (voltage) difference of V is
- P = work done per unit time QV/t = IV
where
- Q is electric charge in coulombs
- t is time in seconds
- I is electric current in amperes
- V is electric potential or voltage in volts
Electricity generation is often done with electric generators, but can also be supplied by chemical sources such as electric batteries or by other means from a wide variety of sources of energy. Electric power is generally supplied to businesses and homes by the electric power industry. Electricity is usually sold by the kilowatt hour (3.6 MJ) which is the product of power in kilowatts multiplied by running time in hours. Electric utilities measure power using electricity meters, which keep a running total of the electric energy delivered to a customer.
Electricity is a very convenient way to transfer energy, and it has been adapted to a huge, and growing, number of uses. The invention of a practical incandescent light bulb in the 1870s led to lighting becoming one of the first publicly available applications of electrical power. Although electrification brought with it its own dangers, replacing the naked flames of gas lighting greatly reduced fire hazards within homes and factories. Public utilities were set up in many cities targeting the burgeoning market for electrical lighting.
The Joule heating effect employed in the light bulb also sees more direct use in electric heating. While this is versatile and controllable, it can be seen as wasteful, since most electrical generation has already required the production of heat at a power station. A number of countries, such as Denmark, have issued legislation restricting or banning the use of electric heating in new buildings. Electricity is however a highly practical energy source for refrigeration, with air conditioning representing a growing sector for electricity demand, the effects of which electricity utilities are increasingly obliged to accommodate.
Electricity is used within telecommunications, and indeed the electrical telegraph, demonstrated commercially in 1837 by Cooke and Wheatstone, was one of its earliest applications. With the construction of first intercontinental, and then transatlantic, telegraph systems in the 1860s, electricity had enabled communications in minutes across the globe. Optical fibre and satellite communication technology have taken a share of the market for communications systems, but electricity can be expected to remain an essential part of the process.
The effects of electromagnetism are most visibly employed in the electric motor, which provides a clean and efficient means of motive power. A stationary motor such as a winch is easily provided with a supply of power, but a motor that moves with its application, such as an electric vehicle, is obliged to either carry along a power source such as a battery, or to collect current from a sliding contact such as a pantograph.
Electronic devices make use of the transistor, perhaps one of the most important inventions of the twentieth century, and a fundamental building block of all modern circuitry. A modern integrated circuit may contain several billion miniaturised transistors in a region only a few centimetres square.
Electricity is also used to fuel public transportation, including electric buses and trains
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