HOW TO KEEP YOUR ELECTRICITY BILLS DOWN

KEEP YOUR ELECTRICITY BILLS DOWN AND SAVE ENERGY FOR THE FUTURE BY MAKING YOURSELF AWARE THE SIMPLE WAYS TO USE OF ELECTRICITY.

*** *** LIGHTING *** ***

1) Use light translucent shades- opaque or dark shades require bigger lamps.

2) Use CFL lamps instead of flouresecnt & GLS lamps .

*** *** HEATING AND COOLING. *** ***

1) Have the ceiling insulated with at least 50mm of fibrous or foam insulation.

2) In timber framed or brick homes the walls should also be insulated. Block off any chimneys not being used - A lot of heat is lost there.

3) Unless you have full home conditioning close the doors of the room/s being heated or cooled. Doors and windows should fit well because draughts can wastea lot of energy. Close curtains to stop heat escaping.

4) Reverse cycle air-conditioners provide 2 to 2.5 times as much heat as an element type heater for the same electricity consumption.

5)Proper zoning of a house conditioned by a ducted system can cut energy consumption to a half or even third.

6) Shade windows during summer to keep sun of the glass

7) Don't leave heating or cooling appliances on when rooms are unoccupied.

8) Evaporative coolers are very effective when installed correctly. The operating cost of an evaporative cooler is only a fraction of that of a refrigerated unit.

9) A student can be kept warm with a 150 watt infra red lamp fitted under the desk.

10) Localized under carpet heating gives economical armchair comfort

11) People heating is more economical than space heating.-use radiators multi-heat radiant heaters, wall strip heaters ,fan heaters.

12) Electric blankets are the cheapest form of bedroom heating.

*** *** COOKING *** ***

1 Keep the door closed. Ever time you open it the temperature drop about 20 degrees (c)

2 Cook several dishes at the one time.If you are cooking small items use the frypan.

3 When cooking small quantities use one sauce pan with dividers.

4 Keep food warm at 70-80 deg(c) Higher temperatures waste electricity and over cook food.

5 Use oven heat for plate warming.

6 Use utensils with flat bottoms and well fitting lids.Make sure they cover hotplates

7 To cook vegetables the water doesn't need to be boiling furiously - a gentle simmer is enough.

8 Fan type ovens reduce cooking costs.

9 Use bright clean hotplate reflectors to send the heat upwards where it is wanted.

10 Pressure cookers can save up to 25% of power.

11 Use small appliances eg. griller,crock-pot,wok,etc for appropriate foods.

12 Thaw frozen foods before cooking - this saves about 15 minutes cooking per 450 grams (one pound).

13 A microwave is very economical for suitable functions -it is excellent for reconstituting food.

14 Don't use grill-boiler plate on top of range for utensils not large enough to cover it.

15 Don't boil water on a hotplate - use an electric kettle

16 Make sure your oven door seals properly.

*** *** REFRIGERATION *** ***

1) Select a fridge that uses waste heat for defrosting etc. These fridges are usually cheaper to operate.

2) Buy the size you need , extra capacity uses extra power

3) If you already have a chest or upright freezer buy an "all though " refrigerator instead of a fridge freezer combination.

4) Defrost before the ice build up is 1 cm thick.

5) Open the door only when necessary

6) Make sure the door seals well. If a piece of paper will slide easily between the cabinet and the door seal is not good enough

7) Keep dust and fluff brushed off the coils on the back or bottom of the fridge.

8) Put the fridge in a well ventilated position.

9) Place your fridge away from direct sunlight or any source of heat. Don't put hot food into a fridge or freezer.

*** *** CLOTHES DRYING *** ***

1) Use solar energy to dry your clothes instead of using dryer .it costs nothing.

2) Operate your dryer using the fan alone. Only switch the heater on if it is really necessary.Vent the dryer outside the house and don't let lint block the vent.

3) never overload or underload the dryer - you get most economical operation with the correct load

4) Switch off when the clothes are dry enough - over drying makes them feel harsh and waste electricity

5) Tumble dryers are more effective than cabinet dryers

*** *** WATER HEATING *** ***

1) Off peak low pressure storage heaters are generally the cheapest overall.

2) Water restrictors and low flow shower nozzles will help to save water.

3) Insulate hot water pipes from storage heaters for at least a metre from the heater as heat can be conducted along these pipes and lost to the atmosphere.

4) Install a storage heater of 125 liters or more to run off peak tariff - which is about half the normal rate.

5) Normally you will use less water for shower than bath

6) Fill your electric kettle or jug from the cold tap.Running off a lot of cold water from the hot pipes is wasteful and expensive

7) Don't have you hot water set too 70 deg (c) is usually hot enough . Otherwise it costs more to heat the water and it loses more heat while being stored.

*** *** ACCESSORIES *** ***

1) Dimmers save power and enable you to obtain pleasant changes of mood in your lighting.

2) Use plug-in timers to control such things as fryingpans, crockpots,radiators.lights and air conditioners

*** *** CLOTHES AND WASHING *** ***

Don't buy a large machine if you don't need it. For the occasional big wash an extra cycle or two is cheaper than under using a large washer

Adjust the water level to economically wash a partial load.Otherwise it is better to wait until you have a full load.But don't overload your machine

Your washer may have features than can save your money.Soak cycles remove stubborn stains in wash cycle.
Suds savers allow you to re use hot water

Use correct type of detergent and cold or tepid water will wash clothes effectively

*** *** WATER HEATING *** ***

1) Off peak low pressure storage heaters are generally the cheapest overall.

2) Water restrictors and low flow shower nozzles will help to save water

3) Insulate hot water pipes from storage heaters for at least a metre from the heater as heat can be conducted along these pipes and lost to the atmosphere

4) Install a storage heater of 125 liters or more to run off peak tariff - which is about half the normal rate

5) Normally you will use less water for shower than bath

6) Fill your electric kettle or jug from the cold tap.Running off a lot of cold water from the hot pipes is wasteful and expensive

7) Don't have you hot water set too 70 deg (c) is usually hot enough . Otherwise it costs more to heat the water and it loses more heat while being stored

*** *** FOR FACTORY INSTALLATION *** ***

1) Use a good local light near the machine . It is more effective and more efficient than a large central light. Keep overhead lights & fans in the plant in off condition whenever not required / during lunch breaks & shift ending. This saves substantial amount of bill

2)Don't allow dripping water taps .Sixty drips a minutes means about @1200 litres a month go down the drain. And you have to pay for it

3) Dont allow the leaking air pipe lines. This causes the air compressor to run for doing nothing . And finally you have to pay for it.

4) Use CFL lamps . they use about a quarter of electricity used by ordinary florescent lamps and they last about eight times as long. They can be switched on and off as often
as you need without affecting operating cost.

5) Good lighting means avoiding glare and gloom by using the right amount of light in the right way. Avoid using the overhead lights in day time . Simple Transparent sheets
give enough natural light

6) Use personal fans and ceiling fans for relief from hot weather instead of using Air conditioners . Fans cost much less to run than air conditioners

7) Many air- conditioning systems operate at 22 deg (c). You will still be comfortable if you set the control for 24-25 deg (c) in summer. and 18-19 deg (c) in winter and you will use a lot less electricity

8 )If you operate Air conditioner than leave room conditioner "fresh air " and "exhaust air " controls in the closed positions unless you want to freshen the room air.
Switch off the Air conditioner when you are off the rooms

9) Set fan at high speed for a room conditioner to work most efficiently

10) See that air- conditioner filters and condenser coils are kept clean.

11) Optimisation of time for switching on the heating & requiremnt of cooling water
for plant trials

12) Cost of Running DG Set can be saved by proper decisions for plant trials

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