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Maintaining Your Property
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Save the Earth, save your bills! |
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With the growing concern for our rapidly depleting natural resources, we should all do our part, no matter how small it is, to preserve Mother Earth. One of the easiest ways to do so is to conserve electricity, which reduces the burning of fuel in the production of energy. Let’s take a look at how we can reduce energy usage in our home without reducing our comfort level.
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Air Conditioning
Let’s face it. Our tropical climate makes it really hard for us to live without air conditioning. Yet, its consumption of electricity contributes to the bulk of our monthly energy bill. So the next time you feel like turning on the air conditioning, ask yourself whether a fan would suffice – after all, it uses less than 10% of the electricity used by air conditioning.
If you absolutely have to turn on the air conditioner, set it to a minimum temperature of 25?C, and avoid leaving the windows open. For every degree you raise, you can potentially save about $20* a year. And each time you decide to use the fan instead of the air conditioner, you could save about $50 a month, or $650* a year!
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Lighting
For areas in your home that do not require mood lighting, switch to fluorescent lamps which are not only brighter and require fewer bulbs, they are also very energy efficient. Compared to incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lamps use as little as 80% less energy, and lasts 10 times longer. A fluorescent lamp uses only 7W of energy, and each bulb can help you save about $15* every year.
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Switching off appliances
Most of us are not aware, but the average standby power in our homes is 35W –equivalent to the energy used for 5 fluorescent bulbs! Standby power usually accounts for up to 10% of your home electricity use, so if you remember to switch off your TV, computer, printer, etc at the socket, you will save about $50 a year*.
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Choosing appliances
Check the energy labels when you’re buying your home electrical appliances. Make sure you choose the ones with 4 ticks on the label, as it means the appliance is more energy efficient and can save you a total of $100 - $350 a year.
So remember, while its easier to just press a button and enjoy our creature comforts, putting a little thought to it can help us save money, and contribute towards saving the Earth!
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*Based on our electricity tariff of $0.2388 per kWh unit, and a single split 1000W air conditioner, a 75W electric fan and a 400 litre refrigerator used 365 days a year.
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