Energy is a limited resource. it is vital that home owners learn how to use it as efficiently as possible.
How electricity is used in a typical home
In a typical home, heating, cooling, Water heating, refrigeration are the largest energy consumers. The percentage values varies depending on the climate of the region.
Over 20-35% of the energy is wasted
The main cause of the high energy loss is energy-wasting habits and improper use household electronics.
Why conserve energy in your home
Energy conservation measures
Below are tips on how to conserve energy at home.
One of the biggest ways to save on your energy bills is by taking a proactive stance when it comes to managing the lighting in your home. Here are some home lighting tips that can help you cut down on your lighting expenses:
- Install solar LED lighting for outdoor lighting purposes
- Use LED lighting that are very efficient and you save up to 85% energy compared to ordinary bulbs. They last much longer than CFLs and can fit directly into ordinary bulb holders.
- Enhance the use of timers to turn security lights on in the evening and off in the morning to ensure the lights are switched on only when necessary. Additionally, you can utilise photo sensors for security lighting to automatically turn your light on at night and off during the day.
- Use Motion sensors to ensure lights are on only when required.
- Turn off lights when you are not using them, even just for a few minutes.
- Separate the lighting circuit to ensure that only the required lighting is switched on.
- Design houses that maximise on natural sunlight during the day.
- The reflectance of interior surfaces has an important bearing on lighting efficiency. In home decoration, choose lighter colours for walls, ceilings, floors and furniture. Dark colours absorb light and would require higher lamp wattage for a given level of illumination. Light coloured surfaces should be kept clean for maximum reflectance.
- Use Dimming switches that allows you to regulate the light level and so reduce electricity consumption.
- Place floor lamps and hanging lamps in corners. The reflection of the walls will give you more light.
Home water heating accounts for nearly 20% of your entire energy bill. If you want to lower the energy costs for your home, your water heating might be the first place to look. Below are some tips on how to lower your water heating energy use.
- Install solar water heaters
- Use instant water heaters instead of storage water heater. No hot water is stored therefore no heat losses
- In case of storage water heaters, ensure hot water tanks and pipes are well insulated to avoid loss of heat.
- Locate water heaters as close to the points of use as possible.
- Reduce the amount of hot water used by not letting water run while shaving or when washing dishes.
- Use the kettle to boil small amounts of water – it uses less energy.
A fridge and freezer are one of biggest power consumer in many households because nearly all households have at least one fridge and they run for 24 hours a day. You may have to keep your fridge and freezer running all the time, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reduce the amount of electricity it takes to run it.
Keeping food fresh–while conserving energy–can bring a helpful boost. Here are some tips to make sure you’re using the least amount of energy possible on your fridge or freezer.
- Always match the size of the fridge to your needs.
- Place the fridge away from heat sources such as direct sunlight, ovens and other appliances.
- Ensure there is adequate ventilation at the back, sides and top. At the very least, two inches of space all around should ensure efficient exchange of heat.
- Adjust the thermostat to maintain correct temperature. The most efficient temperature for a fridge is between 3 °C and 5.5 °C. Cooler temperatures are not necessary and incorrect temperature settings cause an increase in energy consumption.
- Keep the coils at the back dust-free as accumulation of dust on condenser coils can increase energy consumption by up to 30%.
- Ensure the door seals are in good shape. If the door doesn’t seal well, cold air escapes and lets in warm air which the fridge uses more energy to cool.
- Minimize the number of times you open the fridge. Open/close habits waste 50-120 KWh of energy a year which accounts for 10 – 24% of the total energy consumption of the fridge.
- Defrost a non-frost free freezer before the frost exceeds a quarter inch in thickness. More frost makes the fridge use more energy.
- Allow for foods to cool before placing them in the fridge. Cooling hot food in the fridge uses more energy.
- Cover liquids and food stored in the fridge. Uncovered foods release moisture and in turn get dried out. This process makes the compressor work further.
- Remove all heavy wrappings from food before storing it in the refrigerator
- Turnoff, empty, clean the refrigerator, and leave its doors open when taking a holiday.
A large number of electrical appliances cannot be completely switched off without unplugging the device or turning it off at a power strip. When this is not done, the appliances continue to draw power. This power consumption is known as ‘stand-by power.
- A television left on stand-by can use up to 10% more power.
- Switching off your DVD player can save up to 50% of the energy it consumes.
- Switching off your music system at the set or unplugging it can save up to 50% on energy consumed.
- Always unplug phone chargers when not in use and avoid charging a phone longer than necessary
During the hot season running your air conditioning system can account for a significant cost. Nearly half of your average electric bill is spent on cooling your space. It’s also one of the biggest energy consumers in your home. An air conditioner rated 1200 watts that is on 12 hours a day will use 324 KWh a month which will cost approximately Shs.4,860.
Fortunately, there are a lot of ways to help your air conditioner run better and save money during the hot months.
- Use ceiling fans where necessary – they use less energy.
- Ensure doors and windows are shut when you use air conditioners to keep out warm air.
Cold season in Kenya from June to September warrants use of heating systems in some locations to keep warm. Portable electric heaters are commnly used. For example, an electric heater (1500W) uses 4.5kWh of electricity during a period of 3hrs or 135Kwh or Ksh 2,025 per month. You can reduce the energy consumption in the following ways:
- Ensure your house has ceiling as it helps retain the heat in the house.
- Keep doors to unheated rooms closed. Draughts through doors and windows can increase room-heating cost by as much as 15%
- Use lower wattage heaters. Ensure that the heater has a thermostat.
- Curtains also help to retain heat in a room
- Always make sure that the aluminium part at the back of your heater is clean and shining because it helps to emit heat into the room. Once it has turned black, you can coat it with foil paper.
Modern cookers use gas or electricity as fuel. Some have provision for both (gas burner and hot plate). If you use an electric cooker, you’ll use fewer units of energy but, because electricity costs more than gas per unit, this will still end up costing you more. Depending on your choice, here are some tips on how to reduce your energy while cooking.
- Enhance the use of pressure cookers which cut food preparation time to one-third of that required by conventional methods.
- Use pots and pans with flat bottoms to enhance effective heat transfer since they will be heated uniformly.
- Always make sure that the pan matches the size of the cooker element.
- Turn off the oven, surface units or burners shortly before food has completed cooking to make use of residual heat.
- Preheat the oven only when necessary and only for the required time.
- Use the oven to capacity by cooking more than one dish or one meal at a time.
- Do not open the oven door unnecessarily; every time you open the oven door to check cooking, you lose 20% of the heat. (Oven temperature drops 25-30oC every time you open the oven door.)
- Thaw frozen foods first to reduce cooking time.
- Use only enough water to cover the food being cooked.
- Cover the cooking pan and once the food boils, turn down the heat to the minimum.
- Use a microwave oven for small quantities of food as it is quicker than using the cooker or the oven.
- Use an electric kettle to boil water instead of the cooker.
How to reduce you home energy bill
There are several ways to reduce energy bill such as
Undertake energy conservation tips discussed above in your home to ensure all your appliances are running as efficiently as possible
You can install solar PV power system fully or partially as your electricity source. Solar power is cheaper than power from the utility company. The energy Conservation tips will reduce energy wastage in your home resulting in solar power system that is smaller and cheaper.
Hot water in one of the largest energy consumers in your home. Installing solar water heaters will eliminate the need to use electricity to heat water ultimately reducing this component in your energy bill. It will also reduce the size of solar PV energy system should you choose to install one.
Outdoor lighting is a large part of home lighting bill as outdoor lights are vital for security at night. These lights have a high wattage rating and run over 12 hours in a day hours. By installing solar LED lights for security lighting, this energy component is eliminated
Outright Solar is a leading solar energy solutions provider in Kenya. We are ready to partner with to a sustainable energy future. Contact us to day and lets start the journey.