Nobody prefers a sudden hike in their monthly electricity bill and not knowing the reason behind it. However, there are many ways to prevent that from happening.
In order to make your home more energy-efficient, you need to reduce the amount of time that your appliances are switched on. Hence, we made a list of things that stay switched on the longest and consume a significant amount of electricity:
- Refrigerator (24 hours)
- Lights (day-time)
- Air-conditioning (night-time)
- Fans (all day)
- Computers (usually day-time, however, many homeowners leaves their machines switched 24 hours a day)
- TV (a few hours a day)
- Game console (a few hours)
- Washing machine (two hours a day)
You can’t switch off your refrigerator, so you need to turn your attention to the other items. Sometimes it’s not enough to keep reminding yourself to switch these items off. It may be easier to make some design changes to your household to make energy-saving as an automated process.
Here are some simple steps to get you started:
1. Make use of natural light
Image credit: Orientique Concept
Instead of closing the curtains and switching on the lights during the day, why not make use of natural daylight? Open your windows and curtains and flood your room with light.
If glare is a problem, ask a curtain specialist to install day or sheer curtains. Day curtains also provide added privacy.
If you are working in the room and you have to draw the curtains and use indoor lights, switch to task lighting instead of ambient lighting. In other words, don’t try and light up the entire room with a large 24W ceiling light, because that consumes more power. Instead, get a LED desk lamp that only consumes 7W.
2. Open your windows
Image credit: Homebox Design & Build
Unless we’re experiencing haze, you should open up your windows and ventilate your room instead of using aircond during the day time. Again, why spend so much energy cooling down the entire room, when a fan may work just the same?
There are several ways to design a house to stay cool without air-conditioning, but the simplest way is to install a ceiling fan or add a wall-mounted fan to have the air circulate around the room.
3. Switch to energy-efficient lights
Image Credit: L&L Renovation & Electrical Services
The prices of LED lights are coming down all the time, so it’s a good idea to replace the old CFL bulbs in your down lights, spotlights, table lamps and study lamps with LED bulbs. There are even LED replacements for the traditional circular fluorescent tube. If you don’t want to replace them all at once, gradually switch them out whenever the old bulb fails.
4. Install solar panels for renewable energy
Image credit: Asia Electrical Solar
Years ago, a household would install solar panels to power their water heater. But with advancements in solar panel technology, it is possible to install solar panels to power your entire home.
According to this solar panel installer, the typical solar panel cost for a two-storey home would be in the range of RM50,000. It may sound like a hefty sum upfront, but with the introduction of the Feed-in Tariff, you can sell any extra energy to TNB to offset your costs. Depending on your usage, it may take up to 7 years to pay-off your installation.
Interested homeowners will need to apply to be a Feed-In Approval holder (FiA) before they can sell their excess energy. To find out more, visit the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) Program by Sustainable Energy Development Authority Malaysia.
5. Install high-performance window and tint film
Image credit: Solar Window Film / House Tint / Office
For homes with windows that get direct sunlight, it can be glaring to the eyes and cause extra heat to your home. To cut down the amount of UV and sunlight, consider having a high-performance glass for the window or a good tint film.
Films in shades of blue or green will make your home feel cooler. As the glare and extra heat has been minimised, the room will be comfortable to be in without having to switch on the aircond.
6. Switch off (not standby) appliances when not in use
This is the simplest things you can do. If you’re not using your computer, microwave, Blu-Ray player, games console, television or other appliances, switch them off at the plug. Leaving them in standby mode will draw a small amount of energy which adds up over time.
7. Regular checks on electrical appliances
Image credit: Zam Handyman
It is crucial to have regular checks on appliances that you use around the house. This includes regular aircond servicing, checking your water heater thermostat, fridge compressor, washing machine, and so on.
For example, an aircond unit that has not been serviced in a while will likely have clogged filters and dust buildup, forcing it to work harder (and consume more energy) to keep your room cool. It may even start to leak. Broken and malfunction electrical appliances can also cause it to consume more energy than usual.
8. Buy energy efficient home appliances
Image credit: Zarul’s Washers & Fridges
When shopping for new appliances, compare the energy consumption between models. One easy way to compare energy-efficiency is to look at the Energy Efficiency Label. This is a standard label introduced by the Malaysian Energy Commission. It looks like this:
Apart from choosing five-star appliances, choosing the right appliance for the right task helps to reduce energy consumption. For example, if you wanted to reheat a pizza, would it be more efficient to use a microwave or an electric oven? Surprisingly, the difference is negligible.
To create an energy efficient home, it’s more important to reduce the usage. That’s why we have focused on lighting, air-conditioning, and reducing the amount of daytime heat getting into your home. Take steps to address these areas, and your next electricity bill will certainly be lower!
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This article is contributed by RecomN.com
