Importance of Electricity

Electricity has become quite common in today’s world. Everybody loves what it can do and loves the level at which it is being used. The street lights work on electric current. Fans in the court, office rooms, homes, etc. all work on electricity. Trains and trams too run on the power on electricity. Hence electricity is no longer a strange thing.

The discovery of electricity happened some six hundred years ago. It was a little later that the American scientist Benjamin Franklin proved the existence of electric power in the clouds with the help of a kite. The lightening from the clouds is nothing but the discharge of electricity.

Electric power is generally generated from the waterfalls and dams through an artificial process. Electric power is also collected from the coals by installing thermal stations near the coal mines. Did you know? The heat under the earth and the heat from the Sun can also be turned into electric power. However the present era is the era for electricity, wherein it is used practically everywhere. The large scale industries are easily run by the use of electric current. A number of small scale industries get into guild system and take the help of electricity. The railway trains, trams and buses are moved by the power of electricity. Hospitals too have great use of electricity. The X-ray machines, great surgical treatments are done in the darkest nights only with the help of this great discovery called electricity. Machines of the radio-set, television and telescope work with the help of this power. Cold-storages have been possible only thanks to the electric power. Medical wards and cinema houses are air-conditioned only with the help of electricity. Many individuals use electricity to make their personal living more comfortable. Today a number of cars are being designed which can work on electricity.

In India, we need much more electricity to work out our projects. We have enough scope and potential in our country to install large number of power-plants. Let us hope for the day when the Indian farm-works and farmers will be mechanized with the help of the electricity.

Saving Electricity Tips

The biggest electricity users in the home tend to be heating and/or air conditioning, water heating, washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers, lighting, and the refrigerator. When looking to save electricity, spend the most time focussing on these big energy hogs to get the biggest effect for your efforts.

Here are a selection of tips to help you to reduce your electricity consumption:

1. Turn off your television, video, hifi, playstation, and other entertainment devices when they are not being used.

2. Do not leave your television etc in standby mode. Devices can use up to 90% as much power in standby mode as when they are on, so it is a serious waste of energy when a device is left constantly on standby. If you keep forgetting, consider purchasing a PowerSafer - a device which automatically cuts power to appliances when they go into standby mode.

3. Replace all of your inefficient incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient CFL bulbs. Replace halogen spotlights with much more efficient and longer lasting LED Spotlights.

4. Hang your clothes out to dry rather than using an electric tumble dryer. Ideally use a spin dryer before using the tumble dryer.

5. Cook many items at the same time when your electric oven is hot.

6. Use a microwave to reheat food or to cook small portions. Although a microwave uses a lot of power, it does so over a very short time and so saves energy overall.

7. Turn down your heating system thermostat. For every degree you lower your heat between 60° and 70° F you can reduce your heating bill by up to 5%. Wear an extra layer of clothing in the house so that you stay warm. Turn down individual radiators - for example, 16°-18° is warm enough for bedrooms whereas 20°-22°C is more comfortable in bathrooms. Rooms that are rarely used can have their heating turned all the way down or off.

8. Purchase energy efficient white goods (washing machines, tumble driers, fridges etc). Although they usually cost a little more initially, the cost savings in electricity will cover that many times over. As an added benefit, efficient items are usually better made and last longer than inefficient models.

9. Vacuum clean the condenser coils at the back or underneath your fridge freezer. Accumulated dust reduces their efficiency by up to 25% adding that cost to your electricity bill.

10. Keep your fridge full, but not so full that air cannot circulate properly.

11. Fold clothes straight out of the tumble drier while they are still warm to save on ironing.

12. Cool cooked food before you put it into the fridge.

13. Do not put uncovered liquids into the fridge. Their evaporation will make the fridge have to work harder.

14. Heat only as much water as you require for drinks and cooking. If you keep forgetting, purchase an energy efficient eco kettle energy efficient ECO Kettle.

15. Use a convection oven. A small fan inside circulates hot air throughout the oven cutting cooking times by up to 30%.

16. Don't preheat the oven for roasting.

17. Don't keep opening the oven door. Every time you do so, your oven loses 20°C of heat.

18. Put lamps in the corner of a room so that the light is reflected off two walls.

19. Turn down the temperature on your washing machine. Heating the water uses the majority of the electricity, so by doing a warm wash instead of a hot wash, big savings are possible. 

20. Defrost frozen food in the fridge since this helps to cool the fridge.

21. Running a full load in an efficient dishwasher will use less hot water than washing up by hand in the sink! Save money, save time, and save electricity.

22. Boil water in a kettle rather than on a hob to save 50-70% of the energy and to get your water boiled faster.

23. In the summer use ceiling fans on a fast setting instead of air conditioning to keep cool. In the winter, running the fans slowly will push warm air collected at ceiling height down to where you want it. (If the slowest setting on your fan is too strong, reverse the direction of the fan in the winter so that the accumulated warm air is blown up against the ceiling and bounces more gently down around the walls and into the living space.

24. Use the recommended depth of loft insulation, and consider cavity wall insulation or external solid wall insulation for which grants are available.

25. Turn off the lights when you leave a room.

26. Separate items when moving them from the washing machine to the tumble dryer. When everything is tangled up together in a lump the drying cycle takes longer using more electricity.

27. Keep your freezer full. A full freezer uses less electricity than an empty or partially full freezer.

28. Defrost your fridge and freezer regularly.

29. Keep the contents of your fridge and freezer tidy so that you can find what you want quickly and not leave the door open for a long time.

30. Use the smallest pot you can to heat food, and keep the lid on to speed up heating and use less power.

31. Fan ovens use less power than non-fan ovens, and pressure cookers use 25% less power.

32. Turn off kitchen and bathroom extractor fans as quickly as possible in the winter since they are sucking the expensively heated air out of the house.

33. Close curtains and blinds before it gets dark (and cold) outside. Make sure they are open in rooms which face the morning sun so that rooms can be heated by solar power.

34. Seal leaks around windows and doors to reduce cold draughts and lower heating bills.

35. Thaw frozen foods before cooking.

36. Iron clothes in a large batch rather than piecemeal.

6 Tips to Save Electricity

Turn Appliances Off

• According to Electricity Guide, appliances that are left on "stand by" modes use 85 percent of the power they would normally use if turned on. Completely powering down your computer, video gaming system and other appliances can save electricity and help you lower your electricity bill. If certain appliances lack an off switch, consider unplugging these devices when they are not in use. Additionally, avoid using appliances during peak electricity hours, which run daily from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Use Energy-Efficient Bulbs

• About 10 to 15 percent of your home electricity bill is devoted to lighting. Energy-efficient light bulbs like compact fluorescent bulbs and light emitting diode bulbs devote more power to light than conventional bulbs, which actually expend more of their energy as heat. Using these energy-efficient bulbs in your home can help save electricity, lower your energy costs and cut the costs of replacing bulbs since energy-efficient bulbs last up to 10 times longer than conventional bulbs.
• AVOID THE DRYER

• The dryer uses the most electricity in your home, second only to your refrigerator. Eliminating it from the clothes washing process whenever possible can help save electricity and lower your energy costs by as much as five percent, according to the Consumer Energy Center. If it is absolutely necessary for you to use the dryer, keeping the drying time to a minimum can help mitigate the cost of energy use.

Clean or Change Air Filters

• Air filters can become clogged or damaged, forcing appliances like air conditioners to work harder to achieve comfortable indoor temperatures. Cleaning or replacing these filters can help lower your energy costs. This is particularly important in the summer months, when electricity bills tend to be higher.

Install Ceiling Fans

• According to Consumer Savvy Tips, installing ceiling fans in your home can reduce energy costs by allowing you to keep your thermostat at a higher setting. Fans that are set to blow air downward can work to cool the air more efficiently than a single air conditioner, while fans that blow air upward may recirculate hot air through the room and increase the temperature.

Open Up The Windows

• The air outside your home may actually be cooler than the air inside. Opening up your windows can significantly cool down your home during those early summer months and help your cut down your electricity bill. If you have ceiling fans installed they can help pull the air inside the home, keeping your hands off the thermostat.

Electricity-Saving Tips

Energy-efficient Lights

• Lightbulbs are one of the most commonly used electrical appliances in most homes. It is not uncommon for a home to have several lightbulbs on at the same time for the majority of the day. Since lightbulbs are used so frequently, it is important to use ones that use energy more efficiently to reduce electricity consumption. Standard lightbulbs are called incandescent bulbs---incandescence is light created from heating up an object. The problem with normal bulbs is that a large amount of energy is lost in the form of heat, which makes them inefficient. Compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs, are energy-efficient bulbs that produce light using florescence, which generates less heat and is therefore more energy-efficient than a normal bulb. Replacing standard lightbulbs with CFLs as they burn out is a good way to save electricity. CFLs do cost more than normal bulbs, but they also last much longer, which results in savings over time.

Refrigerator Use

• Refrigerators require a large amount of electricity to run, and are on all the time to keep food cool. When the fridge is shut, it only needs to use a certain level of electricity to maintain the air temperature, but every time it is opened, it must work harder to cool the air, since hot air will get inside. To reduce the amount of electricity your refrigerator uses, limit how often you open it. To do this, decide upon the items you want to take out of the fridge before opening it, and strive to locate and take the item quickly to keep as much cold air inside as possible. Setting the temperature level of the fridge higher will also save electricity, but do not to set it so high that your food goes bad. By using food fairly soon after purchasing it, you may be able to run your fridge at a higher temperature without allowing food to spoil.

Unused Devices

• Another important part of saving electricity is making sure no appliances are draining electricity when you are not using them. Whenever you leave a room, turn off the lights and other electrical devices that are on. Refrain from keeping a TV on when you aren't watching it, and turn off computer monitors when you are out of the room. You should also shut down your computer at night to keep it from using energy during the evening. It is also important to note that many electrical devices can use up electricity even when they are not turned on. Simply having a device plugged into a wall socket may result in wasted electricity. Make it a habit to unplug all devices from wall sockets when they are not in use. Things like cell phone chargers, hair dryers, and AC units are common culprits of wasting electricity.

Facts on Saving Electricity

Facts

• One of the most important concepts when considering how to save on electricity begins with the actual building and design of a home or building. According to John Theodore Houghton, author of "Global Warming: The Complete Briefing," options that offer the largest savings are found in the areas of commercial lighting and air conditioning, and in residential appliances and space heating. If you are building a new home or remodeling, keep in mind ways to cut back on electricity.

Appliances

• Over the past decade, many appliance companies, such as Maytag, have begun offering consumers products that use significantly less electricity than appliances of the past. Energy-efficient electrical appliances can save homeowners thousands of dollars each year.

  A simple way to save electricity is to purchase appliances with a good Energy Star rating. The government-endorsed Energy Star program promotes energy efficiency and is designed to assist homeowners in reducing electric bills, while protecting the environment.

Insulation and Windows

• Your home's inadequate insulation and leaky windows can cause you to lose valuable electricity dollars during both the summer and winter months, when heating or air conditioning is used most.

  Attics and walls should be properly insulated when built or remodeled. This keeps warm and cold air in a home longer, so that you need to use less electricity for comfort. Well-insulated walls discourage drafts, allowing less outside air into the home.

  Maintaining windows also creates fewer energy leaks, helping you save on electricity costs. During winter months, you can cover unused windows in plastic to prevent heated air from leaking out, and you should also make regular checks to be sure that your windows are shut properly.

Computer Usage

• Many homes have at least one computer. A computer uses a lot of electricity; however, you can easily cut back on its use.

  First, you should turn off your computer when you're not using it. If you leave a computer in "sleep mode," the machine will continue to draw small amounts of electricity even though it is not being used. Also, most computers have an "energy saving mode." Look in your computer's options menus, and use the energy-saving options when possible.

Protecting the Environment

• One of the most compelling reasons for reducing electricity usage is to protect the environment. The power plants that produce electricity are fossil fuel-based. These plants produce carbon dioxide, which deteriorates the earth's atmosphere and leads to environmental problems such as global warming.

  According to SaveOurEnvironment.org, "Recent analyses by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) found that requiring 20 percent of electric generation from renewable energy sources by the year 2020 would create over 355,000 new high-paying jobs and save consumers at least $49 billion on their electric and natural gas bills."

8 Easy Steps on How to Save Electricity

1.  Replace your light bulbs with energy efficient CFL ones.

2.  Turn off lights when you leave a room.

3.  Do not keep the TV on as background noise when you are not watching it.

4.  Ensure you don't have phantom electricity loss. Even when unused, plugged in electrical appliances use a small amount of electricity. Either unplug appliances you are not using, or plug them into a power strip and turn off the power strip when you are done.

5.  Wrap up - wear a sweater, a hooded sweat shirt, sweatpants, socks, a plush slipper, and a hat; only after this should you turn on the heat if needed.

6.  Hair dryers use a lot of electricity. Dry your hair half way, and then let it air dry. Better yet, don't wash your hair every day. Some experts say washing hair every day strips away the oil your scalp produces and harms the hair.

7.  Air dry laundry. Hang the wet clothes in hangers in your closet, but keep the closet door open. Don't do this if you have a mold problem.

8.  Use the light soil wash cycle on your washing machine.

How to Save Electricity

Most people want to save electricity, and lower their electric bill but they don't want to cut out things you need. You could stop throwing away money on your electric bill every month by saving electricity with these simple steps. 

1. To save electricity on appliances keep everything unplugged including the toaster, blender and any other kitchen appliance.

2. Unplug the computer when it is not in use. This does not affect the computer, and they will draw a small charge when not in use. This simple step can save electricity that is being used for hours every day.

3. Keep all chargers unplugged, especially laptop charges, GPS chargers and anything else. These use electricity when not in use.

4. Turn off the water heater when you go on vacation, and if you really want to save electricity, turn it off during the day. This simple step can save an enormous amount of electricity every month.

5. Remove halogen and incandescent bulbs and replace them with compact fluorescent bulbs in every lamp and ceiling fixture. These bulbs will save a great deal of electricity because they are so energy efficient. You will save $75 for every $100 in energy spent on regular lighting costs. That is a great way to save electricity.

6. Keep DVD players, TVs and other audio and stereo equipment plugged into a multi-port surge protector which you can turn off with one simple switch. This allows you to save electricity the easy way, by just turning off the main power port switch.

Five Cs of Electricity Consumption

Cooking Costs

Let's start with preparing your meals. If you find yourself getting ready to reheat some leftovers from the night before, consider using your microwave. It will save you as much as 40% in electricity cost and will take considerably less time than heating your leftovers on top of the stove.

If you're only preparing meals for one or two people, use the smaller burners on your stovetop. They use less energy than the big burners, and generally won't take any longer to prepare your meals. If you want to save even more, get a meal started in your crock pot before you head off to work. That way, it will be ready to eat when you get home, and you will have saved a considerable amount of electricity in the process.

Computers: A Surprising Charge

You don't always have to save huge amounts of energy to see a drop in your electric bill. For instance, just leaving your computer monitor on all the time can cost you nearly $18 a month (approximately 60 cents a day).

Cell Phone Chargers

If you leave your cell phone and battery charger plugged in, you'll pay $1.50 a month for the privilege. That might not seem like much, but small things like that represent a giant energy drain on the country when combined, to the tune of more than $8 billion a year, according to the Alliance to Save Energy.

Clothes Washing

Another place to realize significant savings is your washing machine. It used to be that laundry needed to be washed in hot or warm water to kill germs, but with the advances in detergents, most clothes get just as clean and are just as germ-free when washed in cold water. Not heating large quantities of hot water for washing clothes can save you a considerable amount of money each month.

Climate Control

Setting your thermostat a little lower in the winter and a little higher in the summer can also save significant sums of money. This is especially true if you've going to be out of the house for any length of time during the day. Even a few degrees up or down can save more than $100 a year on heating and cooling costs, according to Alliance to Save Energy calculations.

All in all, it won't take a huge effort or sacrifice to save yourself significant amounts of money on your electric bills every month. Look at your lifestyle and the things you use around the house every day. Do they really need to be on all the time? Can you do the various things you do on a daily basis in a different way that will use less electricity? All it takes is a commitment to begin paying attention to the many small energy-draining details that can make a noticeable difference in your overall energy usage.

Save Electricity for the Environment

Saving electricity helps the environment with less production. Even if you're not interested in saving money on your electric bill, you can help the environment by cutting down you home's consumption of electricity. 

However, as energy costs continue to rise, you may be among the millions of Americans who are looking for ways to save electricity around the house. Here are some ideas that can save you small amounts of money in themselves, but can add up to significant savings when taken altogether.