Tips to Conserve Energy and Save Money

Kalibo, Aklan (PIA6) — Did you know that at home or in government or private offices, people can do many things to help conserve electricity and in the process – pay lesser electric bills and therefore use the savings to buy other household or office needs?

This and more were shared by officials of the Department of Energy (DOE) here when they recently conducted an IEC/Seminar on Government Energy Management Program (GEMP) for Aklan’s government offices, held at the Ati-atihan County Inn in Kalibo.

These simple practices, according to the DOE, involve lamps and appliances, and how we take care of, use, or how we choose them:

· When buying lamps, we should choose the Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL). We must also clean the lamps often, because dust and dirt reduces brightness by 50%.

· When buying a refrigerator, one must look for the Energy Efficiency Factor (EEF) label pasted on the unit. Refrigerators with high EEF consume lesser electricity, according to the DOE. Ice in the freezer should not be allowed to thicken by ¼ inch, while the refrigerator’s condenser coil must always be kept clean.

· When buying an air-conditioner unit, the buyer must choose the model with high Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) which can be found on the yellow label attached to the unit. High EER means lesser electricity consumption. One must also check the capacity of the aircon to the size of the room where it will be used.

· On ironing, one must do it once a week on a specific day. It is advisable to do the ironing in the morning when it is cool and bright. Also, thick clothes should be ironed first, followed by the thin ones, to fully use the remaining heat after the iron had already been unplugged.

· When buying gas range or oven, the buyer should choose the automatic (electronic) ignition system. The DOE said it is much better to use Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) when cooking to save electricity.

· On television viewing, one must turn-off the unit when no one is viewing, and unplug it when using transformer. The unit must not be left on stand-by mode, because this still consumes electricity. Buyers must also avoid purchasing Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) television because this can waste electricity by 50% compared to a Light Crystal Display (LCD) television.

· In using electric fans, the user should lock the oscillator when air is needed in one direction only. Electric fans must always be free from dirt and dust.

The DOE also advise households to regularly clean their appliances for a longer life span of these appliances.

It also warned against phantom load – electricity consumptions of appliances we think are absent because appliances are turned off or on a stand-by mode.

The DOE also said that it is not recommending to the public the use of energy-saving gadgets, because there is no solid proof yet that the gadgets really work. (JCM/VGV PIA6 Aklan)