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| Tuesday, 12 February 2002 |
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Watch Those Kilowatts by Lionel Wijesiri Isn't it time that we have a national energy-saving target in place: for example, an average of ten per cent saving per month over the next twelve months. We should formally adopt such a voluntary goal immediately in our effort to sustain energy-saving initiatives and infrastructure to help smooth some of the roughness anticipated ahead in power markets. Our present energy crisis shows us how important it is to reduce our demand for power in the future. The more we reduce our demand for power, the more we insulate ourselves from the impacts of energy shortages. A country-wide energy emergency should be announced by the Government. All State and local government institutions and the private sector must respond by meeting at least a ten percent reduction in electricity consumption in the next twelve months. Some of the immediate changes that can be implemented by the State, local government and Private sector for energy conservation include: Reducing the amount of non-essential lighting and air conditioning and fans. Adjusting timers for lighting or other electricity using equipment. Controlling workstations and monitors. Managing the powering up of office equipment to avoid demand charges during periods of heavy use. Turning off lights, fans and air conditioners in empty rooms. Turning off task lights and computer monitors when employees are away from their desks for extended periods of time. Some longer term projects to reduce electrical consumption include: Retrofitting lighting systems. Beginning immediately, there should be changes in the amount of outdoor
lighting at Government and mercantile offices. While fewer lights should
be left on, security personnel can make sure that there is enough lighting
to provide security for employees and the public. This can be the most
visible response by the city to the current energy emergency, but many
other initiatives should go underway behind the scenes.
The Government must ensure that all Government agencies strive to make
themselves Models of Conservation for the public during the energy crunch.
Not only is this good public policy, but it makes good financial sense.
Money saved now, is money we can save for maintaining essential services
to our citizens.
Techniques
With no positive immediate solution yet to be seen, the power crisis in
Sri Lanka is far from over. The power authorities expect blackouts to
continue until they can increase the power supply or buy more power from
outside sources.
In the meantime, as consumers who are using power for everything from
freezers to water heaters, we can use a few simple household conservation
techniques to help the power authorities keep everyone out of the dark.
The benefits can be surprising.
Cutting back unnecessary energy use is an easy way to keep your hard
earned money in your pocket. Here are some suggestions you can do at home,
at absolutely no cost to you.
Lighting
When leaving an area, turn off the fan and the light.
Switch off the TV, Radio and the computer if you are not using them.
As lamps and reflective surfaces become dirty, light output is reduced
while energy consumption remains unchanged. Cleaning of bulbs and lenses
on fixtures is recommended at least once a month. In addition, bulb
wattage may be able to be reduced with regular cleaning.
Don't over illuminate an area. Light output should match tasks or
activities being performed.
Disconnecting ballasts or bulbs is sometimes a good energy-saving move.
Areas to look at are near windows, hallways and places having little or no
furniture.
When possible, use natural light in place of artificial light.
Remember that rooms with dark walls will absorb light while light-coloured
walls will reflect light. Replace lenses on fixtures if deteriorated or yellowed to increase
light output and avoid over sizing of bulbs. Newer non-yellowing acrylic
type lenses last longer and won't diminish light output.
Use timers on outdoor lights. Also, high-pressure sodium bulbs are more
efficient than floodlights for outdoor lighting.
Direct lighting where it is needed. This may involve using task
lighting in some areas.
On large-scale fluorescent light fixture installation or replacement,
consider purchasing energy efficient fixtures in conjunction with energy
efficient bulbs for the lowest total life cycle cost.
Refrigeration
Clean condenser coils on refrigerators and freezers to improve the heat
transfer characteristics and air flow. When dust builds up on the coils,
the motor and compressor must work harder. Recommended cleaning schedule
is monthly and recommended method is vacuuming.
Make sure door gaskets maintain a tight seal to prevent warm room air
from infiltrating the unit and causing additional cooling load on the
compressor. To check the seal, close the door on a piece of paper and try
to pull it out. If it slides out easily, the seal probably needs
replacing.
Extra refrigerators/freezers with little contents will waste energy and
should be avoided.
Keep temperature settings at the correct levels. Refrigerators should
be between 38-42 degrees while freezers should be between 0-5 degrees.
Check temperatures with an accurate thermometer that can read at least
down to minus 10 degrees.
Allow leftovers to cool before putting them in the refrigerator.
Energy
It's important to understand energy use in lamps when you choose from
today's full array of lighting technologies. The amount of light given off
is measured in lumens. One lumen is the equivalent of the light given off
by one candle. A watt, on the other hand, is the amount of electricity a
light bulb uses to produce light - it's not an indication of brightness.
The distinction is important, because a new 13-watt compact fluorescent
light bulb (CFL) produces as much light - as many lumens - as a
traditional 60-watt incandescent bulb. As much light, using only
one-quarter of the electrical energy! That's why one of the easiest and
fastest ways to cut your home or office energy bill is to improve its
lighting efficiency. If you replace 25 percent of the lights in high-use
areas with fluorescents, you can save about 50 percent of your lighting
energy bill.
Incandescent Bulbs
Thomas Edison invented the incandescent light bulb nearly 125 years
ago, and it still works pretty much as it did then. Inside a glass bulb,
electricity heats up a wire filament, causing it to glow and give off
light. Of course, electrical heaters work in much the same way, and that's
why more than 90 percent of the energy produced by incandescent lights is
heat, not light. As a result, incandescent bulbs are inefficient light
sources.
The regular incandescent bulbs last usually 750 hours before burning
out. On the plus side, we are all used to incandescent bulbs - they are
inexpensive to purchase, the colour of the light they produce is good.
Fluorescent lights
Times have changed. Fluorescents are not only one of the most efficient
options around, offering the longest-life bulb; they come in a variety of
types and sizes. Best of all, with the new electronic ballasts, they are
quiet.
Fluorescent lights are phosphor-coated glass tubes filled with an inert
gas and a small amount of mercury. Because different brands can have
different mixes of gases inside, fluorescents produce a wide assortment of
colour light that match the warm glow of incandescent bulbs.
To create the same amount of light as an incandescent bulb, a
fluorescent tube uses only one-quarter to one-third of the energy. Plus,
fluorescents last 10 to 15 times longer - 10,000 hours or more.
Compact Fluorescent lights (CFL)
When CFL were introduced in the early 1980s, they revolutionized
lighting. A variation on the fluorescent tube, compact fluorescents work
the same way, only the tube has been made smaller and folded over in a way
to make them fit into spaces designed for incandescent bulbs. With a screw
base that fits a normal light bulb socket, they operate on one fifth of
the energy used by incandescent bulbs and last ten times longer.
A single 20-watt compact fluorescent lamp used in place of a 75-watt
incandescent bulb will save about 550 kilowatt-hours over its lifetime.
A compact fluorescent lamp will initially cost more that an
incandescent bulb, but because it lasts longer and costs so much less to
run, it will prove to be a better bargain over time. We must keep in mind
that light bulbs cost much more to run than to buy in the first place. It
is economical to use compact fluorescents for lights you use often. The
more a light is used, the faster a compact fluorescent will pay for
itself.
In the past few months some low-cost compact fluorescent lights have
been imported and sold in Sri Lanka. Many of these have been of
questionable quality and had a lifespan much shorter than predicted. As a
result, many people who tried compact fluorescents have been unhappy with
their performance.
Here's a rough comparison of the long-term costs of the two types of
light bulbs:
23W CFL Bulb ( 1500 lumens)
Purchase Price Rs 720.00
Life time 10,000 hours
Number of hours burned per day 4 1/2 hours
Number of bulbs needed for 6 years 1
Total Cost of bulbs for 6 years Rs 720.00
Total Cost of Electricity for 6 years
(or 10000 hours) at Rs 2.40 per KWH Rs 552.00
Your total cost over 6 years Rs 1272.00
100 Watt Incandescent Bulb ( 1690 lumens)
Purchase Price Rs 30.00
Life time 750 hours
Number of hours burned per day 4 1/2 hours
Number of bulbs needed for 6 years 10
Total Cost of bulbs for 6 years Rs 300.00
Total Cost of Electricity for 6 years
(or 10000 hours) at Rs 2.40 per KWH Rs 2400.00
Your total cost over 6 years Rs 2700.00
Total Saving over 6 years with one CFL Rs 1428.00
By making some small changes in the way electricity is used you can
help the country to extricate from the present power crisis as well as
reduce your monthly electrical bill. Some elementary ideas were given in
this article. While these are not the only things you can do, they can at
least provide a good beginning.
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