8/4/2019 15 Energy and Cost Saving Tips From DEWA

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consumption. In addition, its one of the most economical saving electricity tips that can help you and your family

together to reduce the monthly utility bill.

Try opting for timers or motion detectors on lighting that isnt used often. Stairways, halls, and garages get a lot of

through traffic, and people often forget to shut off lights once theyve passed by. Install motion sensors that turn lights

on when you walk in and off when motion is no longer detected.

Swap for fluorescent bulbs

Yellow incandescent light bulbs need to be replaced by fluorescent light bulbs or tubes as an efficient energy measure.

These energy saving light bulbs not only give you much brighter lighting, but using them will result in noticeably

cheaper electricity bills.

With these bulbs it is a case of result over cost. They do cost more to purchase than the older incandescent bulbs, but

over time, that bit of difference in pricing will be offset by your savings. Thats primarily because the fluorescent bulb

not only consumes less electricity, but it also lasts a lot longer than your typical light bulb.

Low wattage bulbs

Did you know the cost of using a 100watt bulb for one hour?

100W=0.1kW

The electricity consumption during one hour is: 0.1kW*1h=0.1kWh.

Suppose the same tariff for residential is applied 30fils/kWh (including fuel surcharge)

Then: Electricity consumption cost of a 100 Watt bulb for one hour will be: kWh*30fils/kWh=3fils

Microwave over oven

Microwaves can save energy by up to 80% during cooking. So when summer temperatures may border on feverish,

consider microwaving food to prepare a dish without the unpleasant side effects of heating the house. They are more

efficient than ovens because they cook food faster and dont heat the space around them.

Since using a microwave doesn't produce the excess heat a stove or oven would, it lowers the need for air conditioning.

Flat-bottomed pans

For best contact with the heat, use flat bottomed pans with tight-fitting lids to keep the steam in the pan.

The contact between cookware and the cook top or electric element is important for efficiency. Flat-bottomed cookware

on an electric element will use only about two thirds of the energy as a warped piece of cookware.

Use pressure cookers

Pressure cookers use less energy than conventional pots and pans because the pressure they produce at higher

temperatures produces the boiling point.

The higher temperature allows the cooking to be completed faster, reducing energy costs by about two thirds. A

pressure cooker may use only 25% of the energy that a traditional pan would.

Minimum preheat oven times

Only preheat the oven 5 to 8 minutes when baking and do not preheat the oven for broiling or roasting.

Letting the oven preheat longer than needed increases energy cost. A high preheat setting doesnt make any difference

to the speed the oven is heated at. It will only overheat the oven leading to wasted energy.

Clean or replace AC filters

Clogged, dirty filters block normal air flow and reduce an AC systems efficiency. With normal air flow obstructed, air

that bypasses the filter may carry dirt directly into the evaporator coil and impair the coil's heat-absorbing capacity.

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The most important maintenance task that will ensure the efficiency of your AC is to routinely replace or clean its filters.

Keeping the filter clean can lower an AC's energy consumption by 5%15%.

Self-cleaning ovens

Newer ovens have additional insulation and tighter-fitting oven door gaskets and hinges to save energy.

These include self-cleaning models which use less energy for normal cooking because of higher insulation levels.

However, watch how often you use the self-cleaning facility. More than once a month usage will result in you using

more energy than you will save from the extra insulation.

Quick showers

A quick shower can use much less water than a bath. However, not all showers are water efficient. High volume power

showers can use more water than a bath in less than five minutes.

Use a shower timer to reduce your time in the shower. One minute off your shower time, for a family of four would

save 12,000 litres of water a year.

Efficient shower head

Fitting a water flow regulator to your shower head reduces the amount of water used by about 30 per cent withoutaffecting the performance of your shower.

There are two basic types of low-flow showerheads: aerating and laminar-flow. Aerating showerheads mix air with

water, forming a misty spray. Laminar-flow showerheads form individual streams of water. If you live in a humid

climate, you might want to use a laminar-flow showerhead because it won't create as much steam and moisture as an

aerating one.

Fix leaky taps

A dripping tap can waste up to 15 litres of water a day and can mean you're paying for water you haven't used. They

can also cause a lot of damage to your property and possibly to neighbouring properties. Simple plumbing jobs can

save a lot of water without being expensive. For example, fix dripping taps or overflows and install a leak detector to

warn you about leaks anywhere in your house.

Turn off the tap

The average bathroom faucet flows at a rate of two gallons per minute. Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth in

the morning and at bedtime can save up to 8 gallons of water per day, which equals 240 gallons a month!

Install aerators on kitchen and bathroom faucets

Faucet aerators effortlessly save water by as much as 4%. Bathroom and kitchen aerators are simple screw in

attachments with wire screens that mix air into the water flow.

Aerators also reduce the natural gas and electricity cost involved with water heating. Aerators coupled with water

saving shower heads can reduce the average homes hot water usage by as much as 50%.

CompostingWhenever possible, compost food scraps. There are a number of energy saving reasons behind composting. Your

rubbish is about 40% organic waste composting keeps it all out of landfill and reduces the number of collection

trucks on the road. The organic wastes that end up in landfills decompose without oxygen and produce methane, a

greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. Composts also reduce the need for chemical fertilisers which run

off into the water table.