Individual energy
efficient practices
Educate your household members in the following techniques of good practice. The figures by the side of the topics indicate average domestic energy use.
Lighting and light
bulbs (19 per cent)
Domestic lighting accounts for 15-20 per cent of the average household energy use. Accordingly, the first step is to use as few lights as possible and switch them off when not needed.
If a room will be empty for more than 15 minutes, turn the lights off. Next, use new lighting technologies i.e. low-energy light bulbs, with an 8-15 times longer lifetime. Only 10 per cent of electricity used by incandescent bulbs is converted into light, the rest is given off as heat, which is hardly needed in Thailand.
Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are far more efficient and use 75-80 per cent less energy than incandescent bulbs, meaning a 20W CFL can replace a 100W incandescent. This energy-saving means that CFLs repay their purchase cost within a year.
LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs are a new option, which will soon become the most efficient and longest lasting bulbs. Install light-dimmers, or photoelectric switches to turn off lights in daytime, or use timers.
If you have domestic security lights, they should be motion-detector activated. Finally, consider task lighting, good lighting in key areas, like the kitchen worktop or a reading zone, means you don’t require strong lighting in the whole room.

TV, hi-fi, radios and computers (9-15 per cent)
With the increase in wide-screen TVs, hi-fis, DVDs, videos, home computers, mobile phones and the like, energy use in this area is increasing constantly.
However, it’s difficult to know what the electricity consumption will be, as there is a great deal of variation between these products.
The easiest solution is to switch off these appliances, especially at night, rather than leaving them on standby. Computers can be set to energy-saving mode and screen savers turned off. Many of these devices also have internal transformers that use power even when the device is off, though the supply at the wall socket is still on, a phenomenon known as a phantom load. Limit the use of video games, which really ramp up energy use. Encourage the family members to read books!

Cooking (15 per cent)
Gas cookers are much more efficient than most electric cookers (apart from the new ceramic induction variety), as they are more responsive, needing no time to warm up. Gas cookers also produce 50 per cent less CO2 and are cheaper to run. Pre-heating a conventional oven is not usually necessary. Try to plan oven cooking so shelves aren’t left empty for long periods. Grilling food is generally more efficient than oven-baking.
Microwave ovens save energy and reduce cooking time by 15-20 per cent, as they only heat the food, not the surrounding box. However, if you primarily use them to cook frozen ready-meals, overall energy use, including food processing and storage, and CO2 emissions will be high.
Any form of heating with electricity is extremely power-hungry, so use a kettle with a water-level gauge to ensure only the necessary amount of water is heated, or use a thermostatically-controlled water heater.
Cover saucepans with lids to reduce the cooking time and use tightly fitting lids and also ensure the saucepan base covers the electric hob, or gas flame.
When boiling vegetables, use only enough water to keep them covered. Adding a little salt lowers the boiling point of water and prevents vitamins leaching from vegetables in the cooking process. Steaming vegetables uses less energy and water than boiling and retains more vitamins. Food in glass dishes can be cooked at lower temperatures.

Home laundries and dishwashers (15 per cent)
Wet appliances normally use the Energy Star scheme, so look for the highest rating when purchasing a new machine.
The majority of the energy used by washing machines is to heat the water, so use a lower temperature setting wherever possible and always wash a full load; this also applies to dishwashers and dryers.
If a second load is necessary, dry the load immediately after the first, to retain as much heat as possible; clean the lint filter before each load. Use warm or cold water, reserving hot water use only for heavily soiled clothes.
Tumble-dryers use large amounts of energy, so avoid their use if possible. A high-speed spin cycle will remove most water; a 500 rpm spin will remove about one-third of the water, while a 1,100 rpm spin will remove half.
Use a washing line to sun-dry clothes wherever possible. Gas-powered dryers produce lower emissions than electric ones. With dishwashers, switch them off for their dry cycle, open the door to allow dishes to ‘air-dry’, instead.

Fridges and fridge
freezers (18 per cent)
Fridges are among the greediest home appliances in terms of power use, using at least 18 per cent of domestic energy, partially because they have to be kept on constantly.
To use them efficiently, they must be kept in a cool room, well away from direct sunlight, a cooker or other heat source.
Ensure good air-circulation by providing space around the back grill and keep the grill and condenser coils free from dust build-up. Make certain the refrigerator and freezer door seals are airtight, replacing damaged seals as necessary.
Defrost a freezer or the freezing compartment of a fridge regularly, when there’s approximately 1/4 inch of ice build-up. Lowering the thermostat by 1° will increase energy consumption by three per cent, so keep a fridge only as cool as necessary, around 2C/37°F.
Use the energy-saver switch, if your appliances have one; otherwise, buy a device known as a ‘Savaplug’, which modulates the power drawn by the appliance.
Upgrading, is usually a viable option, but only buy energy-rated appliances; an ‘A++’ rated fridge uses 50 per cent less electricity than an ‘A’ rated one.
Look for an appliance that is no bigger than you need and try to always keep it as full as possible, a half-empty fridge has to work harder to cool down after the door is opened. Finally, let hot foods cool before putting them in the fridge.

Heating (5 per cent)
Reduce your water heater temperature to 48.9C/120°F and turn off electric water heaters when away for weekends or holidays.
Insulate water heaters and any bare hot water pipes; install a rooftop solar-powered water heater or micro-wind turbine (fitting details in a future issue).

Work tools
Avoid using power tools, use hand tools, instead.

Electrical appliances
(19 per cent)
Change old appliances for more energy-efficient ones whenever possible, only buying those with the Energy Star label; indicating energy-efficient models.
Buy appliances according to cost-plus-operating costs, not price alone. Don’t use appliances rated at more than 1,000 watts. Clean and maintain appliances to reduce energy-consumption and lengthen their lifetimes.

Insulation and air conditioning (5-15 per cent)
Check and clean air-conditioning filters monthly. Ensure the aircon unit is the correct size for the room it’s cooling. Keep the aircon condenser shaded from sun, or on north side of a building and fit a heat-capture device to prevent energy loss and also to heat water.
Ventilate the attic to reduce heat accumulation. Fit ceiling fans to improve air circulation, using them with or instead of the aircon at night. When no one is home, switch off air conditioning.

Showering
Use low-flow shower heads, take fewer showers and don’t use too much water; 35 litres is considered to be an adequate shower.

Power-saving devices
There are many devices on the market to help reduce electricity use, the most sophisticated (and expensive) being Smart Home Living systems.
The most basic, but perhaps most effective, are multi-plug extensions with individually switched sockets, so you can easily turn off items when not in use.
There are also several plug-in devices which automatically reduce electricity supply when an appliance is turned off, like ‘Standby Power Saving’ or ‘Standby Buster’.
Monitoring devices, like the plug-in Powermeter measure the electricity consumption of individual appliances when in use and on standby, or the sophisticated wireless monitors, like ‘Efergy’, provide instant feedback on the total domestic electricity consumption, display the cost of the electricity being used and the associated CO2 emissions.
By conscientiously following these practices, you will substantially reduce your electricity consumption, significantly reduce your carbon footprint and help save the planet. Ω