How to Make Your Home Energy-Efficient in 4 Easy Steps?
Over the past few decades, energy needs have skyrocketed. Since man has learnt how to roll a wheel, we have certainly come a long way in its utilization. But every advancement in cutting-edge technology requires energy to function and thrive and this progress is putting immense pressure on our energy sources. Apart from industries, rising population demands for water, land and electricity in households are also contributing to increased energy demand. According to UNICEF, while nearly 4,00,000 babies were born around the world on 2020 New Year’s Day, India recorded the highest number of these births worldwide at 67,385. And it is projected that India will surpass China as the world’s most populous country around 2027. Observing such a rise in population, moving beyond the bigger appliances like air conditioners and refrigerators to even one of the most common appliances used in an Indian household – the ceiling fan where it is said that every house has an average of 3 ceiling fans – one can only imagine the kind of pressure on energy resources even if just ceiling fans are considered.
No one can deny the importance of energy in today's world. Energy drives man’s life – from industry, agriculture to even more importantly domestic. Without energy, man’s world will come to a standstill. Surely our planet gives us access to non-renewable energy sources like oil, petroleum, coal, minerals etc. that we are dependent on for more uses than we can count on our fingers. However, their reserves are depleting with our increasing needs and wants, begging the question as to how long this can go on for.
This phenomenon has attracted attention from all corners of the world from giant corporates to governments and renowned institutions. Many initiatives around the world are working towards finding a solution to energy issues. This has taken form of increased regulatory control and promotion of greener and cleaner projects, among others. It is encouraging a culture of energy efficiency that can create a huge positive impact in saving energy sources. But corporates, alone, resorting to measures cannot avert the situation. It’s all about taking small decisions and changing day-to-day behavior like closing the running tap while shaving or brushing; switching off fans when you leave the room or mixing hot water with cold to take lukewarm showers - every citizen in any country could contribute to saving energy and living an energy efficient life.
Thus, communities and citizens at local levels are realizing that local resources can be used for their needs. Many communities in small pockets of India are trying out new technologies such as improved chullahs, bio-gas plants, solar voltaic system, wind mills, and small hydro- plants which are further saving energy and encouraging energy efficient ways of living. If all of the citizens over the world were to follow this, the energy crisis doesn’t seem so scary. After all, the energy crisis cannot be averted only by corporates reducing energy consumption but by citizens using energy at their disposal smartly and efficiently for the future generations to come.
If one wants to embrace sustainability into their homes, here are some ways to make homes energy efficient:
Try daylighting as an alternative: Daylighting is a way in which natural light can be used to illuminate the home’s interior. This helps in saving energy that is usually used to brighten up living spaces. Most of the energy used in residential areas is mainly due to the need for cool living spaces. Designing homes in a way where there is plenty cross ventilation and windows help in reducing the usage of electronic devices for cooling. If used correctly, it is key to avoiding leakages of electricity since the lesser devices used, the simpler it is to manage energy. One can also go for clerestory windows which are short, wide windows set high on the wall that protect from the summer sun and allow winter sun to come through for natural lighting, warmth and comfort.
Install energy efficient appliances: A full-fledged summer season is upon us where humidity along with hot air causes everyone to use multiple cooling devices wherever they are. These are the times where cooling devices like fans etc. are always switched on in almost every room of the house 24/7 causing tremendous use of energy. Typically, in Indian households the most common type of cooling device used is a ceiling fan. This is a great opportunity to make homes energy efficient by switching from normal ceiling fans to energy saving fans as they can contribute to more than 25% of the overall electricity bills. Nowadays, there are BLDC ceiling fans which not only provide superior cooling experience but also help in saving 50% more energy than a conventional fan. Thus, they not only increase power savings and help save precious energy but also lead to cutting your electric bills in half which helps in maximizing electricity cost savings.
Cook smart: An enormous amount of energy is wasted while cooking. To reduce this energy consumption, one can attempt a simple yet energy-efficient way of eating food when freshly prepared and avoiding reheating of food to save energy. Matching a utensil’s size to the flame can help in limiting wastage of energy that goes unused when the flame is bigger than the utensil; using lids on pots and pans helps heat food more quickly than cooking in uncovered pots and pans since steam causes thorough cooling of food.
Seal and insulate your living spaces: If your homes are sealed properly it makes for one of the most affordable ways to achieve comfort and energy-efficiency, and one can even do it themselves if they choose to. Try communicating with an energy auditor - someone who assesses leakages of energy in the building or individual houses by checking the pathways of electricity from the local electric board to one’s home. They ensure to envelope and recommend fixes that will dramatically decrease energy consumption up to 5-30% and help achieve monetary savings too.
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