In a world where renewable energy is the lifeline that nations are hanging on to, it has become imperative that we learn how to conserve our use of electricity and water. It helps save us money and the environment - a win-win solution. Discover how you can lead a cleaner, greener existence that is lean on energy with Gulf News Wipe Out Waste (WoW) campaign.
In summer, there is a 40 per cent increase in electricity consumption between noon and 5pm according to the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa). A massive surge in power usage that has to be sustained.
In a bid to to help conserve energy, especially as the demand peaks in the coming months, Dewa has launched an emirate-wide awareness campaign to educate residents about electricity loads.
As per Dewa's statistics, air conditioning accounts for 70 per cent of an individual's electricity bill.
Amal Koshak, Dewa's Senior Manager of Demand and Tariff Management, said: "As the ambient temperature is increasing, the air conditioner consumes more energy to meet the cooling load. People lower the air conditioner setting, which increases energy wastage.
"This could be curbed by using efficient equipment and moderate temperature setting, such as 24 degrees celsius, which is ideal for human comfort level."
List factor
According to Dewa, UAE is on the list of countries with the highest electricity and water consumption per capita.
Amal said: "For Dubai alone, the annual electricity consumption share is 20,000 kilowatt hours per capita."
This means 1666 kilowatt hours per person in a month, which accounts to Dh333 per month.
Thus, the campaign will focus on informing the public about options that could be adopted during the summer to try and minimise their electricity usage.
Amal highlighted some smaller campaigns, which contribute to the awareness programme.
She said: "We have different energy conservation campaigns over the year.
"An annual campaign for schools and universities in Dubai is held to raise awareness.
"We organise activities such as lectures, workshops and competitions."
The purpose of this campaign is to trigger and initiate the culture of conservation amongst young minds.
Amal said: "The students will be responsible for all things in the future. We have to make them realise that resources available are precious, hence should be used and consumed rationally."
As an incentive, Dewa awards the top-ranked schools for electricity and water conservation, in order to motivate them and take the saving initiative further.
Following the same strategy, Dewa also organises other conservation awards to encourage the public.
Recently, their ‘Best Consumer Award' was presented to 13 homes, to encourage and promote low consumption behaviour. The families were rewarded with cash prizes amounting to Dh22,000.
As a part of their awareness campaign, Dewa is distributing energy-efficient lamps to its customers at different events. They have also initiated different conservation measures to cut down consumption levels.
Amal said: "We intend to improve the utilisation efficiency of both electricity and water. We will be installing thermal insulation in buildings, in cooperation with Dubai Municipality, which will reduce 40 per cent of the air conditioner load. Additionally, the ‘green-building regulation' will aim for a 20 per cent saving in electricity consumption."
When asked about individual behaviour, Amal clarified that the total potential saving is affected by individual behaviour and efficient technology.
The percentage mark
She said: "An individual's behaviour accounts for 30 per cent of the conservation. Actions, such as switching off the lights in a room that has no occupants, are examples of individual effort. The rest of the 70 per cent can be brought about by using energy efficient products."
A simple action, such as switching off the lights when walking out of a room, can help residents save on their electricity bills. A 100 watt bulb, if lit for 10 hours every day, would cost Dh0.20. Over the month, if an individual makes use of daylight and reduces the usage down to 6 hours, he or she could save at least Dh28 annually.
Tips for electrical appliances
- Make sure all electrical appliances are placed away from water, to avoid electric shocks.
- Do not touch appliances with wet hands.
- After using an appliance, remember to switch if off.
- On noticing a spark, immediately switch off the appliance.
- Confirm whether all heating appliances are switched off, before you leave the house.
- If an appliance stops working, get it checked by a professional.
- Do not overload electrical sockets – try to plug in one appliance at a time.
- Do not force a plug into an outlet if it does not fit
- Before using an extension cord, confirm its wattage rating and check whether it matches with that of your product
- Fuses or circuit breakers that regularly trip should be checked by a certified electrician
Lighting tips:
- Make the most of natural daylight.
- Turn off the lights in an unused room. Around 85 per cent of the electricity used by lights is turned into heat. Turning lights off will keep a room cooler.
- Use fluorescent lamps for the outdoors, as they last up to 10 times longer than conventional lamps. They convert at least 22 per cent of energy into light and thus release less heat.
- Install motion sensors in rooms that are not used often.
- Install dimmers on existing lights. Setting a dimmer at 75 per cent saves almost 20 per cent of the energy required by a bulb.
- If possible, use a single large bulb instead of several smaller decorative ones.
Refrigeration tips:
- Be careful with your refrigerator's temperature setting.
- Defrost your freezer occasionally to avoid frost buildup.
- Every time you take something out of the refrigerator, make sure the door is securely shut.
- Allow hot food to cool for half an hour before placing in refrigerator.
Cooking tips:
- When using the oven, try to cook or bake more than one item at a time.
- Use pans with lids, preferably pressure cookers, when cooking to utilise the heat.
- Try to use small utensils.
- When cooking or boiling, use the lowest heat setting.
Cooling tips:
- Use the ‘auto' function on air conditioners.
- Use ceiling fans when possible to circulate cool air. They use the same amount of energy used by a 100 watt light bulb and reduce air conditioning bills by 40 per cent.
- Clean the air conditioner's filter every month. A clean filter uses less energy to produce cool air.
- Replace older air conditioners with new ones.
- Avoid using halogen lamps, as it produces more heat than a normal lamp.
- During the winters, open the windows to allow ventilation.
- Do your laundry at cooler times during the day. 95 per cent of the energy used by a washing machine is used to heat the water.
- Install exhaust fans in the kitchen to get rid of heat.
Electricy used:
- A refrigerator uses 500kwh per year, which accounts to 42kwh in a month and costs Dh8.40
- A television set uses around 12kwh per month and costs Dh2.40
-
A desktop computer, used for 10 hours a day at work, uses approximately 50kwh per month and costs
Dh10 -
A washing machine uses 5.24kwh per load and costs
Dh1 per wash. This excludes the water cost - An air conditioner uses around 1000kwh per month and costs Dh200
- * Some of the figures might differ based on individual usage. All the power figures are represented in kilowatt hours (kwh).
Do you try harder to conserve energy during summer? What best practices have you adopted in your daily lifestyle?
Your comments
More than anything, it's makes us more efficient
A Reader
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 19, 2009, 16:13
Whenever I try to save energy by turning tv, lights, or A.C OFF while no one using it, the same time my brother, sister or father pop out and start yelling at me why you turn them off... I was watching this or sitting there.. and some time my father make fun of me by saying that "you are not going to pay bills I will" or says that that it will not happen that you will wake up and realize that oil ran out from this world.
A Reader
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 19, 2009, 14:26
