changeadminEnergy is vital for human progress, economic development, and societal advancements. However, most of the energy we consume today is produced by burning fossil fuels, which release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, leading to global warming and climate change.
We have written about the reasons to save energy, which you can read here.
While the transition toward cleaner energy sources, such as renewable and nuclear power, is a key focus in addressing climate change and reducing dependence on finite fossil fuels, the essential need to save energy should not be forgotten.
Let us look at some ideas to conserve energy.
Solar water system
Solar water systems capture solar energy to heat the water, which can be used at homes or businesses for bathing, cleaning, and washing. The solar water heater is placed in an open area with adequate sunlight.
Solar heaters are a much more environmentally friendly option than traditional heating systems as they reduce your dependence on fossil fuels for heating purposes.
Avoid Treadmills
Running on a treadmill has become a favorite exercise routine for many fitness enthusiasts. The use of treadmills demands electricity which means burning fossil fuels. Therefore, if you have a place you can go, like a park, do your runs there instead of doing it on a treadmill.
Exercising in the lap of nature is also much better from a health and wellness perspective.
Set AC Temperature to 24 degrees
Spending time in the confines of air conditioners has become a way of life for many of us. While efforts should be made to avoid ACs wherever possible, if it is not possible, set the temperature to 24 degrees while using air conditioners.
When the Air Conditioner temperature is set to 24 degrees Celsius compared to 18 degrees, it saves on your electricity bills and improves the compressor’s life.
Unplug Kitchen Appliances
A kitchen can’t be complete without various electrical appliances like a juicer, mixer, blender, toaster, air fryer, oven, kettle, etc.
Many modern devices drain energy even when turned off, even if they are energy-efficient. Therefore, when the device is complete, unplugging them after every use is a good habit to save energy and reduce carbon footprint.
Turn off Engines at Traffic Signals
Traffic signals are standard in the urban commute system, where some cities have them every few kilometers/miles. The good part is that most traffic signals have timers installed, indicating the seconds left before the signal turns green.
So when standing at a traffic signal on a red light, turn off your vehicle engine to save energy and prevent pollution.
Take Stairs (wherever possible)
We often go to the gymnasium but take an elevator to reach the floor, even when it is just one or two of them. So if your knees, health, and circumstances allow, try to take the stairs instead of an elevator to save energy expended for lifts.
Apart from conserving energy, climbing stairs offers several other health benefits.
Wash Full load
Washing machines come in different sizes and capacities, so each individual or family will use them based on their convenience. However, doing a full rather than a partial load with just a few garments is advisable.
When you do a full load of laundry, you’ll save water, reduce your detergent, and save energy.
Sun Dry your Clothes
For washing garments, there is another idea to save energy by utilizing the freely available natural resource to your advantage. After doing your laundry, dry your clothes under the Sun. This idea applies to only those regions which receive enough sunlight and have an open space to hang clothes.
The automatic dryers need a lot of power, which not only shoots your power bills but also can wear out clothes much more quickly. Moreover, sun-dried clothes not only save electricity bills, but they smell good.
Use Electric Public Transport
Using public transport over a personal is any day better in terms of reducing traffic, lowering pollution and saving costs. In addition, if the public transport you use is powered by electricity, it is even better.
Many major urban centers worldwide have electric buses, metros, and trams powered by electricity. If you prefer taking a cab for transport, a few cab service providers in some cities offer electric vehicles for customers.
Do Carpooling
Suppose you like to take personal transport to save time, unavailability of public transport, or any other reason. In that case, you can still help to save energy and reduce greenhouse emissions if you can do carpooling.
Carpooling means sharing a ride with one or more people in the same direction or destination. You can make private arrangements with neighbors and colleagues to carpool or use tech platforms/mobile apps to help you in this activity.
To make carpooling fair in terms of expenses, riders can divide the fuel costs based on the kilometers traveled or bring their cars on a rotational basis.
Use LED Lights
We are sure you would already be using this energy-saving idea – Light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LED is a type of solid-state lighting – a semiconductor that converts electricity into light.
Switching to LED lights is one of the most efficient ideas to save energy, as they use up to 90% less power and last up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.
Use Cold Wash
Another idea to save energy while doing your laundry is to use cold wash instead of warm water, as the majority of washing machine electricity is consumed to heat the water. Cold water wash also helps protect delicate garments and preserve the color and texture of clothes.
In case you don’t have cotton garments and clothes with hard stains like oil and grease, it is better to do washing with cold water.
Have showers with normal water
This idea of saving energy might not hold if you live in a cold climate. However, if weather permits, there are far more health and environmental benefits to taking cold showers than warm ones.
To make the water hot, the heater or geyser you use drains a lot of energy, increasing your bills and carbon footprint. In addition, health experts point out many benefits of bathing with cold water, like boosting immunity, relieving muscle pains, increasing metabolism, and controlling stress.
If you still have to use warm water for bathing, we suggest you use a solar water heater, as mentioned earlier.
Use Fans
Homes and offices with air conditioners have become a way of life for many of us. However, energy guzzlers’ air-conditioners are not the only option to keep your home comfortable and cool. Electric fans can also be used to cool your room temperature, wherever possible. Fans are much more energy efficient compared to ACs.
Switch to Electric Mobility
Finally, an idea that might require considerable analysis and contemplation. Switching to electric mobility will require you to make significant monetary provisions and logistical considerations like usage and battery charging.
Having said that, electric mobility cuts down your fuel bills and eliminates tail-pipe emissions.
Wrapping Up
One of the biggest causes of global warming is the relentless energy use for our daily necessities. The need for energy contributes to releasing harmful greenhouse gases that increase our Planet’s temperature.
We cannot do away with using this energy as it is an intimate part of our existence. Therefore, we must find ways to conserve energy and invest in cleaner energy sources.
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