Shivani Apartments @ Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai

Most of the educated urban population now-a-days are aware of factors that affect the environment, particularly global climate. One of the prime factors for Global Warming is the emissions from coal or diesel run power plants. Hence by saving electricity you are not only helping yourselves to save money but also helping the world in reduce the emission of Greenhouse gases.

It is possible to use all the equipment that a modern household needs and yet keep the power bill under control. First set yourselves a goal like ‘We shall reduce the power consumption by 10% this month compared to the same period last year’ and ensure that everyone in your home participates in that goal. This goal is more achievable when there everyone in your home participates.

AIR CONDITIONER

1. Clean the air filter of the Air-conditioner at least once in a month. The air in the Indian cities carries a lot of pollutants and the filter gets clogged fast. The AC has to work harder to circulate air inside the room through a clogged filter. This increases power consumption. This does not require an electrician and you can do it yourselves by reading through the AC manual.

2. Ensure that your window AC or the outdoor compressor unit of the split AC is not exposed to direct sunlight at the time of running. The sun heats up the unit and the compressor would consume more power to cool the air taken in.

3. While using the AC, if you also run your fan at a mid-speed, you can set the AC at a couple of degrees higher temperature (say 25 instead of 22 degree Celsius) to get the same level of cooling. Also the circulation of air will cool your room faster and evenly. It is a myth that the room will get cool faster by running the A/C at a lower temperature setting. Setting the temperature by one degree higher is said to save 5-10% power.

4. While using AC at night, use the sleep mode, if one is available. It will gradually increase the temperature or even switch off at a designated time, as the body would not require the same amount of chillness while you are asleep than before you go to sleep. This is a smart way to save some power.

5. Do not believe the sales person’s advise to go for one tonne of AC for every 100 square foot. Even a one-tonne AC should be able to cool a 150-200 square foot bed room, but only might take a little longer. The larger the tonnage the more power it consumes. But for a larger hall it might take a bigger one.

6. The more furniture you have in the room, the more work the AC has to do to cool the room. Keep the loft doors closed. If the loft is open, consider fixing doors.

7. Ensure that the windows are shut tight when you operate the AC and there are no gaps around the AC or below the doors of the room or windows. Else the AC’s compressor might never cut off, meaning that it might never be able to reach the set temperature.

8. It is said that a one tonne split unit consumes the same power as a one tonne window unit. But this is true only if the insulation of the copper tubing from compressor to the indoor unit is properly insulated. Else it could consume about 30% more power.

Still sceptical ? : Read a comparative report on Air conditioners from the Department of Consumer Affairs, GOI visit the link below : http://consumeraffairs.nic.in/consumer/writereaddata/SplitAC.pdf

Await the PART-2 of this series soon