Trying to preserve energy is very important to ensure that we can try to protect our environment, as well as the limited energy supplies. It used to be an incomprehensible concept, but nowadays more and more people realize the importance of it -and start to push individuals as well as businesses to make necessary changes to be more sustainable for the earth.
What is energy conservation?
Energy conservation and preserving energy means that we intentionally use less energy to lessen the impact on our planet. Energy conservation is not only going to have an impact on the environment but also will help to save money when we do it. Many countries in Europe start to increase their electricity and gas costs due to the war in Ukraine. Thus being mindful when using electricity and gasses is important if you want to protect your wallet.
What we can do to conserve energy is by being conscious of when we utilize the usage of gas and electricity in daily life. Keep in mind that our earth has limited energy supplies, thus it is important to actively conserve energy whenever we can. We can also consider appliances and lighting that are more energy efficient. Furthermore, we can insulate our homes to keep the cold air out and utilize natural light as much as possible. Lastly, renewable energy sources such as wind power and solar power should be taken into account if available.
What can we do to conserve energy?
We can start by being mindful when using appliances. Taking shorter showers and having fewer baths will help to save water as well. Turning off electrical items when they are not in use, such as computers and lights, is a great way to conserve energy. When we are cooking food on the stove or using an oven, be sure to turn the burner off after use. Additionally, unplugging chargers and other electronic items when not being used will also help to conserve energy.
Making changes to the daily habit
This is a good way if you want to start conserving energy in your house. Make a daily habit that could affect you in reducing energy usage. You can start by not forgetting to unplug your charger after usage, or turning off the lamp when you don’t need it. Utilizing natural light is the logical and easiest strategy to lower your energy consumption because lighting consumes a large portion of our energy expenditures. Put your work desk near a window, so you don’t have to turn on a light whenever you need to work during the daytime.
You may not think that it will make a difference, but it does. You can also avoid using too much air conditioner during summer, and ergo heater during the winter. So is it worth preserving energy? Doing this will help you if you want to lower your monthly energy bill because almost half of the household energy bills are coming from the heating and cooling system of the house.
Change the light bulbs
Light bulbs are one of the things that we use the most in the household. If you want to conserve energy, the easiest thing that you can do is by changing your light bulb from the traditional one, to compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) or light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs, these two alternatives consume a lot less energy than the traditional incandescent light bulbs. Moreover, you will need to change the traditional bulbs more frequently than their counterparts.
You may hesitate to buy it at first, because CFL and LED are a lot more expensive, but do not worry because of their lifespan and efficient energy usage, they could help to save you more money in the long run.
Buy smart power strips
As has been mentioned before, most of us usually forget to unplug or turn off our electronics after usage. We left it in standby mode, while the plug is still on –and well this can cause a waste of energy. What you can do instead is to buy a smart power strip which can help to cut off the electricity from the electronics that you don’t use. They can be programmed to shut off the electricity from the electronics if it has been inactive for a predetermined time.
Energy-efficient electronics
Nowadays we can find a lot of energy-efficient electronics available. Energy-efficient electronics mean that it uses less energy, but still can produce the same result for what you need. You can run your electronic appliances without worrying that it will cost you a lot of money. If you want to build electronic appliances for your house, make sure that you buy electronics that have an Energy Star label to preserve energy. Though you might notice that the initial price is expensive, typically they will have lower operating costs. A refrigerator is the kind of home appliance electronics that you should choose based on its energy-efficient factor, seeing that the fridge is running all the time.
Maintain your air conditioner filter
Especially during the summer, you might want to turn on your air conditioner all the time. Sometimes it can’t be helped, especially if you have a small child who will constantly cry and be irritated due to the hot and humid temperature. To ensure that your air conditioner could cool a room without having to spend a lot of energy, you need to do regular maintenance and change its filter at a minimum every once in three months. In the long run, this can help to preserve energy. Replacing the soiled filter can help to ensure that the air conditioner does not have to be overworked when it’s turned on. Finally, make sure you know the difference between FPR vs MERV and all the details that matter for air filters.
There are a lot of reasons why we need to conserve energy and start to lead an energy-conscious lifestyle. It can be useful to save money, but most importantly it can help to protect our earth. We only have one earth that we can live on, if not us – who can protect it?
Photo credit: The feature image has been done by Teerawut Masawat.
