It is very important to know how to use home appliances effectively and improve their efficiency. This help people to get a lot more done from the amount of money they spend on home appliances and electricity.
The amount of electricity consumed by a ceiling fan is about twice the electricity consumed by other types. Always use electric fans with low electricity consumption. When wiring a new house, arrange to fix wall-mounted fans for small areas such as rooms. When purchasing an electric fan, consider its wind speed as well as the wattage. Dimmer controls are more suitable for electric fans as they increase the efficiency of fans.
The kerosene lamp went out of use and electric lamps came in when houses were supplied with electricity and the coconut-shell iron went out of use and the electric iron came in, in the same way.
In a family that has people going to work and children going to school, 20–30 minutes a day are spent for ironing clothes. Accordingly, ironing adds 8–24 units to the electricity bill. Even though their wattage is high, out of those three types of irons, steam irons are highly efficient. Accordingly, this type of iron is more suitable for families with more members who require extensive ironing. As the steam can be directed on the clothing which is being ironed, areas with more wrinkles can be ironed with one stroke. Accordingly, the time spent on ironing is 50 percent lesser than with the normal iron. Even though the wattage of normal iron is less, the time it takes to heat up and iron clothes is more and, when compared to other types of irons, it consumes more electricity. Before clothes are ironed, make arrangements to minimise the ironing time which is of utmost importance for energy conservation. So, before ironing clothes, get ready the hangers to hang clothes on. Separate the garments that are essential to be ironed and require light ironing.
* Clean the bottom plate of the iron by ironing a raw banana leaf.
* Use distilled water for steam irons.
* Follow manufacturers’ instructions to prevent steam exit holes from blocking up.
* Clean steam exit holes with some cotton often.
* Before ironing, group clothing according to thickness.
* Start ironing with thicker material and finish up by ironing thinner cloths. Reduce the temperature control of the iron accordingly.
* Disconnect the iron before ironing the last few pieces.
* When placing the iron aside during ironing, keep the bottom plate of the iron vertically.
* Get used to ironing clothes once a week especially if a normal iron is used.
* When ironing, place a thin aluminium foil under the table cover, enabling the ironing of both sides of the garment.
Even though washing clothes by hand is healthier, at present, especially in urban households, the tendency of using washing machines has increased. However, let us be vigilant that it does not increase our electricity bill. Before purchasing a washing machine, the requirement of the house and the number of people living in the house have to be considered. A washing machine with a capacity of four kilogrammes is sufficient for a house with three to four family members. Accordingly, decide the capacity of the washing machine which your home requires, depending on the number of members in your family.
There are two types of washing machines available, automatic and semi-automatic, and automatic washing machines consume relatively more electricity. There are two varieties, top loading and front loading washing machines, available in the market. Out of these two varieties, the front loading washing machine is more efficient. However, a washing machine consumes about 1,500 Watts of electricity. As about two units of electricity are consumed during one operation of the washing machine, it is advisable to load it with clothes close to its maximum capacity.
* Load washing machine to the weight indicated on it.
* When the washing load weighs more, clothes will not be washed properly and the motor of the washing machine could get damaged.
* Washing less than the indicated weight is also an inefficient use of the washing machine.
* Use sufficient water for washing.
* Do not wash clothes for an unnecessary period and time.
* Drying consumes about 500 Watts of electricity. Whenever possible, dry clothes in the sun.
* Using hangers when hanging washed clothes to dry and to store clothes after drying minimises wrinkles and saves time and electricity for ironing.
The most common domestic device which the majority of Sri Lankans use for entertainment is television. It is no secret that not only in over 4.5 million houses supplied with electricity but also in houses without electricity at least a battery-powered television could be seen.
The wattage mentioned above slightly varies with the brand of the television. A low amount of electricity is consumed by LED and LCD televisions manufactured using modern technology. Buying a modern LED or LCD television will ease the electricity bill.
* Switch off unnecessary lights in the house when watching television.
* A television turned off by the remote control unit, and thereby in the standby mode still generally consumes 10–18 Watts of electricity. To avoid this wastage of electricity, turn the television off only by its on/off switch or the wall outlet. Use the remote control unit only to change channels.
* Follow the above instructions not only for the television but also for cassette players and DVD/CD players.
* Remember the daily television programme information. That will help to avoid switching on the television at unnecessary times just to see what is on TV.
* As radio is a very good medium to lessen loneliness, get out of the habit of using television for that purpose.
Most people in our country are compelled to buy electrical appliances because of so-called ‘easy payment schemes’ and being duped by advertising campaigns using catchwords like “sale” and “big discounts.” But, especially, when we are purchasing electrical appliances, we have to consider our needs, the size of the appliance suiting that needs and the life cycle cost of that appliance. When electrical appliances are bought just because they could be bought cheaply or on easy payment terms, our money is wasted during the time we use that appliance.
If you are using LED bulbs to obtain light for 40,000 hours, one bulb is sufficient as its lifetime is about 40,000 hours. If you are using CFLs, you need about eight bulbs during this duration as the lifetime of a CFL is about 8,000 hours.
Accordingly, if filament light bulbs are used, about 20 bulbs are required as the lifetime of a filament bulb is about 2,000 hours. Even though filament bulbs are inexpensive when only the price is considered, when the Life Cycle Cost is considered, CFLs give a comparatively high return to the consumer.
The return of LED bulbs is even higher. Accordingly, your electricity bill could be maintained at a low figure by purchasing efficient electrical appliances with the capacity to fulfil your need and calculating their Life Cycle Cost.
The kitchen is the place in the house where several energy sources are used. Cleanliness and energy conservation of the kitchen has a major bearing in strengthening the family economy.
1) Load the blender to the maximum capacity with the material to be blended. (E.g., When squeezing a small amount of coconut, squeeze it by hand.)
2) Avoid overloading the blender.
3) Turn the blender off every 30 seconds increases its efficiency and protects the motor from harm caused by continuous use.
4) Turn on the blender methodically and bring its speed up to the maximum gradually.
5) Clean the blender well after use.
6) When the bearings of the motor are worn out, the blender emits a different sound. Unless it is properly maintained, electricity will be wasted unnecessarily.
7) If the containers used for blending and grinding leak, take steps to repair or replace them.
Using a new type of stove from the three-stone hearth will conserve the health of the housewife and the cleanliness of the kitchen.
Use a biomass rice cooker created by the National Engineering Research and Development Centre of Sri Lanka (NERD Centre) in place of the electric rice cooker, will save 15 units a month for a house where a kilogramme of rice is cooked twice a day. An electric rice cooker takes 20 minutes to cook one kilogramme of rice and the biomass rice cooker takes about 45 minutes to do the same. But, the biomass rice cooker has no energy cost and only two coconut shells are required.
1) Obtain the blue flame. Get the blue (oxidising) flame by adjusting the air vent on the under side of the cooker. The yellow flame paves the way for inefficient gas consumption.
2) Use the pressure cooker whenever possible. That is more efficient.
3) Use cooking pots suiting the size of the cooker.
4) Keep the space between the pot and flame at a minimum.
5) Keep the air intake in the cooker clean and clear of obstructions.
6) If clay pots are used for cooking with the gas cooker, use clay pots specially made for cooking with gas (thinner with flat bottoms).
1) When buying potatoes and yams, select smaller ones. The boiling time decreases when potatoes and yams are cut into small pieces.
2) Soaking cereals before boiling and adding baking soda reduce boiling time.
3) When boiling cereals and eggs and boiling water for tea, use a sufficient amount of water. Put leftover hot water in a vacuum flask for later use.
4) Covering pots with a lid when cooking prevents water from boiling away and contains water poured inside the pot and speeds up the cooking process.
* Keep gas cylinders vertical while being transported and at home.
* Check the regulator at every cylinder replacement.
* Check the hose that delivers gas from the cylinder to the cooker often for damage.
* If you can smell gas when the cooker is on, immediately get the cooker repaired. Otherwise, gas will get wasted.
* If the kitchen smells of gas, do not smoke or use lighters. Block the path of gas reaching the cooker by the regulator.
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