Why we should save
electricity
50% of the world has access to electricity.
Over 80% of the world’s power is made by burning fossil
fuel.
-The average household consumes 3500 kw/h year worldwide
-Canada uses 11900kw/h year
-NZ uses 8100kw/h year
-China uses 1350kw/h year
Water usage of electricity generation:
The amount of water usage is often of great concern for
electricity generating systems as populations increase and droughts become a
concern. Steam-cycle plants (nuclear, coal, NG, solar thermal) require a great
deal of water for cooling, to remove the heat at the steam condensors.
Fossil fuels usage of electricity generation:
Most electricity today is generated by burning fossil fuels
and producing steam which is then used to drive a steam turbine that, in turn,
drives an electrical generator.
It is reported that 67.4% of the electricity generated by
fossil fuel. The usage of fossil fuel is still increasing now according to the
record from 1971 to 2013.
Burning Fossil fuel can trigger global warming, acid rain
and air pollution.
Global warming:
On 12 November 2015, NASA scientists reported that
human-made carbon dioxide (CO2) continues to increase above levels not seen in
hundreds of thousands of years: currently, about half of the carbon dioxide
released from the burning of fossil fuels is not absorbed by vegetation and the
oceans and remains in the atmosphere
The principal cause of acid rain is sulfur and nitrogen
compounds from human sources, such as electricity generation, factories, and
motor vehicles. Electrical power generation using coal is among the greatest
contributors to gaseous pollutions that are responsible for acidic rain.
-electricity and heat makes up 42% of the world CO2 emissions
due to fossil fuels. 32190 metric tons.
What we can do to
save electricity
Space heating
Heating your house accounts for about 29 percent of your
bill.
Draught-proof doors and windows.
Seal off open fireplaces when not in use.
Use curtains, preferably those that are lined and
floor-to-pelmet (or touching the window sill), and close them at night.
Because polished strip-timber floors leak air through the
joints, reduce draughts and heat loss from these floors by insulating
underneath them.
Water heating
If you have an electric hot water cylinder, water heating
uses up a whopping 30 percent of your power bill. But there are simple things
you can do to make your hot-water system more efficient and save you money.
Insulate the first metre of hot water pipe from your
cylinder.
Have a user-adjustable thermostat fitted and set it to
60°Celsius.
Use a low-flow shower head to supply water at 6 to 9 litres
per minute.
Limit showering time – a short shower uses much less hot
water than a bath.
Wash clothes in cold water.
Fill the kettle or jug from the cold tap and only heat the
amount needed.
Lighting
Lighting makes up about 8 percent of your power bill.
LED lightbulbs are available for almost every lighting task,
cost next to nothing to run and last for years. Use them wherever possible.
Turn lights off when leaving a room.
Maximise the use of natural light.
For more information on LED lightbulbs, visit
www.consumer.org.nz
Cooking and refrigeration
Cooking makes up about 7 percent of your bill and
refrigeration makes up about 11 percent.
Use a microwave or pressure cooker where possible.
Use a steamer over a pot to cook more than one dish at a
time.
Buy energy-efficient appliances.
Other tips
Washing machines, dryers, televisions, power tools,
computers, and other electrical appliances make up 15 percent of your bill.
Rather than use a dehumidifier, ventilate the house and
extract moisture at its source using rangehoods and bathroom fans.
Buy energy-efficient appliances.
