Statistics summary

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.