foot print

Minimize Your Electricity Footprint
I. Basic Interventions that are inexpensive! 1. CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light) Bulbs A Regular 60 Watt Light Bulb (Incandescent Bulb) can be replaced by an 11 Watt (+ 3 Watt Choke) CFL Bulb, without any compromise on lighting power. This translates to a 75% energy saving. While CFL bulbs have been a technology causing some concern due to their mercury content, recent innovation have lead to the creation of Eco-Friendly 'Green' CFL's which have a significantly reduced mercury content. An example of these eco-friendly Green CFL's, are those manufactured in India by Havells India Ltd.. CLICK HERE to download a sample catalog of energy saving low-mercury CFL bulbs. Replacing 6, 60 Watt Light Bulbs with 11 Watt CFL's, used 8 hours per day, can reduce carbon footprint by 1.2 tonnes CO2e annually and save you at least Rs. 3400 per year on your electric bill (based on all-India average electricity rates). Note: savings are approximately doubled in cities with higher electricity rates such as Mumbai. Additionally, since these bulbs last approximately 6 times longer than (5 years at 3.3 hours per day usage) regular bulbs, their higher initial cost is recovered through fewer regular bulb purchases which burnout approximately every 10 months (at 3.3 hours per day usage). And this is the least known, but very crucial, advantage of CFL and other energy saving lighting technologies - they reduce the heat load that air conditioners must 'fight'. This is because more than 98% of the energy output of an Incandescent Bulb is wasted as heat energy, which warms the air in a room. By reducing the power supplied by 75% (by using CFL bulbs), the quantity of heat generated in the room is also reduced proportionally. The end result is a significant savings in energy costs and carbon footprint from Air Conditioner use. 2. Energy Saving Tube lights Usual fluorescent tube lights consume approximately 40 Watts of power plus another 20 Watts are consumed by the choke. Implementation of newer technologies has resulted in tube lights that consume 10% lesser power - 36 W. These energy-saving tube lights have been accorded a 5-star energy rating by India's Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). The Bureau of Energy Efficiency's website: http://97.74.87.53:8090/beeLabel/protected/jsp/SearchOptions.jsp lists the specific makes and models of these 36 W tube lights. CLICK HERE to download the BEE's list of 5-star rated tubelights. Replacing 6 regular tube lights with 5-star rated tube lights, used 8 hours per day, can reduce carbon footprint by 103 kg CO2e annually and save you at least Rs. 300 per year on your electric bill (based on all-India average electricity rates). Note: savings are approximately doubled in cities with higher electricity rates, such as Mumbai. 3. Energy Saving Fans We use them for many hours every day, much more than lighting devices which are used only at night. Consequently energy saving technology has a magnified impact when applied to the realm of ceiling fan technology. It is therefore great news that ceiling fans have evolved tremendously in recent times. Bewilderingly however, not too many people are aware of these new types of fans. Hopefully, once you've read this - you too will become a Fan of this new technology and use it to cut your footprint. Energy savings fans use 33 % less power (less than 50 Watts) compared to conventional ceiling fans (75 Watts). Replacing 6 conventional ceiling fans with energy saving fans, used 16 hours per day, can reduce carbon footprint by 1.3 tonnes CO2e annually and save you at least Rs. 3700 per year on your electric bill (based on all-India average electricity rates). Note: savings are approximately doubled in cities with higher electricity rates such as Mumbai. CLICK HERE to download the BEE's list of 5-Star Energy Rated Ceiling Fans. 4. Solar Heat-Reflecting Clear Window Films Most of the carbon footprint from air-conditioned residences and offices is the consequence of electricity consumption by cooling appliances. While installing more energy efficient air conditioners is an effective way to reduce this footprint, the footprint reduction can be greatly enhanced by reducing the quantity of incoming heat energy that the device has to 'fight'. The commonly used dark-tinted films applied on automobile windows, is an example of a relatively outmoded method of reducing incoming heat energy to minimize air-conditioning load. Reflective 'mirror-like' surfaces that reject solar energy also perform the same function. These solutions, while reducing heat load, do however have an adverse effect on the lighting requirements of the indoor areas they shield - they block visible light as much as they block heat energy from the sun. Recent innovations have resulted in the creation of films that reject upwards of 90% of infrared and UV rays (the primary agents of conveying solar heat into interiors of building) while permitting 70% of visible light to pass through. Such films are known as spectrally selective films. By comparison, heavy silver window films permit just 15 to 20% of visible light to pass through. As an added benefit, the UV-blocking property of these films leads to dramatic reduction in fading of upholstery, carpets and other soft-furnishing. Prolonging the life of these resource intensive and high cost products has notable indirect but tangible footprint benefits as well. The lower cost of incorporating this solution relative to the cost of replacing existing cooling devices elevates this alternative in the priority list of interventions; it ought to be implemented as a pre-requisite prior to any other capital intensive solutions. The pioneers in this realm are V-Kool International Pvt. Ltd. which has offices and operations in India. II. Basic interventions that don't involve any additional expenses 1. Air Conditioners 1.Reduced AC Use One night (8-hours) of air-conditioner use (1-ton AC suitable for a small sized room) results in approximately the same 'Carbon Footprint' as from driving an average Indian car for 85 kilometers. Reducing the use of these high-energy consuming appliances is indisputably the most effective means of reducing your footprint - even better than replacement with better technology 2. An AC uses 3 to 5 percent less energy for each degree set above 220C (71.50F); Setting the thermostat of your room air conditioner at 250C (770F) will therefore result in 10 to 15% energy and footprint savings without compromising comfort too much. 3. Using ceiling or room fans along with the AC allows you to set the thermostat higher because the air movement will cool the room. 4. Clean the air-conditioner filter every month. A dirty air filter reduces airflow and may damage the unit. Clean filters enable the unit to cool down quickly and use less energy. 5. Minimize use of the "outside air" option. Energy consumption for cooling the incoming outdoor air is significantly greater than energy required to re-circulate the already cooled indoor air. 6. A very important step: figuring out the right size as per the need. Oversized air conditioners cycle on and off more frequently. Also, they don't dehumidify as much, reducing comfort levels and causing users to set thermostat temperatures even lower. Result: higher electricity bills and larger footprint. CLICK here for an online calculator that helps determine the appropriate Air Conditioner size (Tons) for your need. 2. Refrigerators 1. Make sure that refrigerator is kept away from all sources of heat, including direct sunlight, radiators and appliances such as the oven, and cooking range. 2. When it's dark, place a lit flashlight inside the refrigerator and close the door. If light around the door is seen, the seals need to be replaced. Alternatively, use the following test: With the door open, place a paper so that half of it protrudes outside the frame. Then close the door. The paper should be held snugly. If paper slips out easily, replace the door seals. 3. Place the refrigerator so that there is sufficient space for continuous airflow around the refrigerator. Refrigerator motors and compressors generate heat, if the heat can't escape, the refrigerator's cooling system will work harder and use more energy. 4. Allow hot and warm foods to cool and cover them well before putting them in refrigerator; the Refrigerator will use less energy and condensation will be reduced. 5. When dust builds up on refrigerator's condenser coils, the motor works harder and uses more electricity. Clean the coils regularly to make sure that air can circulate freely. 6. For Manual Defrost (Direct Cool) Refrigerators, accumulation of ice reduces the cooling power by acting as unwanted insulation. Defrost freezer compartment regularly for a manual defrost refrigerator. 3. Computers & Printers 1. While purchasing a printer, select one with power management capabilities. Printers with automatic "power down" features can reduce electricity use by over 65% whilst idle. 2. Consider buying a laptop for your next computer upgrade. Laptops use upto 90% less energy compared to desktop computers. 3. Screen-savers cause your computers systems to keep running unnecessarily and are a waste of energy. Instead, set computers, monitors, and copiers to use sleep-mode when not in use - this helps cut energy cost and footprint by approximately 40%. 4.If your computer must be left on, turn off the monitor; this device alone uses more than half the system's energy. Consider this: you can laser print 800 pages with the energy wasted by leaving a computer monitor ON overnight. 5.It is a popular misconception that keeping computers 'ON', even when not in use, reduces system wear due to power-on and off operations. Wrong. Start-ups and shutdowns do not use any extra energy, nor are they hard on your computer components. In fact, shutting computers down when you are finished using them actually reduces system wear - and saves energy. A computer that runs 24 hours a day, for instance, uses more power than an energy-efficient Refrigerator. Turning on 'Power Management Feature' For a Windows? based PC - this can save up to 70% energy: 1. Press 'Start' 2. Go to 'Control Panel' 3. Select 'Power Options' or 'Power Management Options' 4. Set Monitor turn off time (15 mins recommended) System stand-by time (30 mins recommended) and other setting depending on your system. For Windows XP laptops: Choose 'Portable/ laptop and change the options under "running on batteries". For the ultimate battery life, for example, set "Turn off Monitor" to "After 2 Minutes" and "Turn off Hard Disk" to "After 5 Minutes". For Windows Vista laptops: Vista uses pre-set options called "Power Plans". The "Power Saver Plan" is a good start but you can also click "Change Plan Settings" and change "Turn off Display" to "2 minutes". For Apple Macs: Click the apple icon at the top left, then choose "System Preferences". In the "Hardware" section, click on "Energy Saver" icon change settings for both the "Power Adapter" and the "Battery" options by moving the slider under "put the computer to sleep when it is inactive for" and "put the display to sleep when the computer is inactive for" sliders. Tips on making your laptop battery last long Despite improved battery technologies and more energy efficient processors, bigger brighter screens drain battery power, as do hard disks and DVD drives. 1. Turn of wireless off when not in use - Wi-Fi connections drain power even when you are not connected to the internet. To turn the wireless off, look for a switch that turns the airport "OFF" on the side of your laptop. Alternately, there may be wireless icon on the task bar that you can (right) click on to bring up the instructions needed to enable or disable your wireless. 2. Adjust the brightness of your screen- the brighter your computer screen, the more energy is needed to back-light it. Make the screen as dim as you comfortable can. To do this - there may either be a function key command (e.g. Fn + 8), a single key command (e.g. F1, F2 on Mac), a physical control or buttons on the side of your computer to do this. Please check your computer's manual if you are not sure. 3. Do one thing at a time - keeping several programs open simultaneously uses the computer's processing power and also its virtual memory. Exit one program before switching to the next. 4. Hibernate (For Windows laptops) - a Windows laptop has two standby modes - 'Hibernate' and 'Suspend'. 'Suspend' restarts faster but uses more power. To switch to Hibernate in Windows XP, go to "Power Options" in control panel and click ''Hibernate' tab, then tick 'Enable Hibernation'. Click "OK" to finish. 5. Unplug USB devices - unplug any USB or PC card network adapters, memory keys that you are not using. 6. Eject CDs and DVDs if not using them - even if your computer is not using the CDs or DVDs in its drive, it checks them sporadically which wastes energy. 7. Close non-essential start-up programs - you might be surprised at how many programs launch on your computer the moment you boot up. While some of them show up on your screen, others run silently in the background. All such programs use energy, irrespective of whether you use them. If you are not sure what a particular start-up program does, do a search on it before disabling it. Disabling start-up programs on Windows: Click on "Start", then "Program". Find the "Startup" folder and open it. If you see anything you do not need, fight click and select "Delete". Disabling start-up programs on Apple Mac: Click on the Apple logo. Select "System Preferences". Click on the "Accounts" tab under "System" group. Click on click on "Login Items". Delete any start-ups that you do not need. 8. Quit non-essential services - desktop search applications, network tools and messaging application run in the background even when you are not using them. You can (right)click on their icons and select the relevant 'Exit' or "Switch Off' option. 4. Water Heater Reducing the temperature setting of a water heater from 60 degrees to 50 degrees C results in over 18% energy and footprint savings. 5. Microwave Ovens & Electric Kettles 1. Microwaves save energy by reducing cooking times. In fact, one can save up to 50 percent on your cooking energy costs by using a microwave oven instead of a regular oven, especially for small quantities of food. 2. Use an electric kettle to heat water. It's more energy efficient than using an electric cook top element and an open cooking-stove flame. 3. When buying a new electric kettle, choose one that has an automatic shut-off button and a heat-resistant handle. 6. Cut Standby Power "Standby Power is electrical power that a device consumes when not in present use, but plugged in to a source of power and ready to be used". In other words, "Standby Power" is the power consumed by appliances when they are turned off using a remote control and not from the 'Plug Point Switch'. This 'invisible' power consumption perhaps seems trivial but recent studies by the International Energy Agency (IEA) have established that an average household usually consumes up to 50 units of electricity (kWh) per month just due to appliances kept on 'Standby Mode'. An average 2-bedroom home for a family of 4 in India can consume approximately 300 to 400 units of electricity per month. The seemingly trivial 'Standby Power' would then be responsible for 12 to 14% of the footprint from electricity consumption! In short, one of the easiest ways to immediately reduce your carbon footprint is by learning to turn off the appliances from 'Plug Point Switch'. Cut the Standby power! 6. Reduced Ironing A domestic electric iron consumes approximately 800 Watts of power (equivalent to about 73 CFL Bulbs consuming 11 Watts each). A professional 'Dhobi' iron consumes in the vicinity of 1000 Watts. Based on approximately 10 minutes ironing time required per pair of clothes, calculations show that the annual carbon footprint resulting from ironing one pair of clothing every day is approximately 900 kg of CO2e, for a professional iron, and 724 kg of CO2e for a domestic iron. To put this is context, this equates to the footprint from driving a Maruti 800 for 6000 km's and 4500 km's for a dhobi and domestic iron, respectively. It is evident that reduction of clothing ironing is imperative for achieving sizeable reductions in carbon footprint. III. New Generation Technology - When buying New Appliances! 1. LED Bulbs CFL Bulbs represent the most popular energy saving lighting device used to dramatically cut carbon footprint. They belong to new age technology. But there is a technology, fast approaching and no longer just on the horizon, called Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting that provides even greater energy savings compared to CFL Bulbs. An LED Bulb consuming merely 6 Watts of power can emit the same light as a 11 Watt (+3 Watt Choke) CFL Bulb or a 60 Watt Regular Incandescent Bulb. This represents an energy saving of 90% compared to regular light bulbs and 75% compared to CFL Bulbs. Replacing 6 regular light bulbs, used 8 hours per day, can reduce carbon footprint by 1.4 tonnes CO2e annually and save you at least Rs. 4000 per year on your electric bill (based on all-India average electricity rates). Note: savings are approximately doubled in cities with higher electricity rates such as Mumbai. Additionally, since these bulbs last approximately 40 times longer than regular bulbs and 6 times longer than CFL bulbs, their higher initial cost is recovered through fewer bulb purchases. And this is the least known, but very crucial, advantage of LED and other energy saving lighting technologies - they reduce the heat load that air conditioners must 'fight'. This is because more than 98% of the energy output of an Incandescent Bulb is wasted as heat energy, which warms the air in a room. By reducing the power supplied by 90% (by using LED bulbs), the quantity of heat generated in the room is also reduced proportionally. The end result is a significant savings in energy costs and carbon footprint from Air Conditioner use. A complete energy and cost savings calculation for transforming an entire household from destructive regular light bulb technology to life-saving LED lighting technology is available. CLICK HERE for a comprehensive LED Energy and Cost Savings Calculation. CLICK here for a website link to two Indian firms that provides LED based lighting solutions: 1) Lucifer Lights Pvt. Ltd. 2) Systems Creator 2. Motion Detectors (PIR Sensors) There are many spaces in household and residential building interiors that do not require continual lighting and cooling because people are just passing through such spaces (a good example is stairwell and compound lighting in buildings and fan/light operation in toilets and elevators in commercial and residential premises) the energy wasted in keeping such spaces continually lit/ temperature regulated, can be virtually eliminated by use of relatively inexpensive motion-detectors (Passive Infrared Sensors- PIR Sensors), that automatically switch-off fans, lights and any other devices that are not required to operate once all persons have vacated a certain space. The low cost of these devices equates to payback periods (i.e. the time span over which the cost of energy conserved equals the purchase cost of the implement) in the range of a few months. Incorporating PIR Sensor-control in 6 tube lights, used 12 hours per day (approximate usage in stairwell lighting applications), can reduce carbon footprint by 1.7 tonnes CO2e annually and save you at least Rs. 4700 per year on your electric bill (based on all-India average electricity rates). Note: savings are approximately doubled in cities with higher electricity rates such as Mumbai. Click HERE for a detailed presentation of the energy and cost savings aspects of PIR Sensors that can significantly minimize your electricity footprint. One of the Indian firms providing these PIR Sensor based solutions is Aries Industries. A link to their website is presented HERE 3. Energy Star Rated Refrigerators An average 10 to 15 year old 2-door, 300 Liter, Frost-Free Refrigerator consumes in the vicinity of 120 Watts on average (calculated across on-off cycles). By comparison, a modern 5-Star rated refrigerator with identical characteristics consumes on average 50 Watts - an energy savings of approximately 60%. Replacing a 10-15 year old refrigerator with a 5-star rated equivalent can reduce carbon footprint by 0.9 tonnes CO2e annually and save you at least Rs. 2600 per year on your electric bill (based on all-India average electricity rates). Note: savings are approximately doubled in cities with higher electricity rates such as Mumbai. CLICK to download the BEE's list of: 1) Frost Free Refrigerator Brands and Models with Energy Star Ratings: http://97.74.87.53:8090/beeLabel/protected/jsp/SearchOptions.jsp 2) Direct Cool (Single Door) Refrigerator Brands and Models with Energy Star Ratings: http://97.74.87.53:8090/beeLabel/protected/jsp/SearchOptions.jsp 1) 5-star rated Frost Free Refrigerators 2) 5-star rated Direct Cool Refrigerators 4. Energy Star Rated Air Conditioners An average non-energy star rated 1.5 Ton Window AC consumes in the vicinity of 2100 Watts on average (calculated across on-off cycles). By comparison, a modern 5-Star rated split unit AC of the same cooling capacity consumes on average 1700 Watts - an energy savings of approximately 20%. Replacing an old 1.5 Ton Window AC with a 5-star rated equivalent can reduce carbon footprint by 560 kg CO2e annually and save you at least Rs. 1600 per year on your electric bill (based on all-India average electricity rates). Note: savings are approximately doubled in cities with higher electricity rates such as Mumbai. CLICK for the Bureau of Energy Efficiency's website link to AC Brands and Models with Energy Star Ratings: http://97.74.87.53:8090/beeLabel/protected/jsp/SearchOptions.jsp CLICK HERE to download the BEE's list of Energy Star Rated AC's. Note: Window AC's are not as energy efficient as Split Units and therefore do not achieve better than 3-star Energy Ratings. IV. Switching to Sustainable Energy Sources 1. Solar Water Heaters A household electric water heater system (storage type) consumes approximately 2000 Watts of power. Such a system, used for 90-minutes everyday (for a 4-person household) results in an annual footprint of 1.7 Tonnes of CO2e and an annual expense of Rs. 4,600 in electricity costs (based on all-India average electricity rates). Note: savings are approximately doubled in cities with higher electricity rates such as Mumbai. Replacing conventional gas or electric based heating systems completely eliminates this component of your electricity footprint and provides substantial energy costs savings; in fact it eventually results in FREE Energy once the purchase and installation costs have been recovered through energy cost savings. Solar Water Heating technology has now achieved complete financial and technological viability in India it use is becoming widespread. State and Central Government Low-Interest-Rate loans have largely assuaged the financial burdens of installing such a system; energy savings calculations indicate that payback periods for installing such systems in cities with high electricity costs are in the vicinity of 2 to 3 years. CLICK here to download detailed sample calculations for energy cost savings from Solar Water Heating Systems. CLICK below for website links to a few established solar water heating solutions providers in India: 1) Technophile Industries 2) Aries Industries 3) Planet Powers 2. Wind Energy Wind energy based systems are now readily available in appropriate sizes for installation on building rooftops and other residential household use. It represents a well-established and proven technology for harnessing nature's renewable energy resources which has undergone a technological renaissance in recent years that have made such systems financially feasible for small scale applications. As wind energy systems (i.e. a windmill plus the energy storage devices such as invertors etc) harness energy from wind speed, they are ideal power generating solutions for non-sunny days when solar power generation potential is low. In combination with solar systems (called wind-solar systems) they are perfectly capable of providing a stable supply of power ranging from 500 Watts to 2.5 kW. With this amount of power, a residential building could easily operate staircase and compound lights as well as support a portion of the power needs of each dwelling unit for operating some fans and lights. CLICK here for a website link to an indigenous manufacturer and provider of Wind-energy based power solutions. 3. Solar Panels and Flexible Solar Films Solar energy can be converted directly to electricity. Conventionally, this is accomplished through Solar Photo Voltaic (PV) Panels. These are the rigid, rectangular shaped panels that are visible mounted on top of street-lights and traffic lights in some cities. Solar panels are available for residential installations through a multitude of manufacturers and distributors in India. Combined with a wind energy system, they for a complimentary set of a renewable source of reliable power supply - during sunny periods the solar panels would generate a bulk of the power while the wind system would provide power during cloudy and windy periods. Since solar energy is only available during the daytime, electricity generated is stored in a battery and made available to devices wired to it using an 'Inverter' that converts stored energy to an Alternating Current. Solar systems require the appliances to be run on it to be wired independently of the other circuits in the house (unless one desires to run all electricity consuming appliances to run on solar power - a possible but prohibitively expensive solution). Solar panel systems are ideal for powering lights and fans. By first minimizing the total power load (replacing conventional and CFL Bulbs with LED Lighting and replacing conventional fans with energy saving fans) the size of the required Solar panel can be reduced. This leads to maximum economy as the replacements costs less than the increased cost of a larger Solar panel. Further economy can be achieved by converting the wiring of the Solar-power run devices to Direct Current (DC) Wiring from the conventional Alternating Current (AC) wiring. This lowers the cost of the system as an 'Inverter' is no longer required and improves the efficiency of the system since the loss of power incurred due to the 'Inverter' is avoided. The approximate cost of a 2000 Watt-hour System (i.e. a system that can power 600 Watts worth of appliances for 4 hours or any combination of power (in Watts) and hours that when multiplied results in the number 2400) in Mumbai costs approximately Rs. 2 Lakh (if wiring is converted to a DC circuit). Such a system can power 12 Tubular Fluorescent Lights for 4 hours everyday. It would also reduce your carbon footprint by approximately 1.1 tonnes/year and yield savings of Rs. 3100 per year (based on all-India average electricity rates). Note: savings are approximately doubled in cities with higher electricity rates such as Mumbai. CLICK below for website links to a few established solar power solutions providers in India: 1) Aries Industries Stand-alone Solar Lantern Besides wired systems for household appliances, most of the above manufacturers and distributors also provide stand-alone solar lanterns and lamps that can provide light for 4 to 5 hours after sundown. These can be used to substitute existing lamps and lights resulting in reduced carbon footprint along with electricity cost savings. Recently, big strides in solar panel manufacturing technology have precipitated a new generation of solar panels that are essentially like 'plastic' sheets which are flexible and can easily be applied over many different kinds of surfaces such as roofs, doors, outer walls of buildings etc. The technical term for them is Photovoltaic Laminates (PVL) or Thin-Film Solar Modules. The flexible nature of these panels addresses the greatest limitations of the existing crystalline solar panels - fragility, portability, and manufacturing costs. This technology is currently available only through a select few manufacturers. They are expected to dramatically alter the economics of solar power - making it significantly more affordable and closer to being cost-competitive compared to conventional sources of power than its predecessor. CLICK below for website links to a few established Photovoltaic Laminates (PVL) providers: 1) Uni-Solar 2) Nano Solar 3) HHV Solar Technologies Pvt. Ltd