What is energy?
Energy is the ability to do work. We need energy to do any kind of work say for walking. We take energy from food and it is stored in our body and we use this stored energy for walking. Similarly for lighting our houses, we need energy – electric energy is converted into light energy.
Various sources of energy – Renewable and non-Renewable
Sources of energy can be categorised as
a) Renewable (Re-New-able) which means we are able to renew it, it is inexhaustible, is present in plenty with us. For example solar energy – sun is with us and we can use this every day. Sun will appear every day and we can use this energy again and again.
b) Non-Renewable (Non-Re-New-able) which means we are not able to renew it. It is available to us but in limited stocks. If we keep using it, it will exhaust very soon. These types of sources take million of years to replenish. These include petroleum, gas, coal etc.
Unit of energy
The SI (International System of Units) unit of energy is Joules (J). It is named in honour of James Prescott Joule and his experiments on the mechanical equivalent of heat.
How much energy is generated in India?
According to Ministry of Power, Government of India, Total Installed Capacity is (as on 31-12-2010) is 164,835.80 MW.
How is electricity generated in India?
In India there are three major sources of energy from which electricity is being generated. They are thermal power plants (contributes to 70% of electricity consumed), hydroelectric power plants (contributes to 21% of electricity consumed) and nuclear power plants (contributes to 4% of electricity consumed).
Why energy conservation is required?
We mainly depend on non-renewable sources of energy which are limited and will exhaust very soon if we keep using them with the same pace. We should leave these energy sources for our future generations too as our forefathers did for us. Energy conservation is important as it put less pressure on the limited stock of non-renewable sources, causes less pollution and could also make monetary savings.
Our fossil fuel like coal, petroleum use leads to air and water pollution
What are the benefits of using-non-renewable sources of energy on renewable sources?
Various benefits of using renewables over non-renewable sources are :-
Renewable fuels are the cleanest form of energy and cause no pollution
Renewables are non-exhaustible, hence can be used endlessly
Non-renewable sources are getting expensive day-by-day with decrease in their stocks.
How can I conserve?
Electricity
Switch of the appliances when not in use.
Use maximum amount of day light for lighting up the room
Use task light for doing work like studying, stitching etc.
Use CFLs, it save 75% of your electricity bills
Use electronic chokes in place of the magnetic chokes in tube lights.
Iron your clothes at one go in place of ironing one at a time
Run your washing machines when the load of clothes is of its full capacity.
Bring food to room temperature before keeping it in refrigerator
Avoid keeping freezer empty.
Open and close refrigerators doors as quickly as possible to prevent cooling loss.
Family members should take their bath one after the other while the water in the geyser is still warm. Less time will be required to heat up warm water.
Petrol
Use public transport where ever possible.
Walk down or cycle to the neighbourhood destinations.
Keep car/bike engine well-tuned.
Avoid idling your vehicle at crossings and traffic jams, as 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting your engine. Remember, every litre of petrol produces 21/ times its 2 weight in carbon dioxide.
Go for car pool.
Cycle or walk to the neighbourhood market.
Take a bus. One busload of people takes 40 vehicles off the road during rush hour, saves 70,000 litres of fuel, and avoids over 175 tonnes of emissions each year.
Drive at a speed of 45-55 Km/H, your vehicle will give maximum fuel efficiency.
Drive in the right gear
Do not keep your foot on the clutch all the time while driving. Use clutch for changing gears only. It increases the life of clutch plate and also saves your fuel.
Clean your car/bike air filter regularly as dust causes rapid wear of engine components and increases fuel consumption.
Keep your car tyres at right pressure under inflated tyres increase rolling resistance, which leads to higher petrol consumption.
Remove the unnecessary loads from your vehicles as it increases fuel consumption.
Cooking gas
Bring food to room temperature before cooking.
Cover while cooking or use pressure cooker to reduce time and energy use
Do not idle flame, keep all the ingredients and required utensils nearby before starting cooking.
Use pressure cooker for cooking as it saves fuel and time. One can use separators in the pressure cooker to cook different items at the same time.
Do not add too much water unnecessarily for cooking and boiling and reducing water will gain consume additional fuel.
While cooking, once the food starts boiling reduce the flame.
Soak cereals/pulses in water before cooking it reduces cooking time and fuel.
Use a flat bottom pan or utensil for efficient cooking as from a narrow bottom pan flame will escape from the sides.
Always place a lid on an open cooking vessel or pan.
Use burner of correct size according to the utensils.
Keep the burner clean as it will give bright, steady blue flame which means efficient burning.
Try to eat together as it will bring a feeling of togetherness ion family and also frequent reheating of food before serving can be avoided. Otherwise, you can also keep food in insulated containers like casseroles which will keep it warm and prevent it from reheating.
Why should I use CFL in place of ordinary bulb?
Using CFL in place of ordinary bulb can save 75% of your electricity bills.
Why should we use electronic choke in place of magnetic choke for our tube lights?
Electronic chokes also save on your electricity bills.
What is BEE energy labelling?
BEE (Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Government of India) energy labelling is a mechanism which makes the consumers aware about the energy efficiency of the product. The product is given star labelling. One to five star rating is given to these products. The more the numbers of stars given to the product suggests its higher energy efficiency which means the product will consume less electricity and save on your bills. At present, these labels could be seen on air-conditioners, refrigerators, etc.
Why should I buy energy rates products?
Equipments are given rating based upon their energy consumption rate. The more electricity it will consume will be rated with less starts, the less electricity it consumes will be rated high. Thus by looking at the energy efficiency stars you can make out how efficient is your product.