Kolkata is experiencing a long and uncomfortable summer this year with blue skies and tremendous humidity. The effect of Covid-19 has made it even worse this year, that’s because people are now forced to remain indoors as long as possible. Many companies have allowed their employees to work-from-home – which is making them, face a lot of challenges in terms of electricity bills. It has been reported that some individuals are even receiving bills that cross over INR 10,000 and the Avg. being around INR 5K – provided that you have an air conditioner at your home premises.
An air conditioner is one of the most necessary things that have become a part of our life, especially in cities like Kolkata, where the temperature crosses over 40 degrees during summer. This is something we cannot avoid, so we have to learn to live along with it and concentrate on reducing the power consumption of some other places for reducing the billing cost.
There are some interior companies in Kolkata, who provide some very interesting design and decoration suggestions, can also provide home décor tips – that can reduce electricity. In this regard, the opinion has been shared by Spectrum Interiors – who has been awarded the best interior designer in Kolkata for the year 2019-2020. Below given are points shared by Spectrum – that can save your electricity consumption:
1) Install Energy Saving Apps that Monitor Power Usage
Mobile applications are present in iTunes or Google Play Store – which can monitor your power usage and help you in your energy-saving journey. However, you need to replace your traditional bulbs with CFLs or LEDs to get this advantage. You can see which bulbs are to be replaced, which kitchen or other appliances are consuming more energy etc. These apps can properly guide you in your energy-saving journey.
2) Replace Inefficient Lights with Energy Saving Ones
You can replace the bulbs in your room with energy-saving ones like CFLs or LEDs etc. In addition to that, you can also introduce lights with motion detectors – that can turn on and off as per the motion. Also, outside lights can be replaced with solar-powered ones to save costs.
3) Use of Smart Lighting and Home Automation System
A smart lighting and home automation system allows you to take total control of your home, even when you are out. The application needs to be installed on your phone and you can turn them on or off whenever you need it.
4) Use of Thick Curtains and the Responsibility to Turn Off Light when Not in Room
You can use think curtains in rooms that receive the highest amount of sunlight during the daytime. Thick curtains can keep the temperature under control – allowing us to reduce the usage of air conditioners.
Moreover, it is the basic thing to turn the lights/fans off when we are not in the room. This basis effort can help us save a lot of amount of electricity the running of these things together can consume huge power otherwise.
5) Plan a Ventilation System and Buy House in Proper Direction
The presence of a strong ventilation system will allow the natural flow of air inside all the rooms of the houses which can reduce the AC usage accordingly. As been shared by some of the older citizens of Kolkata, most of them turn on the AC on account of getting fresh air.
Also, if you buy your apartment in a proper direction i.e. mostly south-facing ones, you can receive a free-flow of a lot of natural air into your apartment. This will allow you to stop using air conditioners for some time at least.
6) Try to Increase Your Refrigerator’s Efficiency
You have to consider keeping your refrigerators in places that don’t become too hot; otherwise, you will end up consuming more power. Also, you have to keep some spaces for air circulation around them as well – to ensure proper working of the same.
7) Buy Energy Efficient Air Conditioners or Other Appliances
Today, there are some AC’s available in the market – which is energy efficient and are termed as inverter ACs. Inverter AC’s can save your power up to 15% than the non-inverter ones. However, while buying them, you need to check if they are BEE rated.
8) Survive Your Home Appliances Frequently
It is mandatory for you to properly service all the electronic appliances at your home to reduce power consumption. It has been proved that AC’s which are served for at least 3 times a year consumes less than 25% power than those which are not.
9) Know About “Ghost Power” Consumption
This denoted the power which is consumed from those appliances which are kept in standby mode like TVs, laptops, Music Systems, etc. We often think that switching them off will not consume energy, but this is wrong. In case, you are keeping the plugs, then you are opting in for a standby power consumption – that consumes power unnecessarily.
10) Ensure a Proper Insulation of Your House
You should ensure that your house has a proper insulation system and power switches as that can save your life as well as your energy consumption. Fault in the insulation system can result in leakage in electricity, short circuits, or even the chance of causing a fire. It is always advisable to check these through an expert electrician and use top-quality products for wires, switches, and plug points to avoid such circumstances.
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