of electricity Efficient use of

Transcription

1 The discovery of electricity Efficient use of electricity in the home 1 Victoria has enough natural resources to supply all of its electricity needs well into this century. However, we cannot relax and simply enjoy our good fortune. We know that ineffi cient use of energy is expensive and damaging the environment. In spite of its good reserves of brown coal, the Victorian community cannot afford to continue building power stations as it did over the last few decades. The world cannot afford the increasing pollution of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels such as brown coal. The discovery of electricity fact sheets reviewed and updated with the assistance of STAV Publishing

2 2 What can we do? Use less electricity by using it more effi ciently. You and your family can do this in your home, simply and at little or no cost. The golden rules are: Better manage when and how you use electrical appliances. Look for natural ways to keep the heat inside in winter and outside in summer. Choose only the most energy effi cient appliances when buying new ones. In Victoria, laws have been introduced requiring people to build more energy effi cient houses. Ceiling insulation alone can reduce heat loss by up to one third. Why should we be more efficient? To protect the environment. If we use electricity more effi ciently less coal will be burnt, thus reducing carbon dioxide emissions. To protect the resource. Use electricity more effi ciently and the brown coal will last longer. To save money. Use electricity more effi ciently and your family s bills will be lower. Victoria will also save money on building more power stations, which will help to keep the cost of electricity down.

3 Making your home more electricity efficient There are lots of good ways to be more electricity effi cient. However, some require the assistance of a trades person and can cost a lot of money. In this sheet, we only tell you about things that can be done simply, and at little or no cost. In the Kitchen Your refrigerator works effi ciently at a temperature of 3 degrees Celsius. Each degree lower means that you are using fi ve per cent more electricity. Test the temperature by placing a thermometer on one of the lower shelves inside the refrigerator and leaving it there for at least 20 minutes with the door closed. Don t make your refrigerator work too hard - regularly defrost older models, leave a space of at least fi ve cm between the back coils and the wall, and make sure that it is not located near the stove or sunny windows. 3 If possible, turn the dishwasher off before the drying cycle starts. Let the dishes dry in the stored heat of the dishwasher, or open the dishwasher door and let them air dry. A microwave oven reduces the electricity used for cooking by up to 70 per cent. Use it to reheat food. If using a normal oven, place your food in the oven immediately after it is turned on the oven does not need to warm up unless you are doing baking. As the oven temperature drops about 10 degrees Celsius whenever you open the door, look through the oven door if you need to check food.

4 In the bathroom Spend no longer than three minutes in the shower. A three-minute shower uses less electricity than a bath. Tell your parents about any dripping taps. A new washer or a good tightening may be all that is needed to stop the drips. A hot water tap dripping once a second all day could provide enough hot water for six fi ve-minute showers! In the living areas 4 When your parents need to buy a new light bulb, suggest that they buy a compact fl uorescent lamp that fi ts straight into a normal light socket. Using these energy effi cient bulbs throughout your home will reduce lighting energy by up to 80 per cent. Turn the lights off when you leave a room. If your lights are fl uorescent, only turn them off if you are going out for 10 minutes or more because they use more electricity on starting up. Rather than switching on a heater, put on a jumper and warmer socks if you are feeling cold. If you are the only person sitting in a room and you really need the heater on, use a small heater instead of switching on the central heating. If using the central heating, set the thermostat as low as is comfortable, usually between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius. Each degree higher means you use fi ve per cent more electricity, so turning the thermostat down from 22 to 18 means a saving of 20 per cent. Keep all doors closed to areas that you don t want heated or cooled. In the laundry Use cold or lukewarm water for washing clothes. Dry your jeans, t-shirts and other clothes in the sun, rather than using the clothes dryer. If there s no sun and you need to use the dryer, spin the clothes well and use the medium instead of the high setting.

5 General hints Keep the heat out of your home on very hot days by closing blinds and curtains and pulling down outside coverings on the north and west facing windows. Allow cooler breezes in during the night. Only use heat-producing appliances (ovens, hairdryers, vacuum cleaners, etc) early or late in the day. Find ways to stop draught coming underneath or around doors. If you have any spare insulating material or batts, wrap them around hot water pipes to prevent them losing heat. Buying the most energy efficient appliances Energy labeling was introduced in Victoria during the late 1980s for refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, dishwashers and dryers. These appliances now use less electricity with no loss in performance. Each of these appliances has an Energy Rating Label which rates its energy effi ciency by a star system - the more stars, the more effi cient the appliance. Each star represents a saving of about one tonne of carbon dioxide emissions over the life of the appliance. The labels also tell you how many kilowatt-hours the appliance is likely to use over a certain period. There are some big differences between brands and even within brands, so it will pay to read the label and to compare. <My energy-efficient home activity> Further information 5 Choosing energy-efficient appliances < < cient.org/>

6 Activity My energy-efficient home Make a poster or picture storybook based on the topic My energy-efficient home. 6 Your poster or picture storybook should have: a minimum of five key scientific facts or concepts about energy-efficiency a clear explanation of the scientific and technical principles involved at least four annotated pictures or diagrams that summarises the scientific concepts and principles involved a maximum of 500 words a list of references used. Activity written by Michaela Patel on behalf of STAV Publishing.

7 Efficient use of electricity in the home Victoria has enough natural resources to supply all of its electricity needs well into this century. However, we cannot relax and simply enjoy our good fortune. We know that ineffi cient use of energy is expensive and damaging the environment. In spite of its good reserves of brown coal, the Victorian community cannot afford to continue building power stations as it did over the last few decades. The world cannot afford the increasing pollution of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels such as brown coal. What can we do? Use less electricity by using it more effi ciently. You and your family can do this in your home, simply and at little or no cost. The golden rules are: Better manage when and how you use electrical appliances. Look for natural ways to keep the heat inside in winter and outside in summer. Choose only the most energy effi cient appliances when buying new ones. In Victoria, laws have been introduced requiring people to build more energy effi cient houses. Ceiling insulation alone can reduce heat loss by up to one third. Why should we be more efficient? To protect the environment. If we use electricity more effi ciently less coal will be burnt, thus reducing carbon dioxide emissions. To protect the resource. Use electricity more effi ciently and the brown coal will last longer. To save money. Use electricity more effi ciently and your family s bills will be lower. Victoria will also save money on building more power stations, which will help to keep the cost of electricity down. Making your home more electricity efficient There are lots of good ways to be more electricity effi cient. However, some require the assistance of a trades person and can cost a lot of money. In this sheet, we only tell you about things that can be done simply, and at little or no cost. In the Kitchen Your refrigerator works effi ciently at a temperature of 3 degrees Celsius. Each degree lower means that you are using fi ve per cent more electricity. Test the temperature by placing a thermometer on one of the lower shelves inside the refrigerator and leaving it there for at least 20 minutes with the door closed. Don t make your refrigerator work too hard - regularly defrost older models, leave a space of at least fi ve cm between the back coils and the wall, and make sure that it is not located near the stove or sunny windows. If possible, turn the dishwasher off before the drying cycle starts. Let the dishes dry in the stored heat of the dishwasher, or open the dishwasher door and let them air dry. A microwave oven reduces the electricity used for cooking by up to 70 per cent. Use it to reheat food. If using a normal oven, place your food in the oven immediately after it is turned on the oven does not need to warm up unless you are doing baking. As the oven temperature drops about 10 degrees Celsius whenever you open the door, look through the oven door if you need to check food. In the bathroom Spend no longer than three minutes in the shower. A three-minute shower uses less electricity than a bath. Tell your parents about any dripping taps. A new washer or a good tightening may be all that is needed to stop the drips. A hot water tap dripping once a second all day could provide enough hot water for six fi ve-minute showers! In the living areas When your parents need to buy a new light bulb, suggest that they buy a compact fl uorescent lamp that fi ts straight into a normal light socket. Using these energy effi cient bulbs throughout your home will reduce lighting energy by up to 80 per cent. Turn the lights off when you leave a room. If your lights are fl uorescent, only turn them off if you are going out for 10 minutes or more because they use more electricity on starting up. Rather than switching on a heater, put on a jumper and warmer socks if you are feeling cold. If you are the only person sitting in a room and you really need the heater on, use a small heater instead of switching on the central heating. If using the central heating, set the thermostat as low as is comfortable, usually between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius. Each degree higher means you use fi ve per cent more electricity, so turning the thermostat down from 22 to 18 means a saving of 20 per cent. Keep all doors closed to areas that you don t want heated or cooled. The discovery of electricity fact sheets reviewed and updated with the assistance of STAV Publishing

8 In the laundry Use cold or lukewarm water for washing clothes. Dry your jeans, t-shirts and other clothes in the sun, rather than using the clothes dryer. If there s no sun and you need to use the dryer, spin the clothes well and use the medium instead of the high setting. General hints Keep the heat out of your home on very hot days by closing blinds and curtains and pulling down outside coverings on the north and west facing windows. Allow cooler breezes in during the night. Only use heat-producing appliances (ovens, hairdryers, vacuum cleaners, etc) early or late in the day. Find ways to stop draught coming underneath or around doors. If you have any spare insulating material or batts, wrap them around hot water pipes to prevent them losing heat. Buying the most energy efficient appliances Energy labeling was introduced in Victoria during the late 1980s for refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, dishwashers and dryers. These appliances now use less electricity with no loss in performance. Each of these appliances has an Energy Rating Label which rates its energy effi ciency by a star system - the more stars, the more effi cient the appliance. Each star represents a saving of about one tonne of carbon dioxide emissions over the life of the appliance. The labels also tell you how many kilowatt-hours the appliance is likely to use over a certain period. There are some big differences between brands and even within brands, so it will pay to read the label and to compare. Further information Choosing energy-efficient appliances < < cient.org/>