20 ways to 20% ----Energy saving manual
In the Eleventh Five-year-Plan, the Chinese government has set a target to reduce its per GDP energy consumption by 20%. Please take a look at the 20 tips in this brochure so that you can also contribute to achieving the goal of saving energy. How important is saving energy? Carbon dioxide from fossil fuel consumption is the main cause of global warming, which brings disasters including hurricanes, droughts, floods, melting of glaciers, and extinction of species
Every saving of 1 kilowatt of electricity is a saving of 0.4 kg of coal equivalent and 4 liters of pure water as well as decreasing 1 kg of carbon dioxide and 0.03 kg of sulfur dioxide emissions. Why should we remember these tedious numbers? The answer is that we are facing a deteriorating environment, diminishing fossil fuel resources, and increasing living costs whereas with only slight effort, we can make our world better. With 20 tips on energy saving, little action brings big improvement.
Tip 1 Choose energy efficient air conditioners, save power every day The benefits of energy efficient air conditioners are less power consumption with the same cooling function. Question: The power consumption of energy efficient air conditioners is than normal air conditioners. higher lower If energy efficient air conditioners are used by all families in our country the annual power saving can be as high as 3.3 billion kilowatts, which equals the production capacity of a 600,000-kilowatt thermal power plant and 3,300,000 tons less greenhouse gases emission.
Tip 2 One degree Celsius higher set on the air conditioner, equals a 7-percent saving of power consumption Question: In summer time the higher temperature you set on the air conditioner, the power consumption will be caused. more less Too low a temperature setting on the air conditioners in the summer time not only wastes energy but also weakens people s ability to adjust body temperature. Just by setting 1 degree Celsius higher on air conditioners, annual nationwide energy saving will be 3.3 billion kilowatts. Besides, lowering of indoor and outdoor temperature difference decreases the likelihood of getting a cold.
Tip 3 With energy efficient light bulbs, saving of power becomes obvious The lighting effect of an 11-watt energy efficient light bulb is the same as that of a 60-watt regular light bulb but Question: which one saves more power? If 1.2 billion bulbs are replaced by energy efficient ones in our country, the saving of power will match the annual power production of Three Gorges Dam.
Tip 4 Setting the screen a little darker saves energy and protects eyes Too bright a screen not only shortens the life of the TV set but also wastes power. Setting it to medium brightness saves energy and protects eyesight especially for children whose eyes are still developing. Question: Which one saves more power, high brightness screen or medium brightness screen? high brightness medium brightness Currently there are 300 million TV sets in China. The little action to adjust the brightness will be able to save 5 billion kilowatts of power a year.
Tip 5 Unplugging electrical appliances after usage saves power and keeps us safer Question: Will it save electricity to unplug an electrical appliance? yes no Press the power on/off buttons on the remote controllers after watching TV or DVD won t shut off them completely. There is still small power consumption if the devices are still plugged in. Only by unplugging the cords from the outlets can they be completely shut off. Don t overlook this little action of unplugging. If everyone persists on doing this, we will be able to save 18 billion kilowatts of power a year in China, which is the sum of the annual power production of Dayawan Nuclear Power Station.
Tip 6 Use computers wisely with a better effect on energy saving Shorten the time needed to enter into standby mode of the monitor if you don t need to use a computer temporarily, and unplug the cord if not using it. Setting to which mode is more energy saving if you don t need to use your computer for a while? normal mode standby mode Continuously doing this will save about 1 kilowatt of power a day, and at same time increase the usage lives of both the computer and monitor.
Tip 7 An energy efficient fridge saves money as well as power The advantage of an energy efficient fridge lies in its better refrigerating capability and therefore less power consumption. Question: Will energy efficient fridge save much more power than normal fridge? yes no A 268-liter energy efficient fridge saves about RMB 2,000 in its life span.
Tip 8 To use a regular fridge wisely will also save energy Question: Is there any way to enable a regular fridge to save energy? yes, of course no, maybe not Even if still using a regular fridge, you can also save more than 20 kilowatts a year if you follow the three rules below: Defrost in time; Minimize the frequency of door openings; Take out the foods from freezer in advance and put them into refrigerator to defreeze, this way it also helps to lower the temperature in refrigerator.
Tip 9 Using a microwave oven is more energy efficient and more convenient Question: A microwave oven is regular oven on saving energy. better worse than a Microwave ovens only heat the food with water and grease but not air and the container itself, therefore losses less heat and heats the food faster compared with regular oven. Tests on heating up foods with same weights prove that a microwave oven consumes 65% less energy than an electrical oven and 40% less than natural gas.
Tip 10 Question: which is better at water saving? A two-button double flush toilet is easy to use and saves water A two-button double flush toilet saves at least half the water per day per household than a regular toilet. A nine-liter regular singlebutton toilet uses 3240 liters of water a month on average while a three/six-liter two-button double flush toilet needs 1,350 liters a month. Therefore a two-button double flush toilet saves 1,890 liters of pipe water and decreases sewage discharging. It takes a lot of energy to produce pipe water and dispose sewage. So we say two-button flush toilet saves both water and energy.
Tip 11 An energy efficient washing machine saves water and electricity Question: With the same amount of water, an energy efficient washing machine washes clothes as a regular washer machine. as many two times as many Read the label of energy efficiency level and make sure you choose a high level energy efficient washing machine, which saves at least half the water and electricity every month. In another words, to use the same amount of water and electricity, energy efficient washing machine can wash two times as much clothing as a regular washing machine.
Tip 12 There are many ways to save water in daily life Question: Pure water is precious, therefore we should use it? only once in separate steps Water after washing faces can be used to wash feet; water after washing clothes and vegetables can be used to flush toilet. Don t overlook these kinds of methods. Form good habit to save water in daily life. A threeperson family can save more than one ton of water a month.
Tip 13 Paperless work helps save energy and protect the environment Use more e-mails and instant messaging softwares (like MSN) and less printers and fax machines. Question: Paperless work for energy saving. is better makes no difference If all governments, schools, and companies use e-mails at work, annual savings of paper consumption will be more than 1 million tons. And the savings of energy used for paper production will be more than 1 million tons of coal equivalent.
Tip 14 Energy saving windows and doors are outstanding on heat insulation Almost 50% of energy loss for a building is through doors and windows. Which one saves more energy? single pane glass double pane glass Hollow glass keeps not only heat and cold outside, but also noise, hence drastically decreasing a building s energy consumption on heat insulation. It is widely used in American and European countries. Don t you want to try it too at your home?
Tip 15 Household-based heating metering saves energy and money Question: Household-based heating metering saves or wastes money compared with centralized heating? saves wastes To install a temperature control valve set at home will enable you to adjust temperature as you want, and even shut down heating while not at home. This way it saves 15% money than traditional centralized heating and more than 30% than individual heating systems.
Tip 16 A solar water heater saves electricity and natural gas Each family that installs a 2-square meter solar water heater will meet 70% of its annual daily hot water demand. Question: Which one is more energy saving, a solar water heater or an electrical water heater? solar electrical
Tip 17 Small-displacement vehicles are good at energy saving Waive the gaudy sports cars and huge-tanked SUVs, small-displacement vehicles with a low price, low fuel consumption, low pollution and increasing safety are the fashion now. Question: Compared with large-displacement vehicles, small-displacement vehicles consume gas. same amount less Also, in the metropolitan areas with limited parking area, small flexible vehicles bring more advantages.
Tip 18 Use more public transportation, lower the burden on our earth More vehicles cause bad traffic. To use more buses and subways keeps you away from traffic jams and also saves energy effectively. Question: Buses carry more people than cars, therefore energy. save more waste more Assuming both carrying 100 passengers in the city area, buses require only 1/10 the roads cars occupy, 1/6 of gases cars consume, and emit only1/16 the polluted air of cars.
Tip 19 Drive smart to save fuel Question: Driving practice makes difference to fuel consumption? yes no Keep at an economical speed range Avoid driving with a cold engine Shorten engine idling time Avoid sharp speed changes Put in proper gear to avoid lower gear running at high speed Use lubricating oil with the lowest viscosity Change motor oil on time Keep windows shut at high speed Keep proper tire pressure
Tip 20 Riding a bicycle is healthy and environmentally friendly No need to worry about high gasoline prices and traffic jams when using bicycles as the transportation. It builds your body with no pollution emission. Question: Which one is more environmentally friendly? If 1/3 of the people ride bicycles instead of driving cars, annual saving on gas consumption will amount to 17 million tons, which is almost the annual production of a super large-size petroleum company.
P.S.: Many thanks for the helps of experts from the below institutions to this brochure! What do you think? It s easy to follow these tips, right? These are all small actions but the key is persistence. As regular people, we can all contribute to the Eleventh Five-year Plan. Also, the 2008 Olympic Games is around the corner, let s work together as a green Olympics will need all of us to act. If you have more tips on energy saving, please feel free to submit them immediately to www.20to20.org so as to share with all others. Energy Institute of National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) China National Institute of Standardization (CNIS) Chinese Academy of Building Research (CABR) China Automotive Technology & Research Center (CATARC) Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) City Development and Environment Research Center of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Technology Department of Ministry of Construction