Methods of Energy-Saving Measures

Full text

M
Methods of Energy-Saving
Measures
Shalini Aggarwal and Shipra Pathak
Department of Management,
Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India
Synonyms
Energy conservation;Energy saving;Energy-sav-
ing measures;Energy-saving solutions;Power
management function;Reduced energy
consumption
Definition
Energy, the one word substitute for electricity, oil,
gas, and water, makes the basis of day-to-day
operations in a home, in an establishment, or
an industry and hence has become the basic
need for electrification of homes and cities, to
run machines or vehicles. It may also define as
a power that enhances the ability to work and
move objects. In view of the above, it has become
absolutely essential to find measures to optimize
its usage because it is imperative to reduce con-
sumption of nonrenewable resources without hin-
dering the work outputs. This is what it defines as
energy saving measure (ESM). It has to be worked
for different equipment individually because of
different technologies. Hence, it is a sum total of
all initiatives that would help in cutting consump-
tion of energy in one establishment or building.
Different kinds of projects will be enforced to
bring cost savings on water, electricity, and gas,
the most essential components to run any kind of
commercial or industrial enterprises. An ESM is
designed to achieve savings through reduction of
energy usage for a given process or establishment
(ECMs 2018).
Some of the measures taken for energy savings
are redoing and upgrading the fixtures and fittings
and central plant and equipment. Look at systems
that need modification, replace, and restart work.
ESMs typically require electrical and mechanical
engineering expertise to design and install energy-
saving solutions to achieve desired energy effi-
ciency outcomes, i.e., cost savings (ECMs 2018).
Introduction
The world is rapidly becoming a global village
due to the increasing daily requirement of energy
by all population across the world, while the earth
in its form cannot change. With an all-round
development across globe due to industrialization
and modernization, the demand for energy
resources is constantly on the hike, while the
earth in its place remains the same in size and
natural treasures. The need for energy is to meet
the basic requirements of human, social, and eco-
nomic growth such as lighting, cooking, mobility,
and communication and serve as generative
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Affordable and Clean Energy, Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71057-0_82-1

processes (Edenhofer et al. 2011). Securing
energy supply and curbing energy contribution
to climate change are the two overriding
challenges of energy sector on the road to a sus-
tainable future (Abbasi and Abbasi 2010;
Kaygusuz 2012).
While global population explosion and energy
demands are directly related, it has further led to
many more global challenges like an exponential
increase in CO
2
emissions due to over use of
coal, oil, and gas which are the three outcomes
of fossil fuel-based power generation (Owusu and
Asumadu-Sarkodie 2016). Global warming and
greenhouse gas emission pose the biggest threat
to this planet unless man toil hard to transform the
current energy systems by using renewable
energy sources to subdue the climatic change
effects (Edenhofer et al. 2011).
When it comes to energy resources, there is
always the question of sustainability. It is impor-
tant that resources provide enough energy to meet
the needs –to heat the houses, power the cities,
and run the cars. However, it is also important
to consider how these resources can be used for
long term. Some resources will practically never
run out. These are known as renewable resources.
Renewable resources produce clean energy,
meaning less pollution and less greenhouse gas
emissions (Abbasi et al. 2011).
Renewable resources include biomass energy
(such as ethanol), hydropower, geothermal power,
wind energy, and solar energy. Searching for the
right method of using renewable resources is
a task that is growing ever more important as
the Earth’s supply of nonrenewable resources
continues to dwindle. Converting to renewable
energy will not only sustain the world’s rapidly
growing population, but it will also provide a
cleaner, healthier environment for the generations
to come (Renewable Resources... 2018). In the
same direction, to control the effects of global
climatic changes for the current century, a set of
common SDGs has been launched as a legacy for
the next generation to ensure a sustainable future
(Edenhofer et al. 2011; Lu et al. 2015).
With the idea of sustainable development in
mind, most of the countries are working on the
development of new plans and modifying policies
accordingly. On the same note, the Open Working
Group of the United Nations General Assembly,
New York, has come up with a proposal of
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To
begin with this includes 17 goals, 169 targets,
and a set of 330 indicators in March 2015 (Lu et
al. 2015). The Sustainable Development Goals are
designed to expect better values from the scien-
tific bodies. For example, it is required to design a
common model to monitor renewable energy,
food and health, and water provision at a global
level while tackling the climatic changes because
these include common factors that are driven by
social, economic, and environmental conditions
(Hák et al. 2016; Owusu et al. 2016).
Advantages of Energy-Saving Measures
Aside from the obvious benefit of reduced
energy consumption, ESMs provide the following
benefits (Ecosave 2018):
•Reduce expenditure on utility bills
•Reduction in maintenance costs
•Reduction in emission of CO
2
•Improve occupancy comfort
•Increase in the value of an asset
Steps to Maximize Energy Savings in
Project Implementations
1. Engage a single-point-of-contact energy effi-
ciency specialist or Energy Services Company
(ESCO) to provide an end-to-end solution:
(a) Consultations and discovery workshops
(b) Site assessment(s)/energy audits
(c) Identification of energy conservation
measures (ECMs) opportunities
(d) Financial modeling on ECM opportunities,
including costs, savings, return on invest-
ment, and payback period projections
(e) Summary of above and key recommenda-
tions in a detailed energy advisory report
(f) Implementation proposal for a turn-key
solution
(g) Measurement and verification plan
(h) Actual savings report
2 Methods of Energy-Saving Measures

2. Make sure the Energy Service Companies
(ESCO) are prepared to offer a savings guar-
antee, so if the project underperforms, then
there is no negative financial impact which
ensures the return on investment is protected
(Gaspari 2020).
Energy-Saving Measures
(A) Legal or state run measure
(B) Educational and communication (Energy
Star 2020)
•Public and community education (Bureau
of Energy Efficiency 2020)
•School education (Bureau of Energy Effi-
ciency 2020)
(C) Technical measures applicable to industry
and residential (Energy Conservation 2020)
(D) Research and development (Rinkesh 2020)
Legal or State Run Measure
(a) Energy Audits: In view of seriousness of the
matter, all possible systems have been framed
for implementation of ESM individual levels.
For this purpose, Building Performance Insti-
tute (BPI) or the Residential Energy Services
Network (RESNET) have been authorized to
grant accreditation to residential energy audi-
tors to help homeowners to assess the needs
and identify potential areas of using and los-
ing energy. As an alternative to hiring a pro-
fessional auditor, smart phone apps are also
available to help and guide the homeowners
for implementation of energy-saving mea-
sures (Energy Conservation Measure 2018).
(b) Cap and Trade Agreement: In order to set
standards and implement controls over con-
sumption and pollution levels for manufact-
uring industries, cap and trade agreements are
the tools devised by authorities. In case the
Audits
Cap & Trade
Agreement
Legal or State run
Educational &
communication
Methods of
Energy saving
measures
Technical
Measures
Research &
Development
Subsidies to use
renewable
resourses
Public &
community
education
School Eduction
Industry &
residential
Residential
Industry
Methods of Energy-
Saving Measures, Source:
Authors contribution
Methods of Energy-Saving Measures 3

approved emission rates are exceeding norms,
the companies are bound to pay a “bidding”
amount to get extension of norms, and the bid
money is in turn used to finance fuel-related
projects to keep the situation under constant
control (Rinkesh 2020).
(c) Encouragement via Subsidies to Use
Renewable Resources
Installation of rooftop photo voltaic (PV)
system is one of the techniques to harness
renewable energy and cut down utility
expenses. However, since the cost of a PV
system is quite high, to encourage this initial
investment among Indian nationals, both
the Central Government and State Nodal
Agencies (SNAs) have in place a subsidy
scheme to encourage the implementation of
this project that goes a long way in helping
energy conservation and arrest pollution
because these systems are an alternative to
installation of generator sets, which would
further consume fossil fuels and pollute envi-
ronment as well.
To encourage the project of roof top PV
systems, a subsidy of 30% is slated by the
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy,
the Central Government in India, for all states
except the states of Uttarakhand, Sikkim,
Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir,
and Lakshadweep, which fall under a special
category (North MNRE PV rooftop cell) and
enjoy a subsidy as high as 70% for the same
project (Economic Times 2019).
A study conducted by the Global Subsidies
Initiative (GSI) of the International Institute
for Sustainable Development (IISD), a total
annual expenditure of USD 372 billion is
incurred by the countries across globe as
“fossil fuel subsidies”(Global Subsidies Ini-
tiatives 2019).
Educational and Communication
One must keep in mind the current trends
of changing technologies and techniques, and
hence the books studied till yesterday need to be
upgraded every day. It is, therefore, necessary to
educate people about the importance of energy
conservation.
Since there is a lack of information regarding
new developments in energy-efficient products
and services and their usages, steps must be
taken to apprise people about the importance of
switching on to newer methodologies helping in
optimization of consumption and enabling them
to select energy products with respect to their
economy, comfort, and context. It is, therefore,
necessary to revise and encourage policies so
that people can adopt the change with ease.
Public and Community Education
•To spread awareness among users regarding
marketing of energy-efficient products, distri-
bution of brochures, multimedia approach,
and other possible means to share information
of products so that they can take conscious
decisions to resort to energy-saving products.
•“ENERGY STAR”is a program that upgrades
employee information about behavioral factors
that affect energy consumption. Likewise, the
building occupants could be trained on the
subject to attain desired results.
•Holding meetings and seminars with teams in
an organization is another effective means to
emphasize the importance of energy manage-
ment and basic energy-saving practices. It is
worthwhile to discuss with them cost cutting
objectives as well as fix employee responsibil-
ities for their practical contribution to the
objective.
•The behavioral impact of employees on energy
usage must be brought to their attention so
that they can refrain from unwanted practices.
Introduction of energy patrols to monitor
wastage of energy and sharing the same with
concerned has been found fruitful by some
firms.
•Formation of energy teams to study energy
efficiency in various departments is another
methodology that also helps in fixing respon-
sibilities of workmen.
•To boost energy-saving practices, it is good to
reward energy-efficient behaviors and habits of
employees. Holding competitions among dif-
ferent departments and promising a party to the
4 Methods of Energy-Saving Measures

team that achieves the greatest improvement
in energy performance may prove another
booster.
•In every part of the globe, whether low-income
or developed nations, governments and non-
governmental organizations (NGOs) should
actively engaged in spreading awareness in
energy savings.
•Print media (newspapers, magazines, flyers,
etc.), social media sites, and electronic media
(messaging through SMS/Internet, talk shows
in business channels, etc.) methods are very
useful in creating awareness among the general
public (Bureau of Energy Efficiency 2020).
School Education
•Subject should be incorporated in the syllabus
that helps the children to understand the impor-
tance and need for saving the energy from
6th to 10th standards.
•Awareness activities like debates at leading
engineering colleges and quiz programs at
school level.
•Initiation/replication/strengthening of
eco/energy clubs (Bureau of Energy
Efficiency 2020).
Technical Measures Specific to Both Industry
and Residence
(a) Use smart power strips: A major chunk of
energy wastage is caused by standby modes
of electronics which is estimated at 75% of
total usage of household electronics, the
cost of which is calculated to be around 200
dollars every year per home. Smart power
strips are remedy to these “phantom loads.”
The strips can be programed to shut off
power supply through remote switch method
as and when the appliances are not in use
(Energy Conservation 2020).
(b) Install a programmable or smart thermo-
stat: Another such device is “Smart
Thermostat”that turn “off”and “on”equip-
ment automatically during the times when
you are asleep or away. While adopting this
methodology, it neither requires one to
upgrade their HVAC system nor experience
any discomfort. Such kind of thermostat
helps one saves around 180 dollars per
year/home. These are available in varied
models with different settings to fit ones
weekly schedule. Programmable thermostats
come with an additional feature that pro-
vides indications regarding replacing air fil-
ters or some other problems, which in turn
result into improving the equipment effi-
ciency and arrest wastage of power (Energy
Conservation 2020).
(c) Purchase energy-efficient appliances:Itis
not only the price of an equipment but its
annual operating cost which should be kept
in mind while deciding to buy the appliance
because at least 13% of energy consumption
is attributed to these equipment. The energy-
efficient appliances usually have higher
purchase prices, but they bring savings by
way of energy optimization to the extent of
9–25%. “ENERGY STAR”rating certifies
that equipment are energy efficient and are
approved by the government authorities.
It ensures that these equipment consume
lesser electricity in operative and standby
modes. However, the power saving rates dif-
fer from equipment to equipment. For exam-
ple, an “ENERGY STAR”washing machine
may save 25% power; a refrigerator with the
same standard consumes about 9% less
power (Energy Conservation 2020).
(d) Reduce your water heating expenses: Hot
water is a daily need for all households for
various purposes and hence is a major con-
tributor to energy consumption. There could
be many ways to arrest this problem, some
of which are cutting down your hot water
needs, insulating the geyser as well as the
water pipes at least up to the supply point.
You may also choose to turn down the ther-
mostat on your water heater. It is advisable
to get technical advice from an expert as to
what kind of water heater could be useful for
one’s family needs. It is knows that instant
geysers are more efficient and energy saving
but these may not meet the requirements of a
large family. Choose the right equipment as
they are to be used for a long period of time.
The new technology water heaters are
Methods of Energy-Saving Measures 5

efficient enough to provide energy savings
ranging between 8% and 300% (Energy
Conservation 2020).
(e) Install energy-efficient windows: Windows
are a part of every house and indispensable
too since time immemorial. However, very
recently, it has been viewed as a source of
energy wastage, which is estimated between
10% and 25% of the heating expense.
Preventing the heat loss from the win-
dows, single-pane windows can be replaced
with double-pane windows. Gas-filled and
“low-e”-coated windows can help in reduc-
ing the cost of heating to a large extent.
Gas-filled “low-e”-coated windows are espe-
cially recommended for cold regions where
heating is required all the more. The other
kinds of windows are “interior or exterior
storm windows”that are efficient enough
to reduce the heat loss by app. 20%. Such
windows are a definite requirement for
areas with extreme weather conditions. For
the houses located in warmer zones, there
could be a problem of excessive heating
through the window panes, which can be
controlled by low-e-coated window panes.
This coating helps in reducing the thermal
energy diffusion into the homes as the
major part of light is reflected back by the
window panes. To sum up, we need to
choose windows, shades, and shutters
based on the weather conditions of the region
and derive savings on energy expenses
between $20 and $95 annually (Energy Con-
servation 2020).
(f) Entertainment equipment: Standby power
consumption by some equipment is another
area of concern. Such equipment by default
keep consuming power unless these are
unplugged from the mains. TV is one of
such gadgets, and it is a common thing in
every home and hence a source of colossal-
accumulated waste as it is estimated to
consume at least up to 10% more power.
It should be ensured to switch off your
other equipment, and it may get you a saving
up to 50% in energy consumption. Mobile
charger is another such instrument that
commonly remains connected in our homes
and consumes energy. Unplugging it when
not in use will make a difference (Energy
Saving Measures 2020).
(g) Air conditioners: 1200 watt category of air
conditioner can consume 324 KWh per
month costing approximately KShs 4,212 if
it runs just 12 h a day, which is a common
phenomenon. Keep doors closed and use
fans wherever possible (Energy Saving Mea-
sures 2020).
(h) Upgrade your HVAC system: Nowadays
modern homes and offices use HVAC sys-
tems that are a combination of heating, ven-
tilating, and cooling the interior ambient as
per requirement of the weather conditions.
It has been established by researchers that
a little more than 40% energy is consumed
by the heating process alone, particularly
in the northern zone of the USA, which is
exposed to severe cold during 3 months of
the year. Accordingly, even the “ENERGY
STAR”furnaces have different specifica-
tions for the north and south regions in the
USA. While a US South ENERGY STAR
certification specification can bring you an
annual saving of 36 dollars (app 12% energy
saving). ENERGY STAR furnaces, in the
northern half of the USA, bring 16% energy
saving equal to $94 in terms of money.
Surprisingly, air conditioning accounts for
only 6% of the energy usage, and by using
“ENERGY STAR”equipment one saves
8% energy. With the integrated systems of
heating and cooling, it is now easy to decide
the right models to attain optimum outputs
on both fronts. While using HVAC, ensure to
insulate the ventilation ducts properly to
avoid loss of energy produced and hence
cut down the wastage of power. In this man-
ner, it saves hundreds of dollars as it tends to
reduce expenses by at least 20%. In addition,
a proper maintenance of all equipment is
also necessary (Energy Conservation 2020).
(i) Weatherize the building: Vents, windows,
doors, and cracks are the major outlets of air
that must be properly closed and/or sealed.
Right material should be chosen to fill the
6 Methods of Energy-Saving Measures

cracks in walls, windows, and door frames
because the wall and ceiling are static, but the
other two have movable parts. For movable
objects, weather stripping is the best choice,
whereas for wall, etc. caulking is suitable.
These sealing techniques provide return for
investment in short time, say over a year. The
other leakage points could be the result
of plumbing, ducting, and electrical fittings.
These small crevices are the most favorite of
hot air from outside the home as hot air blows
to cooler areas, which is your interior. To
arrest your bill amounts, ensure to seal all
such openings and insulate the total house
to attain full benefits at a lower cost (Energy
Conservation 2020).
(j) Insulate the building: Insulation plays a vital
role in energy usage optimization. Crucial
areas should be identified and the type of insu-
lation required. Above all, it depends upon the
design of the building and the geographical
area you live in. The main areas of insulation
at home are attic, walls, floors, basement,
and crawlspace. Further, to select the kind of
insulation required, one needs to know the
recommended heat resistance level, called
“R-value”which in turn depends upon the
region you reside in. It is because “R-value”
in warmer areas is much lower than in the
colder areas. “Home Energy Saver Tool”
provides guidelines on insulation based on the
specifications of your infrastructure. Likewise
Department of Energy’s webpage provides gen-
eral regional recommendations on insulation.
(k) Water heating: Ensure hot water tanks and
pipes are well insulated to avoid heat loss.
Repairing leaking pipes or taps prevents loss
of hot water; loss of 30 drops per minute from
a hot water tap costs around 18 KWh per
month (roughly KShs. 234). Minimize the
amount of hot water usage by not letting
water run while washing the dishes or shav-
ing. Installing water heaters as close to the
points of use saves energy. Turn down the
thermostat to a lower temperature; 50 Cis
ideal for most purposes. If water heating costs
are too high, use tankless units for instant
water heating; no hot water is stored;
therefore, there is no heat loss (Energy Saving
Measures 2020).
(l) Energy simulation: Big corporation can
use energy simulation software to redesign
the building unit and reduce running business
energy costs. Architects, engineers, and desig-
ners could use this design to come with most
energy-efficient buildings and reduce carbon
footprint (Rinkesh 2020).
(m) Lighting
To arrest the waste, it is suggested
to install motion sensors, timers, and photo
sensors to operate the “ON,”“OFF”modes
of security at street and any other community
lighting systems that generally cannot be effi-
ciently handled manually.
One must develop the habit of switching
off lights, fans, and ACs whenever one
move out of the room at home or workplace
irrespective of the smallest duration of time
will save up to 10–40% of energy. If there are
designer’sfittings at home, it is time to redo
the same by separating circuits of each bulb/
tube so that you switch on only the one you
need. As is the trend today, one must design
their buildings with maximum inlet of natural
light so that unnecessary light usage is
avoided. Illuminating Engineering Society
(IES) can help to check the luminous levels
against laid down standards so that corrective
measures can be taken. Check the lighting
system regularly to ensure optimum effi-
ciency of the system (Energy Star 2020).
Technical Measures Specific to Residential Usage
Man has been using consuming energy ruthlessly
since long due to lack of knowledge. But recently,
with an increased awareness level, he has resorted
to adopt and innovate energy-saving techniques
and equipment to put an end to massacre the
nature. Since, energy is a source of power, which
is needed for our day-to-day activities, he has
to change his lifestyle to low carbon style. House-
holds have a major role to play in this because
they are the major consumers of energy. Both
direct (natural gas, electricity, biomass, and other
fossil fuels) and indirect sources (production,
Methods of Energy-Saving Measures 7

transportation, and disposal of goods and ser-
vices) need to be arrested.
(a) Adjust your day-to-day behaviors: Some
of the very common steps taken for energy
conservation are walking, cycling, car pools,
avoiding cloth driers, and recycling paper,
newspapers, and other materials and metals.
Everyone must contribute to this global issue.
One can change their behavior toward energy
usage by thinking of their responsibility
toward the society. These are simple tech-
niques like switching of lights and fans when
not in use, resorting to manual tasks which
are easy and simple, go walking to short
distances, use sunlight to dry clothes, etc.
One may readjust the thermostat according
to seasons for heating and cooling because it
costs almost 50% of the domestic bill. These
efforts of the common man have been further
supported by smart equipment like electricity
consumption meters, through which one can
keep control on consumption of energy.
Installing a home energy meter will provide
a guidance as to which equipment is consum-
ing more energy and then can take corrective
steps accordingly.
The household energy consumption is
a combined usage of cooking, use of kettles,
refrigerators, laundry and ironing, etc. A close
monitoring of all above activities can lead to
great energy savings.
(b) Cooking:Asafirst step, replace the old pres-
sure cooker with the latest technology, which
could cook faster. Use flat-based pots and
pans instead of round based to facilitate faster
and more efficient heat transmission. Further,
using pans with three or four compartments
for cooking more than one dish at a time saves
energy.
In case of ovens, better plan the meals for
the day so that one can cook multiple dishes at
the same time using the oven to the optimum
capacity. Remember to put the timer “on”so
that one does not have to open the door to
check the food. Remember, every opening of
oven door costs 20% loss of heat which in
other words means lowering the temperature
to 25and 30. It is advisable to switch off
oven a few minutes before the cooking time.
In this manner, the residue heat in the oven
will be fully utilized without power consump-
tion. Microwave oven is advantageous for
small quantity food as it is almost instant.
Use bare minimum water and take out frozen
food hours before it needs to be cooked to
reduce the cooking time. Make a habit to put
lid on pans to make cooking faster (Energy
Saving Measures 2020).
(c) Kettle: Kettle, though a very common equip-
ment, needs to be monitored intensely. It is
recommended to use a kettle with water level
indicator so that you can heat the required
quantity to avoid wastage of both electricity
and water. Avoid heating a full kettle if it is not
required (Energy Saving Measures 2020).
(d) Refrigeration: The size of the appliance
should match with the family needs. Take
care of placing the refrigerator in a much
ventilated area, away from heat and heat-emit-
ting appliances because it affects the cooling
efficiency and hence results into more power
consumption. Select the ideal thermostat posi-
tion between 3 C and 5.5 C. Keep the back
side coils of refrigerator, dust free as well as
defreeze the equipment once a week as spec-
ified. It will improve power consumption by
30%.
The gas is the soul of the refrigerator as
it helps to maintain the temperature of the
chamber. Keep the same in good health.
Check your door opening habits and improve
the same. Do not keep hot food in fridge as it
would compel the compressor to work more
(Energy Saving Measures 2020).
(e) Laundry/Dishwashing: While using wash-
ing machine, remember that 95% of the
energy used by machine goes for heating the
water. Therefore, keeping the temperature set-
ting low to 40 C will save 100 KWh annually.
The difference in cost between hot and normal
wash for making 15 loads of washing per
month is 1020 KShs versus 3.38 KShs,
respectively, which is an eye opener for all
of us. Always prefer energy-efficient, front
loading model that uses 63% less water
8 Methods of Energy-Saving Measures

which means water saving, electricity saving
and reducing the utility bills (Energy Saving
Measures 2020).
(f) Ironing: Switch over from the fabrics that
require lower temperature to higher tempera-
ture to optimize consumption of energy. Do
not leave the iron plugged when not in use.
Switch off 5 min earlier to utilize the heat of
the sole plate before it cools down. Always use
an iron box that is thermostatically controlled.
Using a 1,000 W iron box for 1 h per day will
use 30 KWh per month costing you about
KShs. 390 (Energy Saving Measures 2020).
Technical Measures Specific to Industrial Usage
(a) Operations and Maintenance: For an all-
round improvement of operations and check
wastage some of the best steps are:
•Audits should be conducted at night to
find out unnecessary usage of lights after
working hours.
•Equipment should be regularly checked
and maintained to ensure their efficient
working.
•Regulate effectively start-up and power-
down times.
•Sequential operation of equipment should
be planned.
•Must look at the regular cleaning practices
and reschedule the timings to assure mini-
mum use of lights.
•Heating and cooling devices need to be
maintained as these are the biggest source
of energy consumption.
•Reassess the financial and environmental
aspects of a preventative maintenance
program.
•A daily visual inspection of insulation of
pipes, ducting, and equipment damages
can help a lot in saving energy (Energy
Star 2020).
(b) Office equipment: Contrary to our belief,
even the smallest amount of power consump-
tion sums up to big amount of money. So, be
vigilant on office equipment like monitors,
printers, copiers, fax machines, projectors,
and scanners by enabling these to power
management mode so that they automatically
go to sleep when not in use. To learn this
deactivation mode, one should carefully read
the user manual or one may visit www.energy
star.gov/powermanagement. Take assistance
from the servicing vendor to configure the
machines to such energy-saving modes.
Consolidating devices to a group usage of 10
or more can also help in saving electricity up
to 40%. The use of smart power strips is
a good idea to identify prone areas and arrest
the wastage (Energy Star 2020).
Research and Development
As of now, energy conservation field requires
continuous research and development process
to invent new ways of saving powers vis-à-vis
discovering the wastage prone areas and
implementing corrective measures. Investments
on this front are worth the cost because energies
are getting more and more expensive. It will be
like working for the futuristic solutions to world’s
energy crisis.
Conclusion
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and influx of
carbon dioxide (CO
2
) in atmosphere are the two
after effects of industrialization causing “global
warming”that has totally upset the seasons over
globe and hence impacted social and economic
conditions in almost every country. It is these
climatic changes that led to the quest of energy
savings and alternate energy sources due to the
depletion of fossil fuel treasures. It becomes
important to understand that savings on energy
would in turn bring savings in production cost
and hence lowered costs associated with the
investment, supply, and distribution of energy to
meet the increased demands driven by population
growth. As a result, there is a need to save energy.
There are many methods for doing the same.
Legal or state run measure should be devised by
the authorities to save energy. The state should
motivate measure like energy audits and encour-
agement via subsidies to use renewable resources.
Educating people about information regarding
new developments in energy-efficient products
Methods of Energy-Saving Measures 9

and services and their usages, steps must be taken
to apprise people about the importance of
switching on to newer methodologies helping
in optimization of consumption and enabling
them to select energy products with respect to
their economy, comfort, and context.
Industry and household consumes energy. The
use of smart power strips, install a programmable
or smart thermostat, purchase energy-efficient
appliances, install energy-efficient windows, and
weatherize the building and energy simulation
methods should be encouraged. Readjust the
thermostat according to seasons for heating and
cooling because it costs almost 50% of the domes-
tic bill. Following the simple techniques like
switching of lights and fans when not in use,
resorting to manual tasks which are easy and
simple, go walking to short distances, use sunlight
to dry clothes, etc. will make a difference. These
efforts of the common man have been further
supported by smart equipment like electricity con-
sumption meters, through which one can keep
control on consumption of energy. Installing
a home energy meter will provide guidance as to
which equipment is consuming more energy and
then can take corrective steps accordingly. The
household energy consumption is a combined
usage of cooking and use of kettles, refrigerators,
laundry and ironing, etc. A close monitoring of all
above activities can lead to great energy savings.
One can change their behavior toward energy
usage by thinking of their responsibility toward
the society.
Cross-References
▶Community Renewable Energy Systems
▶Consumer Behavior in Buildings Energy Use
▶Energy Audit in Buildings
▶Energy Efficiency
▶Energy Star Buildings
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