4 Important Key Features for Planning and Building an Energy Efficient Home
While we settle in the new normal of working and studying from home, we have started spending much more time indoors than the past. As we continue to do so, the power consumption has spiked in the recent time at our homes with appliances like laptops, fans, ACs and TVs being on for a comparatively higher time than usual. Taking cognizance of this, it has become even more vital to adopt energy efficient practices at home and save up on both; money and energy!
While you’re building a new home, or revamping your old one, here are 4 things you must keep in mind for building and planning an energy efficient home to preserve the environment and save your money!
- Opt for Energy Efficient Fans
There are many energy-efficient appliances in the market. When we buy new appliances for our home, especially the ones that consume high amounts of electricity such as air conditioners, geysers, refrigerators, etc., it is wiser to go for the energy efficient models. But we often miss out on the one appliance that is used 24*7 in all the rooms in the house, by all family members – fans! A regular fan uses up to 75 W of energy per hour. Now you can multiply that with the number of fans in the house with the numbers of hours used and see how much energy and money is being consumed by fans. You can avoid this by using energy efficient fans that are powered by Activ-BLDC motor technology that helps in cutting down energy consumption by half as they use only 35 W of electricity, without compromising on air quality and comfort. These fans are also powered with this motor technology to ensure 98% power factor, i.e., the ratio of usable power to total power, making them highly energy efficient. Their Anti-Dust technology reduces duct accumulation on fans by 50%, saving up on your time and money spent on cleaning, servicing, and repair of fans.
- Replace CFL with LED Lights
We all have heard and learnt that LED lights offer numerous advantages over fluorescent and incandescent. To begin with, LED bulbs are much more energy efficient as on an average, LEDs consume 60-75% less electricity than CFLs or incandescent lights. Additionally, LED bulbs have a longer lifespan making them more durable and reliable in the long run. A regular LED can last up to 5-10 times longer than a CFL, resulting in lower maintenance costs. LEDs are safer to usein comparison to incandescent and fluorescent lights that emit UV rays, and use mercury, whereas LEDs do not. CFLs and Incandescent radiate light in a 360-degree direction, which produces more heat, and in turn utilises more energy. LEDs on the other hand radiate light in 180-degree direction but are still brighter than the former, therefore ensuring lesser energy consumption with better quality lighting. Additionally, new-age LEDs offer a variety in design, size and are compatible with IoT voice-enabled controls through Alexa and Google-assistant for a hassle-free experience. Some of the smart LED bulbs even offer more than 16 million colour combinations to suit your mood and change the vibe of the room with every occasion!
- Consider Solar Power
A natural resource available in abundance, solar power is becoming more and more popular for consumption in domestic areas. Installation cost of solar panels and solar devices can be high, however once functioning, they guarantee energy consumption at minimal cost. While many households face power shortage in areas across the country, it could be ideal to switch to a solar power setup considering the abundance of sunlight in our sub-tropical regions. Energy harnessed from solar power has diverse applications as many residential societies are now building solar yards for all its members. This way, the cost is shared, and energy is used by all. Solar power solutions are long-lasting, and their maintenance cost is also minimal with reliable brands offering a warranty of around 20-25 years.
- Make Small Changes
While switching to energy efficient appliances will help in reducing power consumption, we can start with smaller savings through mindful usage of appliances right away! As they say, “If You Want a Change, Be the Change”, always remember to turn off all the appliances which are not in use or are not needed, such as the fan in the other room or the extra bulb in your own room.Sometimes, we might also forget to switch of bigger appliances such as ACs or geysers and that burns a hole in our wallets with heft electricity bills. All family members must make a conscious effort into changing these habits. We can also make easy lifestyle changes to avoid heavy power consumption at home by avoiding the use of dryers and let our clothes and utensils air dry. While it is not possible to avoid usage of all appliances, the settings can be controlled so as to make them run more efficiently. You can reduce the temperature of geysers to start with instead of mixing cold water with boiling hot water to balance the temperature while bathing, or put the AC on a much more room-friendly temperature than running it on high temperatures for a longer period of time.
There are multiple other ways through which one can build an energy efficient home not just to save money but also preserve valuable resources in nature. It all boils down to the choices we make, so let’s do our bit and opt for the more sustainable and energy efficient options the next time we think of revamping our spaces and building an energy-efficient home.
