With global warming, rising sea levels, ozone depletion the time has come for all of us to think of little contributions we can make to reduce the pollution, the waste, the load that we levy on the environment. The most wonderful thing about saving energy is that it also results in saving money. With the help of experts and organizations who work in this field, I have short listed a few steps we all can take right now, with no investment, in our homes:
Air conditioning
1)Room air conditioners work best when kept cool and out of direct sunlight. Install them on the north-facing side of your home or in a shaded area.
2) Clean or change air filters. When dust blocks airflow, fans have to work harder which, in turn, drives up energy.
3) -Plug the small gaps around doors and windows because they allow considerable air to leak out. This needlessly put pressure on the air conditioner.
Refrigeration
1) Cover liquids and wrap foods stored in the refrigerator. Uncovered foods release moisture and make the compressor work harder.
2) Let foods cool down to room temperature before putting them into the refrigerator or the freezer. Hot foods end up consuming a lot more electricity.
3) To reduce cooking time, defrost frozen foods in the refrigerator before cooking.
Cooking
1) Full-size ovens are not very efficient when cooking small quantities of food. When cooking small- to medium-sized meals, it generally pays to use smaller microwave ovens or toaster ovens which use one third the energy.
2) Use the smallest pan necessary to do the job. Smaller pans require less energy. Keep the burner pans (the metal pans under the burners that catch grease) clean and shiny so they will reflect more heat up to the cookware. Blackened burner pans absorb a lot of heat, reducing burner efficiency.
Lighting
1) Re-arrange the furniture to maximize the daylight used for activities like reading, cooking, etc…
1) Clean the luminaries that you are using. Dust absorbs a significant part of the light emitted.
2) It takes more energy to run two small watt bulbs than one with higher wattage, so use one higher wattage bulb than two small ones.
3) Replace incandescent lights (conventional filament bulbs) with Compact Fluorescents Lights (CFL). They can save up to three-quarters of the electricity used.
Electronics
1) Pull the plug. Appliances like television and VCRs continue to use small amounts of electricity for things like their clocks and remote controls.
2) In computers screen savers are not a form of sleep-mode and they do not save any energy. Thus, you should select a short screensaver time so that the sleep mode kicks in more quickly.
Water
1) Fix the taps, use when necessary. A running a tap can use 10-14litres of water a minute.
2) Reuse water. Water used to wash vegetables can easily be used to water plants.
These are some of the sources from which this information is derived. Click online for more information:
(www.eere.energy.gov/consumerinfo/factsheets.html)
(www.consumerenergycenter.org).
(www.fsec.ucf.edu)
GREEN BUILDINGS-WHATS IN IT FOR YOU?
Growing at the rate of 9.2% against the world average of 5.5%, while contributing 10% to India’s GDP, the Construction Sector in India is going through a phase of unprecedented growth. But, this sector also continues to be the third largest consumer of Energy in a scenario where Energy consumption is expected to grow at rate of 4.3% in a country where 25% of energy generated is wasted.
Meanwhile, issues like Global warming. Ozone depletion, Climate change, Rising sea levels continue to make headlines and the Government continues to advise us on how we should adopt green building practices as our responsibility to Mother Earth. Builder and developers eye this paradigm shift with hesitance and suspicion because they feel that by adopting such practices their initial costs will go up which will then have to be passed on to the consumer in this competitive market. Also, workers will have to trained to work with new materials and adopt new building practices. They are uncertain whether, their consumer will be willing to spend the extra money, to save the world!
But, many building owners are surprised to learn that the cost to design and build a building is insignificant compared to the cost of owning and operating a building over its useful life. According to the Building Owners and Managers Association, US, only 2 percent of the total cost of building, owning and operating a typical office building over a 30 year period is for design fees and construction costs. Operations, maintenance, finance and employee costs account for the remaining 98% of the total costs. This article would focus on the benefits of building green to the owner and the builder sans the benefits to the environment.
Enhanced Image: Companies known for aggressive and proactive environmental policies stand to gain reputational advantages among
customers, employees, regulators, the media, and others. This can benefit companies in a number of ways, including: reduced pressure from activists, increased ability to attract and retain employees,
improved community relations, enhanced reputation as a well-managed company, and increased appeal to socially responsible investors and portfolio managers.
Increased Productivity and Sales: Increasing energy efficiency usually improves lighting as well as heating, ventilating, and air
conditioning performance. Studies have shown that energy-efficient air and lighting reduces absenteeismin offices, factories, and schools, and can increase sales in retail environments. For example, in a study by the California Energy Commission, daylighting was positively and significantly linked to higher retail sales — as much as 40% higher, compared with a non-daylit store and increased student scores by 20%.
Improved Reliability: Energy management practices help to ensure the reliability of equipment and manufacturing processes, thereby
reducing risks and costs from equipment and process failures and production delays.
Cost Saving: The energy saving which translates into cost saving, which is in terms of HVAC system, lightning system etc., vary from 30 to 35 per cent; and about water the savings vary from 35 to 40 per cent, which is far better than any modern buildings. This results in 30 to 40 per cent reduction in operation cost. A study by Lisa Matthiessen of the consulting firm Davis Langdon shows how financial benefits derived over 20 years from incorporating Green features is 10 times the value of initial investment.
Reduced liabilty: Enhanced indoor air quality can reduce the risk of “sick building syndrome. In countries like the US this syndrome leads to lawsuits and there by associated legal costs if this problem can’t easily be remedied.
Enhances occupants' comfort and productivity: People spend 90% of their time indoors and the concentration of pollutants indoors is drastically higher than outdoors as much as 10 or even 100 times. By regulating the materials used, ventilation and lighting a healthy and safe environment is assured. Lockheed Martin, an aerospace firm, found that absenteeism fell by 15% after it moved 2,500 employees into a new green building in Sunnyvale, California. The increase in productivity paid for the building's higher construction costs within a year.
Meanwhile, issues like Global warming. Ozone depletion, Climate change, Rising sea levels continue to make headlines and the Government continues to advise us on how we should adopt green building practices as our responsibility to Mother Earth. Builder and developers eye this paradigm shift with hesitance and suspicion because they feel that by adopting such practices their initial costs will go up which will then have to be passed on to the consumer in this competitive market. Also, workers will have to trained to work with new materials and adopt new building practices. They are uncertain whether, their consumer will be willing to spend the extra money, to save the world!
But, many building owners are surprised to learn that the cost to design and build a building is insignificant compared to the cost of owning and operating a building over its useful life. According to the Building Owners and Managers Association, US, only 2 percent of the total cost of building, owning and operating a typical office building over a 30 year period is for design fees and construction costs. Operations, maintenance, finance and employee costs account for the remaining 98% of the total costs. This article would focus on the benefits of building green to the owner and the builder sans the benefits to the environment.
Enhanced Image: Companies known for aggressive and proactive environmental policies stand to gain reputational advantages among
customers, employees, regulators, the media, and others. This can benefit companies in a number of ways, including: reduced pressure from activists, increased ability to attract and retain employees,
improved community relations, enhanced reputation as a well-managed company, and increased appeal to socially responsible investors and portfolio managers.
Increased Productivity and Sales: Increasing energy efficiency usually improves lighting as well as heating, ventilating, and air
conditioning performance. Studies have shown that energy-efficient air and lighting reduces absenteeismin offices, factories, and schools, and can increase sales in retail environments. For example, in a study by the California Energy Commission, daylighting was positively and significantly linked to higher retail sales — as much as 40% higher, compared with a non-daylit store and increased student scores by 20%.
Improved Reliability: Energy management practices help to ensure the reliability of equipment and manufacturing processes, thereby
reducing risks and costs from equipment and process failures and production delays.
Cost Saving: The energy saving which translates into cost saving, which is in terms of HVAC system, lightning system etc., vary from 30 to 35 per cent; and about water the savings vary from 35 to 40 per cent, which is far better than any modern buildings. This results in 30 to 40 per cent reduction in operation cost. A study by Lisa Matthiessen of the consulting firm Davis Langdon shows how financial benefits derived over 20 years from incorporating Green features is 10 times the value of initial investment.
Reduced liabilty: Enhanced indoor air quality can reduce the risk of “sick building syndrome. In countries like the US this syndrome leads to lawsuits and there by associated legal costs if this problem can’t easily be remedied.
Enhances occupants' comfort and productivity: People spend 90% of their time indoors and the concentration of pollutants indoors is drastically higher than outdoors as much as 10 or even 100 times. By regulating the materials used, ventilation and lighting a healthy and safe environment is assured. Lockheed Martin, an aerospace firm, found that absenteeism fell by 15% after it moved 2,500 employees into a new green building in Sunnyvale, California. The increase in productivity paid for the building's higher construction costs within a year.
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