Simple ways to save electricity, water

Families can save up to 30 per cent on their electricity and water bills by taking simple measures in the home, for example:

• Switch off electric applicances that are not being used, such as televisions, DVD players, mobile phone chargers, stereos, computers, and lighting. Turn them off completely. Do not leave them on standby. This can save between five and 10 per cent in electricity bills.

• Energy-saving bulbs are like small neon tubes. After switching them off wait around 15 minutes before switching them on again. This decreases one hour of their power consumption.

• When waking up, do not switch on a light. Simply open the blinds/curtains. Daylight is more relaxing than artificial light and it's free.

• Limit the use of computers, which are one of the main contributors to energy consumption and high electricity bills. Whenever an automatic shut-down system is installed in a government ministry or a company, this saves up to 60 per cent of energy consumption.

• Electric heaters, irrespective whether they use oil, halogen or an electric filament, are not efficient and consume a lot of energy. They must be discarded.

• Buy new home appliances with an A+ rating.

• In winter and when the weather is very cold, use dehumidifiers and extractors only for a very short time.

• Switch on the water heater only when warm water is needed and switch it off when ready, This can save up to 30 per cent on electricity bills.

• Insulate the water heater with expanded polystyrene (jablo) to keep it warm. This can save up to two hours of electricity consumption daily.

• Wear proper clothing and do exercise. This is healthy and helps people use less electricity to keep warm.

• To reduce water consumption for showering and flushing, use shower caps, instal a dual flushing system and place a water bottle horizontally inside a flushing unit for it to occupy space and reduce the amount of water used when flushing.

• Whitewash roofs using insulating paint. This saves energy in summer as it reduces the need to use an air-conditioner.

• Instal external louvres on outside windows and doors and use fans to ventilate rooms in summer so that air can circulate freely.

The above energy-saving tips are excerpts of a 'Switch to Energy Efficiency Programme' talk given recently by Ing. Stefan De Marco at St Benedict's College Boys' Secondary School, Kirkop. The talk may be seen on www.vimeo.com/7981515; www.vimeo.com/8032094.

A three-minute-cartoon covering every aspect of energy saving, from light emitting diodes to pollution and from energy-saving bulbs to global warming, may also be viewed at www.sustenergy.org.