Tag: Consumption
Replacing old or buying new, why a BEE 5 star rated refrigerator always makes sense
Since last few weeks we have started auditing some homes in Mumbai to get a feeling of different kind of appliances available in various homes and their consumption pattern. And one interesting fact that has come to our notice is that the refrigerators are the second biggest consumers of electricity in any home after air conditioners, that too if there is a significant use of air conditioners in that home. Else refrigerators are truly the biggest consumers. The observations
Dishwashers: How much electricity do they use and how to use them efficiently?
Most stereotypical maids in old bollywood movies were always shown as those washing utensils with their hands. Cleaning, rinsing and drying utensils were and are still very commonly done with hands. But slowly and steadily dishwashers have started entering Indian kitchens. Many people in metros and big cities have started buying dishwashers to make every day cleaning of utensils more automated and reliable. As adding any other appliance adds to the electricity bills,
Turning Green – Bijli Bachao case study – Mr Vedang Bakshi
As we have started getting feedback from people whom we helped reducing electricity bills, we thought of starting a new series of articles called “Turning Green”. In this series we will present case studies of certain houses, with their electricity consumption in the past, changes made to reduce consumption, investment made and the final outcome in number of units. First in this series is Mr Vedang Bakshi from Nagpur with whom we started interacting in Aug 2012.
Charging a Mobile Phone: how much electricity does it consume?
Telecom boom in India has had such a great impact that it has made sure that half of India has mobile phones (source: Indian Express). Every other person in the country has a mobile phone and it is increasing. We thought that mobile phones are integral part of our lives, so why not do a test on how much electricity does it consume. We picked up
Cooktop Comparison: Gas, Electric and Induction
Recently while interacting with a Bijli Bachao reader, we came across a question: which cooktop should I buy Gas or Induction? And this made us realize: Hey! We didn't think about it! Cooking typically is a small component of the whole energy requirement in a house (especially in most middle and upper class urban homes), which some people typically ignore. Although rising LPG/PNG costs does cause a furore but rarely do we compare it with other form of energy: electricity.
Quick Cool on Air Conditioner does not cool quickly
Coming into a room after being through a hot weather outside, most people would want to cool down their rooms quickly. What many people do is that they turn on the air conditioner in the room in quick cool mode thinking that it will cool the room quickly. But does the quick cool mode really cool a room quickly? Does the motor in the air conditioner run faster when you start it in the quick cool mode? It does NOT. So why is it called quick cool? It is mostly because
Use electric or steam iron effectively for ironing clothes
We all like to wear nice ironed cloths without creases, and doing the same has become a social norm. Although it is a mundane activity to iron cloths, but many people prefer to do it at home. Any heating or cooling appliance uses significant amount of electricity and an electric iron is no different. A typical electric iron is rated at about 1000-2000 watts, which is more than most appliances in a household. But does it really take 1 – 2 units (kwh) for 1 hour of
Tax and Duty on Electricity bills in India
We at Bijli Bachao want to help people in India to understand various components of their electricity bill. In our previous articles we covered Energy Charges, Fixed
What are Watt, Kilowatt. kVAh and a unit of electricity
When we get our electricity bills, it shows that we have used a certain number of units for the given period. When we go to buy appliances, most of them have watts mentioned on them. If you find it difficult to understand the relation between the two, then you are not alone. Electricity bill and its components are confusing to many and with this article, we will try to explain what are watt, kilowatt and a unit of electricity.
What are Power and Energy/Electricity
CFL Bulbs and Fluorescent Tubes buying guide
In our previous post on task-based lighting, we showed that a watt is not the right measure for brightness and we should use lumens instead. We then went around the shops in our area and then carried out online market survey to find out different types of CFLs and Fluorescent tubes available in the market in India, and give our readers some comparative figures to help