Tag: electricity
Guest Article: Using time switches as power saver for air conditioner and deep freezer
At Bijli Bachao our aim is to help people save electricity, and to do this, we not only provide tips to use appliances, but we also try to find new products/ideas/technologies that can help. In this process we keep meeting individuals/companies that are doing interesting work in this area. During one such meet recently, we met Mr Sudhir Shah from Mumbai, who till few years back was working as Electrical contractor for big companies, but then left that work to start
Light Meter App on mobile phone: easy way to optimize room lighting and save electricity
One of the biggest challenges while setting up lights in a room is to understand how much lighting is good lighting. People end up putting multiple CFLs, Tube lights, down-lighters, which at times is more than required and also consume electricity more than what is needed. In a previous post on Task Based Lighting we had discussed about the amount of light required in
Time Switches: easy automatic way to switch on and off appliances and save electricity
We all know that switching off appliances from the mains is one of the best way to save electricity. Still, at times we encounter situations where doing the same is either a hassle or is difficult. Running an AC all night will consume a lot of electricity and will also make the room quite cool, but getting up in the middle of the night to switch off is a hassle. A switched on TV/DTH-DVR system will consume quite a lot of electricity,
Choose the right taps and showers for bathroom/kitchen to save electricity
World over there are talks going on about saving resources. In addition to energy, water is an equally or even more important resource to save. At homes, people are mostly concerned about saving electricity, as the charges of electricity are more as compared to the amount they pay for water. But at Bijli Bachao we have repeatedly mentioned that saving water can also save electricity. If there is efficient use of hot water in a house it can save electricity required
Learning from a Thermos – Designing a well insulated space
When I was a child I used to have a lot of curiosity while using a Thermos (or vacuum flask). It was always like magic that it used to keep hot things hot and cold things cold all the time. It neither had fire in it to keep things hot nor ice to keep things cool. Later in high school we learnt the basics of heat transfer, and that was when the theory behind the thermos became clear to me. After so many years, when I think of it, a lot of it can be applied to saving
Evaluation and comparison of Superfan, a BEE 5 star rated fan and regular fans
Since we started Bijli Bachao, which was almost two years back, we have been experimenting with various appliances and measuring their electricity consumption. At our own home we measured electricity consumption of some of the appliances, replaced them with efficient options and estimated the impact post replacement. One of these is the ceiling fan. We were on regular fans about a year back, when we replaced them with BEE 5 star rated ceiling fans. And just 3 months
Power Saver Devices for Air Conditioners
One of the frequently asked question that we get on our website is: “Is there something that I can put on my Air Conditioner that can reduce its electricity consumption? There are power savers available for Air Conditioners in the market, are they genuine and is it legal to use them?” There are multiple types of power saver devices available in the market, and it is very important to figure out if you need one and if you do, which is the right one. Most of these
Air Conditioners with Heat Pump can save electricity for heating in winters
Several places in Northern India experience extreme winters and summers every year. To deal with such extreme weather, most people buy both air conditioners as well as room heaters. It not only adds to the number of appliances in a house, but also significantly increases electricity bills in summers as well as winters. Air conditioners because they have a thermostat (which controls temperature) do not consume a lot of electricity as compared to room heaters, which
Ceiling Fan blade angle can impact electricity consumption
You have a few ceiling fans in your home or office, and you yourself clean them or ask your maid to clean them up regularly. You feel good when you look at nice and clean fans, but have you ever wondered if in the process you have mistakenly disturbed the fan blade angle? Recently during one of our visits at a home we found that the angles of ceiling fan blades were completely disturbed (as shown in the image below) and on asking the reason for the same, we found that
Why do Power Cuts happen?
The phrase “Power Cuts” is quite well known and familiar to most people in India. Many of us have seen lot of power cuts in our lives, some planned and some unplanned. Cursing the government or the electricity distribution company is the most common thing that we do when we face power cuts. When I was growing up I always used to think that there is limited electricity and rationing is happening, so that everyone gets his or her share of it. Having seen things being