It is generally accepted that in Russia electricity is inexpensive. And therefore, for a long time, neither business nor individuals paid special attention to saving energy. The reasons, objectively speaking, were for this - in our country, perhaps the best energy supply system in the world, there are a large number of power plants, a developed network of control over the distribution of energy. All this allows you to generate electricity cheaper than in many developed countries.
But inflation does not stand still - and now the tariffs are rather big. Theses on the need to improve energy efficiency are discussed at the government level. It is necessary to save electricity to both citizens and business. The question is how best to do this, which device to save electricity to put at home or in the factory.
First, let's talk about what are the options for saving electricity in homes and apartments. And then let's move on to energy efficiency in the corporate field.
So, for the owner of the apartment, who has a priority task - saving energy, this scheme.
Change the light bulbs
One of the most effective and affordable ways to save electricity at home is to replace incandescent bulbs with more modern ones (LED, fluorescent or halogen). On average, savings come up to 5-6 times. Some types of modern lamps have a longer service life compared to traditional products (up to 10 times).
We look at the energy efficiency class
When buying new household appliances (especially those types that are very energy efficient - washing machines, for example), you need to look at what specific model has energy efficiency indicators (class). If we take the same “washers” - then A ++ class devices are approximately 20 percent more energy efficient than those that belong to the A-class.
We use the refrigerator wisely
In many apartments, the most consuming type of household appliances is a refrigerator. One of the most costly procedures in terms of energy consumption is the freezing and thawing process. If the No Frost option is installed in the refrigerator, then there is no need for this, and therefore such a device will by default be more energy efficient than a regular one. The No Frost refrigerator is an excellent appliance in itself to save energy.
The refrigerator should be located away from appliances that produce heat (in particular, from heating radiators). It is undesirable to furnish a refrigerator with kitchen cabinets and create a narrow space where air circulates with difficulty. It is not recommended to put cold food in it.
Cover saves kilowatts
Interesting fact. When water without a lid is boiling on an electric stove, a lot of heat is lost, which is why the device has to get this leak due to electricity. Hence, another effective option for saving electricity is to boil water on the stove, closing the pan with a lid.
Overload or underload - losses
Now about washing machines. The level of maximum energy efficiency in these devices is achieved with an optimal load of linen (according to technical documentation). If the machine holds 5 kg - then so much and need to be loaded with each wash. If the laundry objectively does not require soaking, do not use it. If the clothes are not dirty - you can do with low-temperature modes (30-35 degrees).
Light the room efficiently
If possible, in the rooms and other residential premises should use local luminaires - sconces, floor lamps. It is best to equip each corner of the room with a separate lamp - for evening reading, for ironing. It makes sense to turn on the chandelier only if guests come or you need to do the cleaning. But almost always, general lighting can be replaced with economical LED strips located around the perimeter of the walls or ceiling. They will also make the room more stylish.
Kettle - for a cup
The most economical mode of operation with an electric kettle is boiling water only in the right amount. It is advisable to completely fill the device’s containers and boil it if the whole family is sitting at the table or guests come. It is also worth noting - an electric kettle boils water with greater energy efficiency than a stove.
Economical iron
The ironing process is best divided into three stages. On the first (immediately after turning on the iron) - iron things that do not need a high temperature (for example, handkerchiefs, wool products). On the second (as soon as the iron heats up - usually then the light goes out on it) - exclusively those that are well ironed with a hot iron (shirts, trousers). At the third stage, you should turn off the iron from the outlet and iron those things that are close in characteristics to socks and wool.
Energy Time Management
In many cities of Russia there are so-called night electricity tariffs (they are usually 30-40% cheaper than daytime). It makes sense to use this and include, for example, a washing machine, a slow cooker (and, if possible, other appliances) to save electricity only during those hours when these tariffs are active. Some types of devices are perfectly adapted for this. For example, almost all modern machines and stoves are equipped with a delayed start mode - the exact start time for washing or cooking can be programmed.
Saving - as on the screen
A TV and a computer operating in a partial backlight mode consume much less energy than when fully active. Savings of at least 5%. Therefore, if possible, you need to use this mode. Concerning computers: "sleeping" and "waiting" modes were invented not in vain. During them, the consumption of electricity by the device is reduced to minimum values.
Miniature waster
Surprisingly, one of the most energy-consuming appliances in modern Russian apartments is the charger for the phone (smartphone, tablet). And this despite the small power (about 5-10 watts). The thing is that the owners stably forget these devices in outlets. So these modest 5-10 watts completely imperceptibly “wind up” the amount of energy comparable to what is consumed by chandeliers at the end of the month. Be sure to disconnect the charger to save electricity.
Vacuum Cleaner - Vacuum Cleaner
A vacuum cleaner with a clean, sealed dust collector is approximately 40% more energy efficient than one whose reservoir is thoroughly clogged or cracked. 40% of 1500-2000 watts (vacuum cleaners consume so much on average) - this is comparable to how much they “wind up” all the lamps installed in the apartment.
Pan size matters
If you put dishes on the electric stove, the bottom diameter of which strictly coincides with the size of the burners, then this will increase the energy efficiency of the cooking process by 5-10% compared to the regime when the arrangement of pots and pans goes “randomly”. It is also important that the bottom of the dishes is flat. Another tip: as soon as the water boils, you should immediately switch to the energy-saving mode with a lower temperature (heating cannot go above 100 degrees - the water will only evaporate, and the energy will be wasted).
Energy Saving at Home: Advanced Technology
The owners of modern Russian apartments can use various devices that save energy. Very popular, in particular, dimmers (also called dimmers).
These devices are installed instead of switches. With their help, you can smoothly adjust the brightness level of the light (the devices are equipped with regulators for the voltage supplied to the lamps from the mains). If, say, 100-watt lamps are installed in the room, then the dimmer allows you to “turn” them into 30-watt according to the situation. Or, say, 80-watt. A dimmer is a device for saving energy, reviews of which characterize this invention as very technological.
The whole truth about LEDs
LED is an electrical element that allows you to generate light streams using much less current energy than a conventional incandescent lamp. LED lamp is a device for saving energy, reviews of which, as it is, are exceptionally positive.
The main question that interests the Russian consumer is whether real savings come out when installing LED-based lighting fixtures? How tangible is it? Experts, in order not to be unfounded, most often justify the advantages of LEDs in this way.
The flux of light radiation is measured in special units - lumens. A conventional incandescent lamp emits approximately 14 lumens per 1 watt of electrical energy that it consumes. Energy-saving fluorescent lamp - approximately 61 lumens. LED - about 100. So, purely technologically, this device bypasses its traditional "competitors".
Let's try to work with numbers. Take the mid-market
fluorescent lamp, in which 5 energy-saving lamps are installed. It consumes about 330 kilowatts per year (if turned on for 12 hours daily). Suppose a kilowatt costs 5 rubles (to say exactly how much electricity costs in Russia on average is difficult, there is a very large regionalization of tariffs). Then the landlord will pay 1650 rubles. And now we will make calculations for LED lamps. With an efficiency equal to the ratio of lumens per kilowatt (61 to 100), the savings will be almost 1000 rubles. And this is only for one lamp, which may be several to the apartment.
This is what the LED circuit looks like.
The energy efficiency of LEDs is explainable by technology: while conventional incandescent lamps convert a significant percentage of electricity into heat (which makes bulbs hot), the LED almost completely converts electricity into light.
If we use LED lamps, energy savings are not the only plus of these devices. Among other advantages of LEDs is a long service life (about 50 times more than that of incandescent lamps). In these types of lighting devices there are practically no harmful substances (while in many energy-saving lamps there is mercury). LEDs are highly adjustable light (using the same dimmers). Many types of fluorescent lamps cannot operate in a mode of smooth change in the level of current supply. LEDs practically do not flicker, do not blink and do not fail during operation. To fluorescent lamps all these effects are peculiar. LEDs reach the full power of light emission almost instantly. Fluorescent lamps, as a rule, take several seconds to do this. And if the room has a low temperature - sometimes even minutes.
LEDs emit light that is closer to the spectrum of the sun than fluorescent lamps. This is noticeable even with the naked eye. It is enough to see how things look in a room under lighting with different types of devices. LEDs have a much higher so-called light transmission index (or CRI).
For many apartment owners, it is important what “color” the room space is colored when the artificial light source is turned on - warm, neutral or cold. In the case of fluorescent lamps, you can choose a device that can glow in the first or second mode. Lamps with warm (yellow) tones have a color temperature of 2700 kelvin. With neutral (white) - 5000, with cold (blue) - 6500. LEDs give exactly the same opportunity. In this regard, they are a complete replacement for energy-saving lamps. Moreover, these devices themselves can generate many colors.
LEDs do not burn out, unlike other types of lamps. Over the years, they can only lose some consumer properties, but very smoothly and almost imperceptibly for the owner of the apartment.
The main counterargument of opponents of the use of LEDs is the high price of such devices. To some extent this is so. LEDs are more expensive than incandescent lamps and their energy-saving counterparts. But the difference now is not the same as it was a few years ago, when the LEDs just entered the market - since then they have managed to become significantly cheaper. Consider a simple example that can then be shown to skeptics.
An ordinary incandescent lamp (60-watt) costs about 30 rubles.
Energy-saving luminescent (issuing the same luminous flux, consuming about 12 watts) - 150 rubles.
LED (generating the same light intensity, consuming 5 watts) - 500 rubles.
How much is electricity in our example? Take the case when the price of a kilowatt is 3 rubles (about the same in Moscow). Lighting devices in Russian homes (chandeliers, floor lamps) are used about 8-10 hours a day. In a year, therefore, the lamps will burn 2920-3650 hours.
If incandescent lamps are in the lighting devices, then they will consume (we multiply the annual number of hours by the wattage) 175-219 kilowatts. Luminescent - 35-44 kW. LED - 14-19 kilowatts.
We multiply by rubles.
The bill for light when using an incandescent lamp - 525-657 rubles.
Using a fluorescent lamp, the owner will pay 105-132 rubles.
With LED - 44-57 rubles.
Compared to an incandescent lamp, an LED pays for itself in the first year. Skeptics will say: "What about the luminescent product?" Saving just nothing. On the one hand, this is so - with 60 rubles of difference, the LED will pay for itself in 8 years. But we look at the expiration dates: the average indicator for a fluorescent lamp is 10 thousand hours (about 3 years of operation), while the LED indicator has 50 thousand (about 15 years). It turns out that after 10 years of operation, the owner will invest in the purchase of new fluorescent lamps as much as in the LED. But this is without taking into account the net saving of electricity, labor costs for replacing lamps and aesthetic advantages - we indicated above that LED light is closer to sunlight.
Save electricity in the factory
Having considered options for saving electricity in apartments, we move on to the business field. Energy-saving technologies are the most important criterion for enterprise competitiveness and business model stability. Here, every ruble counts. What are the options for Russian companies with saving electricity?
The first thing to do is to install the most accurate modern meters possible - energy-saving technologies begin already at the level of calculations and budgeting of electricity costs.
Among the priority steps for improving energy efficiency are the purchase of frequency converters. These devices allow you to adapt the corporate power supply scheme to individual types of equipment, which can increase their productivity and energy efficiency. A frequency converter is a device for saving energy, the reviews of which reflect a great interest in the operation of such inventions by Russian companies.
Cadres, as you know, decide everything. It is necessary that any responsible person (or a group of employees) deal with issues of increasing the efficiency of electricity consumption at the enterprise. Sometimes the name of such a post sounds like "Responsible for the energy sector." The main responsibilities of such a specialist are to supply the enterprise with advanced technological solutions in the field of energy conservation, technical maintenance of purchased devices, monitoring repair and preventive maintenance, timely equipment diagnostics. Also, the functions of this specialist may include the development of action plans for training in the basics of energy saving for company employees. An accountant can be sent to help the specialist, who can organize calculations on the company's consumption of electricity, keep statistics of energy consumption.
The employee responsible for the energy sector can also develop special regulations, according to which it will not be permissible to exceed the total power consumed by the company for a certain period (for example, a month). He can also conduct corporate events to save electricity - coaching employees, meetings. If, say, there is an excess of capacity (without the approval and approval of the management or other competent employees), then, as an option, the costs will be compensated by the premium part of the salary of the company’s personnel. What language can be in this regulation? For example, the inadmissibility of turning on lighting devices of such and such power, if there are no objective reasons for that.
By analogy with improving the energy efficiency of apartments and residential buildings, it is possible to install (where possible) fluorescent or LED energy-saving lamps.
What device can an organization supply to save energy? A useful option is the installation of RCDs (devices for protective shutdown) as part of the company's power supply system. This is not to say that this is a complete device for saving energy. But it allows you to reduce possible leakage of electricity in the wiring. It is also useful to install soft starters (soft starters). As an option - simultaneously with the RCD. In turn, we can assume that the soft starter is a specialized device for saving energy. It allows you to run industrial equipment, reducing the likelihood of overheating of the engines installed in it, to establish the optimal mode of operation from the point of view of energy consumption.
Before thinking about buying another expensive device to save energy at the enterprise, you need to make sure that resources are involved that are not directly related to high technology. On the contrary, sometimes the opportunity to save on electricity, as they say, lies on the surface. It does not matter how much the equipment costs, what is the diagram of the device for saving energy, what are the nuances of installation and operation. A simple example: painting walls, ceilings and floors of offices and industrial premises in bright colors can significantly increase energy efficiency. This will reduce to a minimum the frequency of turning on the lamps if there is at least evening or early morning sunlight on the street and practically eliminate such a need if the light is daylight. In this regard, you need to keep the windows of offices and industrial premises clean. Experts call the figure of 5-10% - this is savings due to transparent glasses. As you can see, there is no investment in expensive devices, but there is an effect.
You can implement systems that automatically control lighting devices (presence sensors, relays, etc.).
No need to save on investing in new types of electrical engineering and production equipment. You need to understand that a significant part of the world's leading brands are developing for the markets of countries with very expensive electricity. As you know, electricity in Russia, thanks to the combined power of plants and their diversification (there are nuclear, hydro, heat and power plants), is cheaper than in most Western countries. It is necessary to monitor the market of modern developments in the field of energy conservation.
A regulation should be drawn up according to which office staff should use computer equipment. It may contain, for example, such instructions:
- if you need to move away from the workplace - put the computer into "sleep" mode, turn off the monitor;
- always turn off the copier, printer, and scanner if they are not used (since even in standby mode these types of office equipment consume energy);
- do not include air conditioners, heaters without objective need.
Saving light is the way to profit
Having considered the main points related to how energy saving should be carried out at the enterprise, we will consider in detail the aspect of electricity consumption by lighting devices. According to statistics, about 10% (and in some industries - more than 30% of the costs of Russian factories and plants associated with the consumption of electricity, account for the payment of electricity bills.
What are the methods of saving energy in relation to lighting? Experts name a few key ones.
Firstly, lighting installations in factories should be used rationally. One part of the factory should not be allowed to be lit with more powerful lamps than the rest of the territory.
Secondly, one should not allow the level of electric voltage in corporate networks to be higher than the nominal (or lower). In the first case, there will be an overrun of electricity, in the second - the light flux will decrease, which can negatively affect productivity.
Thirdly, it is undesirable for some nodes in the enterprise to work idle. It is necessary to install switches, which will turn off and on separate groups of lighting devices in manual or automatic mode. Automation and simplification of the decision-making process when working to improve energy efficiency are very important, since, in addition to saving electricity, there are also specialized production tasks.