Electricity bill is a major component in terms of operational expenses of an organisation. Ever-increasing, exorbitant electricity bills have a negative impact on business viability. When it is time to pay for electricity bills, we naturally get tensed. However, one cannot function without electricity either as all equipments are driven by power.
But if you use electricity-powered equipment with some caution, electricity is definitely saved and electricity bills come down. In summer, organisations pay double, even triple, of what they pay during other months. The electricity costs continue to grow and make more and more people struggle to fulfil their needs.
There are many methods, such as changing your office operations and adjusting to a new way of thinking with which you can reduce your electricity bill. Some of the things will be difficult to change and will receive resistance from other co-workers, but if you want to reduce the cost of your electricity bill, you will have to make some adjustments in your office working style.
The reduction in electricity bills can be achieved through the following measures:
- Use cost-effective lights
If you have decided to reduce the electricity bill then first change your office bulbs. Use the LED bulb instead of the old normal bulb. LED or CFL bulbs save 70 to 80 percent of electricity than normal bulbs. Although LED bulbs are of course expensive, but you can save enough electricity by using them.
Use 36 watts tube light instead of 40 watt. Always place the tube light with an electronic choke so that it will light up immediately and save electricity.
- Keep the Air Conditioner in Good Condition
Ensure servicing of your office air conditioners before the summer season begins. Also, keep the temperature setting accurate. By doing this, you can bring considerable reduction in the electricity bill.
- Tap solar energy
These days, solar energy is the in-thing. Although initially, consumers have to spend a lot of money, but after some time electricity expenses are reduced considerably.
- Switch off lights after use
The easiest and the best way to save electricity is to switch off electrical equipment if you do not need them. Never spend electricity without any reason. If you are going from one cabin to another and there is no one sitting in your cabin, then switch off the cabin’s light and AC together as you get up.
- Better arrangement of ventilation
If ventilation is right in your office, then you will not need to run the fan for a long time, nor will you need keep the lights on. If possible, keep the windows open during the day so that sunlight can come in. In this way, some power can be easily saved.
- Get regular plumbing done
If any water pump in your office is leaking or torn, then fix it. We do not know, but the truth is that due to leakage, the water drops from the leaking pipe and the entire tank becomes empty. To fill in, we have to run a Tulu or water motor from time to time.
Handy Tips for Reducing Office Electricity Bills
- Set the screen saver to blank on the computer to save power. Some people think of screen saver as a means of saving power but it only saves the screen, not electricity.
- Using LCD, LED TVs reduces power consumption to a great extent.
- Keep the air conditioning set to a normal temperature i.e. at 24 degrees.
- Always keep the computer, monitor, and printer in sleep mode, when you do not use the device, it saves electricity.
- Get information about energy saving mode and go for it, as it saves a
lot of power. - Starting and shutting down computer etc does not consume extra power, nor does it have a bad effect on the parts. So at work, keep the computer shut, if it is not in use.
- In other words, if the computer is no longer in use, turn off the power switch otherwise power consumption will continue.
- Charger plugs of mobile, laptop, camera etc should be removed after use.
- Apply the habit of turning off the light when not in use. This is the first requirement that everyone knows, but does not pay attention to it.
- During the daylight hours, open the curtains, go into the sunlight and turn off the power lights and lamps. Never leave any light open in a cabin or cubicle when you go out, every single penny counts.
- Buy LCD monitor instead of CRT, it will cost less electricity.
- Power consumption can be largely saved by using low power electrical equipment and using electricity only when required.
- Clean dust regularly deposited on bulb, tubelight etc. Due to low light, more lights have to be lit.
- Use LED instead of the old bulb or tubelight. A 15 watts LED bulb gives the same light that comes with a 100-watt bulb.
- Long lasting and low consumption LED bulbs save the initial cost is a little higher, but you will find that they last long and use very little electricity. Make a call to your power company to check out your meter and inspect your office if there are areas that demand attention.
- Replace the tube light with the old copper choke with a new electronic choke.
- Buy ACs, TVs, and refrigerators or so on by watching their star rating. More the stars, the more power will be saved.
- Keep the AC filter clean from time to time, it will help achieve proper cooling and also save electricity.
- Set the temperature of the refrigerator to medium.
- Make the maximum use of natural light. Use light shade colours for curtains, etc in the office.
- Firstly you should find out whether you are consuming more power. In general, things computers, TVs and ACs are left unnecessarily on.
- Keep your thermostat at no more or less than 24 degrees, both in summer and winter. Be adapted at that temperature and soon you will get used to it. Keep this temperature to keep your electric heat pump working hard, therefore, electricity is saved.
- While in office, refrain from watching TV for long. And if you are really serious about cutting your electricity bill, do not keep the TV in your cabin.
- If you are working on the computer, connect only one device at a time. There is a little known fact that many people do not realize that if you are not using tools like a computer, coffee maker, TV, radio, etc but they are still connected, electricity is still consuming unnecessarily.
- Keep off unplugged devices that are not in use, it will save a little on your electricity bill.
- Limit your activities to a minimum while using electric equipment, 5 to 8 minutes of time are enough to achieve their capacity.
- Spend one day without TV; plan a game; go to a movie and spend time without colleagues. Limit the time your employees spend, if possible, on computer or video games.
- Saving your electric expenses, you can save money and plan for the further growth of your business. In a year you will save a lot of money. If you stick to your guns, you can take down your electricity consumption.
- You turn on water to wash hands, in some time you put a brush under a stream of water and in the remaining time water just flows away. It takes your money. To solve this problem, switch off the water as soon as possible.
- Just attach the sensor nozzle to your tap. The principle of its operation is based on the sensor with a photocell, which determines whether something is under the tap or not. If so, for example, your toothbrush is under tap water, but if you remove it, the water supply will stop immediately! You can install this nozzle on any tap in only 5 minutes.
- Install an invertor and regularly check its functioning. Please maintain optimum use of your power invertor.
- Washrooms of your office too need regular maintenance. You can save money on the water line! For this, it is necessary to install two-button flushing barrels.
- When you press the small button from the reservoir, then 2-4 litres of water will go out, but if you need to wash something more serious by pressing a big button, you will get 7-8 litres.
Latest Research on Reducing Power Bills
Have you ever thought that air conditioners in your office can work without electricity? This seems to be a little unlikely, but researchers from Stanford University of America say that this is quite possible with the technique of sky-cooling. The cooling tool has been developed from a new coating material. The technique can provide great relief to people from paying huge electricity bills.
According to Aaswath Raman, chief co-author of the research report, radiant sky cooling takes advantage of the natural wealth of our environment. You can transfer the heat in the form of infrared radiation, as is the case with the outer space. It can cool down any building without electricity, after which it calms the air temperature in the entire environment and provides a non-evaporative path.
This invention is made from a very thin multi-coloured material. The credit for it goes to Raman and co-worker Eli Goldstein and Shanhui Fan. It was first tested in 2014. This material is composed of Hafnium oxide on top of seven layers of silicon dioxide and a thin layer of silver. It does two things at the same time. It transforms invisible infrared heat within a building into cold outer space (using it as a heat sink), as well as reflects the sunlight which heats the building.
According to the authors, the material acts as ‘radiator and an excellent mirror’ and cools down the building in low air conditioning conditions. The internal structure of the material is prepared to radiate infrared rays at a frequency, allowing them to reach the space without heating the air near the building.
Raman elaborates that the liquid cooling panel in Indian buildings, supermarkets, cold storage facilities, data centres, office buildings, malls and other commercial buildings can be very effective in commercial refrigeration. It is completely free of charge. This technology can be used in those rural areas where not-much-cold equipments are required. For the practical use of technology, the technical problems are sorted out. The engineers first try to know how to absorb the building’s heat efficiently in coating materials. They then create a panel for this.
