World Environment Day is celebrated every year to emphasise the significance of environmental protection. The theme for 2022 is ‘Only One Earth’ and this year, the focus is on living sustainably and in harmony with nature. When it comes to sustainable living and using energy-efficient solutions, we often miss looking at ways in which we can incorporate this as a ritual into our homes. Our everyday home appliances are a boon to us as it makes our lives easy and comfortable, but using them wisely can also help us save energy and contribute to a healthier environment.
One of the best ways to invest in our planet is to become more conscious about the energy use in our daily life, especially in our homes. Energy efficiency involves using less energy to do the same tasks, reducing energy waste along with saving on electricity bills. We need to be aware of the use of energy in our everyday lives.
Here are some quick tips for making your home more energy-efficient from Voltas and Voltas Beko-
Upgrade your appliances
While upgrading your appliances, look at the Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) as one of the key components. The higher the EER value, the energy-efficient your AC will be. You must choose appliances that are 5 Star rated as that will reduce energy consumption by significant levels. When it comes to air conditioners for your home, choose ACs that come with Adjustable Tonnage Mode that allows the user to switch within multiple tonnages, depending on the ambient heat or number of people in the room. Look for eco-friendly refrigerants such as the Green R32 refrigerant in your room ACs as it lessens the carbon footprint too.
Another way to do this is using appliances like dishwashers, instead of manual cleaning as it reduces usage of water significantly.
Using home appliances the right way
Your home is full of consumer appliances and making them efficient and keeping the energy consumption low is your responsibility. Here are the different ways to help your appliances consume lesser energy-
- Refrigerators – Apart from star rating, look at refrigerators that come with brushless ProSmartTM Inverter Motor that keeps the wear and tear down for a durable and long-lasting cooling experience and ensures up to 70 per cent energy efficiency. To avoid overcooling and wasting electricity, set your refrigerator’s temperature to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Also, keep in mind that refrigerators and freezers are most efficient when they are filled, so keep them moderately full. At the same time avoid overfilling them because this reduces ventilation and makes the appliance work harder.
- Washing Machines – Keeping the water temperature of your washing machine low and avoiding half loads whenever possible will lead to lesser energy consumption. Opt for a 5-star rated washing machine that provides superior wash quality with minimal water usage and is energy efficient. Using washing machines at night is a wise idea as it will keep the house cooler, lessen the strain on the electricity grid during peak consumption hours between 4 p.m. – 6 p.m., and lower the risk of an emergency! You can look at the Voltas Beko’s washing machines that comes with dynamic functions like GentleWave™ system and Prosmart™ Inverter Motor, a function that enhances the machine’s performance while consuming less energy.
- Dishwashers – Contrary to popular belief, using dishwashers is not only more hygienic but also ensures that our resources are used more effectively. A dishwasher saves time and provides far more optimized use of water and electricity. Modern dishwashers can use less amount of water to clean the dishes efficiently because of technology like AquaIntenseTM that provides intense water pressure to clean heavily soiled pots and pans and helps in lowering the energy consumption too.
- Room Air Conditioners – When using an air conditioner in the warmer months, close blinds, shades and drapes on the sunny side of your home to help keep your home’s temperature cooler and reduce the work for your AC. Open shades during cooler months to let the sun warm your home. Keep the AC temperature at an optimum level and not the coolest. This ensures that the cooling is consistent and also reduces energy consumption. The indoor temperature should be closer to the outdoor temperature, rather than being at the lowest possible setting.
Give appliances a break!
Much like yourself, your devices need a break too! Running them continuously and especially, utilizing all functions exhausts them and leads to early breakage or reduced life. It is important to shut them off when not in use and ensure that they are not running throughout the day. Also, turn off the main switches of appliances and unplug the idle electronics when you are not at home and especially away for vacations. This will ensure, your appliances get a break too while you are away.
Making all these changes might seem like a big task, but when one person starts bringing that change, a snowballing effect is created. To bring that change, we need to first start it from our homes. Making conscious efforts in our everyday lives to ensure an energy-efficient home will lead us towards a sustainable and better future.