If your electricity bill has been a shocker of late, it would be easy to blame the summers or your meter. Round-the-clock air conditioning and upgradation of the old analog meter to the new digital one may be partially to blame for the stiff billing, but more than that—believe it or not—it could be your habits on how you regulate your household appliances. Don’t get me wrong, but I’m sure you too have caught yourself trying to do just what I’m about to recommend. After all, wouldn’t you want to cut some flab off your power bill and turn your house green? Screen saver: computerTurn off your computer and adapters when not in use. Preferably, plug them out. We all tend to leave our PCs with unlimited broadband connections on all night. With so much on the Internet to download (songs from that Independent Band you love, podcasts, ebooks, projects for school, linux downloads running into gigabytes), it does seem convenient to download at night. A better way is to get a download manager—like The Free Download Manager from freedownloadmanager.com or Download Accelerator (giganet.com)—that can shut down your PC after completing the download. Clean sweep: washroomHow much time do you spend in the washroom? Most people spend 30-40 minutes—and tend to leave the lights on every time. With kids, it’s a regular occurrence. The way out? For Rs 200-500, you can buy a timer switch that will turn off the lights within the time you want (it’s programmable). It’s a brilliant product and can help you shave more money off your power bill. Though it requires an electrician to install it, it will be more than a boon. On/off: infrared switchesIf you’ve seen the recent ads on infrared switches that help light up the stairwell or the passage between the rooms, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Though the infrared-based switches by big brands are not easily available, there are cheaper Chinese imports, starting at Rs 700 a switch, that can control up to 400 watts of power. The sensor can be programmed to keep the lights on for 10 seconds to 10 minutes, and then turn them off. A good area to use them in is corridors for night lights, or a second light in the kitchen. It’s also a good idea to replace all the incandescent bulbs with CFLs. Blowing hot and cold: fanTurn that fan off. Yes, it’s hot, but you don’t need the fan when you are not there. We all think that a running fan will keep the room cool when we come back from office. Instead, try leaving a window open. Anyway, a running fan will not help reduce the room’s temperature. Light effect: solar lampIf you want to spend the evenings in your garden, verandah or on the roof, you would, of course, want lighting. A good option is an appliance that I found on the Internet—the solar lamp. You will also get it in the market for a cool Rs 3,000-5,000 per lamp, and two of these can give you enough light to make it feel like a candle-light dinner. The best part? It works every day and you don’t need to turn it on or off.At dusk it turns on, at dawn, it switches off and goes into the charging mode (you do need to place it in direct sunlight). Besides, you don’t need anyone to install it for you. Cold comfort: refrigeratorIt’s the devil that no one really bothers about. Your refrigerator does have an automatic thermostat that helps you save money, but is it set properly? To find out, invest in a thermometer that will cost no more than Rs 50. No, it’s not the one available at the chemist; look for a science hobby shop or your AC serviceman. Your fridge must be set between 4 and 8 degree Celsius, and the freezer between minus 10 and minus 15 degree Celsius. If the temperatures are lower, you are wasting energy, and yes, paying more for it. A tip here is to make sure that the fridge is in an area with proper air circulation around the unit. If it’s stored between cabinets or in a hot place, it may be eating up a lot more power. The writer is chairman and CEO of System 3 gagandeep@system3group.com
