Saving energy

1. How to reduce or replace electricity consumption in our homes
Introduction
Energy is needed by the whole world to function. It is vital in both businesses
and domestically. Every day, factories use electricity for production. Also in our
household, we need it for cooking, heating, and also for some entertainment
such as watching the television. All this require energy in the form of electricity.
This simply means our electricity consumption is high and therefore this results
to our continuous electricity tariffs.
Have we ever thought about where our electricity comes from, what resources
are used to generate electricity, and whether these resources will last us for a
lifetime? According to (Baxter, et al., 2013) for almost all the homes in South
Africa, the main source of energy they use is electricity. Electricity is made in
power stations (Baxter, et al., 2013) and usually, requires burning of fuels. In
South Africa, the main source is coal.
According to (Eskom, 2016), their power stations in South Africa rely on coals to
produce electricity. This simply means that we are risking our coal supply
because it is a non-renewable source and there for it will not last forever. The
way we use electricity also has an impact on the amount of coal that must be
burned to produce electricity and this leads to high electricity tariffs. Therefore,
it is important that we come with ways to reduce our electricity consumption in
our homes and also use renewable energy for sustainability.
This paper aims to discuss ways which can be used to replace and reduce
electricity consumption and costs in our homes. Alternatives such as, solar water
heating, photovoltaics (PV) electricity generation, solar cooker, liquid petroleum

2. gas (LPG) cookers, light-emitting diodes(LED) and compact fluorescent
lighting(CFL) for light and other alternatives.
Solar water heating(SWH)
Figure 1: (Photo by (GBA, 2016)
(Foster, et al., 2010) states that, “renewable energy denotes a clean, nontoxic
energy source that cannot be exhausted”. Solar radiation is an example of
renewable energy. It is received every day, and can provide energy enough to
cater for huge populations freely. Solar water heating, is referred to as the use
of sunlight as a renewable energy source for heating of water. It is a worldwide
known fact that when water is placed in a container usually metal and exposed
to the sun, the water will get heated. Though it will not boil, it will be suitable for
house chores such as washing and cleaning of the house. This according to
(Thorpe, 2011), Horace de Saussure, a Swiss naturalist, was the first to discover
that thermal radiation from the solar can be trapped by the glass.
The SWH systems include storage tanks and solar collector. According to
(Thorpe, 2011), as the radiation is absorbed by the collectors, that usually have
a black chrome, the liquid that passes inside those pipes gets heated. The
heated liquid will then be transferred to the storage tank, as the cold liquid makes

3. its way towards the collector also known as conduction and convection (Thorpe,
2011). When the water gets heated at the bottom of the tank, it will begin to move
fast, occupy more space and rise to the top(convection), in return, cold water will
sink to the bottom and be heated in return (Thorpe, 2011). As this process
continues, water in the tank will boil and be ready for desired use.
Considering the fact that we need hot water daily, it is advisable to replace
electrical geysers with SWH in our homes. It must be taken into consideration
that electricity costs are rising, and an SWH use free energy from the sun. It is
also environmentally friendly as it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
According to (Thorpe, 2011), this technology is much more affordable
domestically, and has seen a growth throughout the world in places like China,
Germany and the United States.
Photovoltaics electricity generation (PV)
Electricity is a basic need for the society. However, there are still some places,
more especially in rural areas that do not have access to electricity whereas
some cannot keep up with the rising tariffs of electricity. The Photovoltaic effect
can be used to eradicate these issues. Photovoltaic according to (Foster, et al.,
2010), describes the process of producing electricity from sunlight. Considering
that sunlight radiates daily, it could mean everyone can have access to
electricity.
According to (Thorpe, 2011), the effect of PV was discovered in 1839 by Edmond
Becquerel. PV also known as solar modules are made up of solar cells that are
connected in series (Eskom, 2016). However, since sunlight is not also there,
this means this energy should be stored. This solar is stored in batteries.
(Eskom, 2016) States that PV systems have a battery for storage and a controller
that regulates energy in and out of the system.

4. Figure 2: PV panels installed on a private home in Brooklyn Heights, New York
(Photo courtesy of Alan Blake (SEIA, 2013)
This can help in lowering our electricity consumption and provide electricity for
almost every household. This is because energy from PV systems can be used
in all our household appliances. And some of the advantages include, solar is
renewable therefore it will be for a lifetime, and it does not impact badly on the
greenhouse gases (Eskom, 2016).
CFL and LEDs for lighting
Lighting is important in our households, therefore it is important that we use
lighting that is energy efficient to help reduce electricity costs and carbon
footprints. (1000Bulbs, 2016) claims that lighting consumes an average of 25%
of energy budget in our homes. This claim is practical considering the fact that
we use light for almost everything in our homes. For instance, when cooking,
bathing or doing any work in our homes, we need light to see.

5. (Howard, et al., 2011) Defines light as electromagnetic radiation that is visual to
the human eye. It may come from daylighting from the sun and overhead bulbs
in our homes. In our households we use light bulbs, and they require electricity
to function. Have we ever wondered if the light bulbs we use are energy efficient?
According to (Howard, et al., 2011) Compact fluorescent light (CFL) and light-
emitting diodes (LED) are examples of energy efficient lights and they can save
energy.
CFL bulbs according to (Howard, et al., 2011), are fluorescent, gas-discharge
lamps converting ultraviolet to light by bulb coating. There is also LED light which
(Howard, et al., 2011) define as a solid-state lighting, fabricated from solid
materials that conduct electrons. Electrons in LEDs flow in one direction and
when the electrons meet the holes, their energy levels drop thus releasing a
photon (Howard, et al., 2011).
As we look into their advantages, (Philips, 2016) says, LEDs release no
ultraviolet or infrared radiation, they use less energy, they produce very bright
light and mostly importantly they last longer. As for CFLs, they have high light
quality, they have less pollution and save lots of energy as a 22-watt CFL is
equivalent in terms of lighting to a 100-watts incandescent bulb (1000Bulbs,
2016).
These lights have one thing in common, they are use less energy and have long
lifespan. Installing this lights can be of great value in our homes, because though
they may cost a little bit more than the regular bulbs we will not have to worry
about replacing bulbs gradually. This basically means we can have light for a
very long time, with the use of less energy. The electricity usage for lighting can
also decrease in our homes. Also as an alternative, it would be advisable to
reduce amount of light used by turning off lights when we are not using them and
lowering bulbs voltage by also having dimmers.

6. Figure 3: Types of bulbs (Photo by (Scientific India, 2014)
Conclusion
Resorting to these alternatives is for good course. This may help us in reducing
our carbon emissions, and reduce our effects on greenhouse gases. It is vital for
us because too much carbon lead to climate changes such as global warming,
and this may result in us receiving more than normal heat resulting to massive
droughts. It will also help in reducing our costs as we know that electricity tariffs
are always high. It is important that we also practice safe electricity consumption
by switching off appliances and lights when they are not in use.

7. References
1000Bulbs, [2016]. 1000Bulbs. [Online] Available at:
https://www.1000bulbs.com/category/cfl-bulbs/ [Accessed 02 September 2016].
Baxter, F., Collett, H., Dilley, L. & Snyman, E., [2013]. Oxford Successful Natural
Sciences Grade 9 Learner's Book. Cape Town: Oxford University Press
Southern Africa.
Eskom, [2016]. Eskom. [Online] Available at:
http://www.eskom.co.za/AboutElectricity/ElectricityTechnologies/Pages/Electric
ity_Technologies.aspx [Accessed 28 August 2016].
Eskom, [2016]. Eskom. [Online] Available at:
http://www.eskom.co.za/AboutElectricity/ElectricityTechnologies/Pages/Solar_
Power.aspx [Accessed 2 September 2016].
Foster, R., Ghassemi, M. & Cota, A., [2010]. Solar Energy: Renewable Energy
and the Environment. Boca Raton: CRC Press: Taylor and Francis Group.
GBA, [2016]. Green Building Africa. [Online] Available at:
http://greenbuildingafrica.com/solar-water-heating/ [Accessed 02 September
2016].
Howard, B. C., Brinsky, W. J. & Leitman, S., [2011]. Green Lighting: How Energy-
Efficient Lighting Can Save You Moneyand ReduceYour Carbon Footprint. New
York: McGraw-Hill.
Philips, [2016]. Philips Color Kinetics. [Online] Available at:
http://www.colorkinetics.com/Learn/What-is-an-LED/ [Accessed 02 Septmber
2016].

8. Scientific India, [2014]. Scientific India. [Online] Available at:
http://www.scind.org/46/Mindblower/led-or-cfl.html [Accessed 02 September
2016].
SEIA, [2013]. Solar Energy Indusries Association. [Online]
Available at: http://www.seia.org/policy/solar-technology/photovoltaic-solar-
electric [Accessed 02 September 2016].
Thorpe, D., [2011]. Solar Technology: The Earthscan Expert Guide to Using
Solar Energy For Heating, Cooling and electricity. New York: Earthscan.