Energy... Be the Difference!!!

By `Lanre Okanlawon


Loyal readers, it has been a full month since any update on this blog. My overloaded schedule is to blame and the fact that I have been spending a large amount of my time off the internet.

Last weekend, I thought to myself, “There’s so much fuss about the need for people to use energy considerably and “wisely”. But the truth is that most people are not bothered especially because they don’t realize the consequences of their actions when they use energy irrationally.

Our everyday activities often consist of the use of every appliance around us without considering the possibilities of any adverse effects on the national energy supply and demand system. Right from the minute you wake up in the morning, a lot of energy is used. Your typical morning routine is probably similar to this; wake up with the air conditioner (or heater) on, turn on the TV to listen to some morning news or cool music, do some laundry, grab some breakfast from the refrigerator, heat some water for tea, make sure your mobile phones are fully charged and check your email before heading off to start your day.

Have you ever wondered about the impact of your appliances on the country’s energy needs? For example, the number of refrigerators in America is estimated at 152 million units. An average refrigerator consumes 0.14kWh per hour. Following this, the total power consumption of American refrigerators is about 21,280,000kWh. Interestingly, the amount of energy these refrigerators consume is more than the same amount that could power more than 22,000 households in one month.

A universally established unexploited solution to the current issues of energy security, fossil fuel diminution, climate change and environmental pollution is making residential homes, offices, factories and our different means of transportation more energy efficient. Recent energy-efficient appliances such as refrigerators, laundry machines, fridges, ovens, kitchen cookers and dishwashers utilize notably less energy than older electronic appliances. Modern energy efficient refrigerators, for example, use 40 percent less power than conventional models did in 2001. As a result of this, if all households in Europe changed their more than ten year old appliances into new ones, 20 billion kWh of electricity would be saved annually, hence reducing CO₂ emissions by almost 18 billion kg. The impact of energy efficiency on peak demand depends on when the appliance is used. For example, an air conditioner uses more energy during the afternoon when it is hot. Therefore, an energy efficient air conditioner will have a larger impact on peak demand than off-peak demand. An energy efficient dishwasher, on the other hand, uses more energy during the late evening when people do their dishes. This appliance may have little to no impact on peak demand.

The gospel of energy efficiency goes beyond creating a justification for people to reduce the burden on existing power generation facilities and energy sources at any given time. It is actually more of a campaign for a responsible cultural paradigm shift towards reducing the amount of energy needed to meet our everyday power needs. Efficient (consequently cheaper) and responsible daily energy use invariably translates to more rapid economic growth and development. We all want to see positive changes and experience better living conditions. This is not impossible, let the positive change start with you and spread this gospel. I’m doing exactly the same thing!