Understanding Energy Conservation

A simple solution to reduce the unnecessary demand for fossil fuels is implementing Energy Conservation. Energy Conservation can be defined as the process of achieving the same work output utilizing methods that require less energy.

The top 5 ways of implementing energy conservation in office spaces or homes are:

• Lighting: encourage good conservation practice of turning lights off when leaving a room. Exchange inefficient incandescent bulbs for more efficient LEDs. Install motion-triggered lights
• Heating or Cooling spaces: ensure all air-conditioned rooms are properly sealed off so not to put strain on the units. Put in door sweeps on all doors to minimize leakage.
• Temperature Control: Set thermostats to 20 to 25 degrees Celsius for occupied hours and above 26 for unoccupied hours.
• Office Equipment: replace any inefficient equipment in your home or office with more efficient ones.
• Awareness: encourage employees or family members to understand the concern for global warming and instill the importance of implementing these conservation practices

The positive results of implementation of simple energy conservation practices have been exemplified in the literature. One example of this has been demonstrated in the KCG College of Technology, Chennai in India where conservation methods were introduced to aid in reducing the school’s annual electricity tariff. The school began by replacing their antiquated ceiling fans and lighting with higher efficiency rating models according to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency. The older equipment had an annual energy usage of 2059.3kWh while the newer ones only used 1235.2kWh. Further savings of 222kWh were achieved by installing a sensor-based switching system which ensured appliances only remained on while needed. In total, these energy savings amounted to roughly 1000kWh per annum or a 55.3% reduction to their annual electricity tariff.

It is evident that energy conservation is an essential first step in combatting climate change and achieving carbon neutrality. The Kenson Group echoes the importance of this statement and recognizes our duty to contribute to the global efforts proposed by the Paris Agreement. As such, we have sought to be leaders in energy conservation and earnestly encourage others to do the same by following the below template in one’s own business or home.

1. Begin with Education: Awareness is the first step in achieving Energy Conservation as getting people to understand the importance of it and need for it sets a fantastic foundation for the next few steps.
2. Start Small: Focus on the smaller things first such as turning off lights, computers and air conditioning once leaving a room and fixing all leaks whether it be piping leaks or air leaks in an Air-conditioned room.
3. Conduct an Energy Audit: Get an audit done on your building. This will provide you with the relevant information on your energy usage.
4. Change out inefficient equipment with more efficient ones: Once the audit is done you will be able to see where you can cut down on your energy use. Replacing incandescent bulbs with LEDs and replacing older equipment with newer more efficient ones is a great place to start.

By following these steps, you will be doing your part in contributing to the movement to carbon neutrality and thereby combating climate change.