Smartphone vs Smart TV: Which Costs More to Use?
As Malaysians, we are always finding new and creative ways to save money wherever we can; petrol prices going up? Ride a bike, and tell the boss that you will be late. Found that new dress at the store? Wait until it goes on sale. Bottomless drinks offered? Share one cup with the whole gang!
But did you know you can save a significant amount by saving usage cost of electrical appliances at home? The electricity consumption cost per household depends on family size, living habits, number and age of electrical appliances and hours of usage. And unlike the times you could spend much longer than needed to calculate at a sale, there is a simple way where you can calculate the estimated electricity cost for different appliances using the following:
Power rating of the electrical appliance and its efficiency Number of hours used The domestic tariff rate per kilowatt – hour (kWh)
Electricity Consumption (kWh) = Power (watts) x Hours of Operation x 30 days ÷ 1000. The electricity bill calculation is based on the current domestic tariff rate, and electric consumption usually increases due to the following reasons.
Additional electrical appliances as family members grow Electrical loading or size of the appliances Modern lifestyles tend to use more electrical appliances Longer usage of appliances Appliances that can be adjusted at to maximum capacity e.g. air condition, fan, water, heater, etc, result in high load factor. Replacement of smaller appliances to bigger capacity Faulty appliances can lead to inefficiencies in the way they run e.g. refrigerator with faulty thermostat, shortage of refrigerant, or defective door gasket.
Click d’ Thief So you’ve followed every energy saving tip religiously, and yet you don’t see much of a difference in energy costs. Could there be a thief in the house? Not just any physical thief, but an energy stealing thief! Do you know which electrical equipment at your home or office or factory ‘steals’ electricity?
Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia (AWER) has developed an online tool known as Click d’ Thief . This was developed as part of CLICK to Low Carbon Lifestyle programme by AWER and it is designed to assist all level of consumers to measure their electricity consumption and find out their electricity ‘thief’ and carbon footprint.
With the help of this tool, consumers who are able to identify the ‘thief’ will be able to understand how to be Energy Efficient and practice Low Carbon Lifestyle. One of the first of its kind in Malaysia, Click d’ Thief combines the factors that contribute to high electricity consumption and creates interactive calculation to assist in simple electricity audits. The objectives of Click d’ Thief are:
to assist in electricity consumption audit, to assist in identification of Carbon Footprint for individual product, to identify High Energy Consuming Equipments, to assist in making informed decision in practicing Low Carbon Lifestyle, to create interactive yet fun and easy approach in energy efficiency, and to cater all level of society including government agencies and businesses in ‘Catching their THIEF’.
What are you waiting for? Click on the link here and identify the culprit in your home.
With all these tips and tricks on energy saving costs, you are on your way to contributing your part on saving Mother Earth while saving a good amount of moolah! Good luck!