CONSERVATION OF ENERGY IN HOUSEHOLDS IN PAYAM PANCHAYAT

Anita George

B.Ed. Student (Physical Science)

Mount Carmel College of Teacher Education, Kottayam

ABSTRACT

Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal to reduce
the amount of energy required to provide products and services. Improvements in energy
efficiency are generally achieved by adopting a more efficient technology or production
process or by application of commonly accepted methods to reduce energy losses. This study is
an attempt to examine awareness of home energy efficiency measures by householders across
30 houses in PayamPanchayat of Kannur district, and to determine whether people are aware
of energy conservation and various energy conservation tips.

INTRODUCTION
Energy conservation refers to reducing energy consumption through using less of an energy
service. Energy conservation differs from efficient energy use, which refers to using less energy for a
constant service. Energy conservation and efficiency are both energy reduction techniques. Even though
energy conservation reduces energy services, it can result in increased environmental quality, national
security, personal financial security and higher savings. It is at the top of the sustainable energy
hierarchy. It also lowers energy costs by preventing future resource depletion.Modern power
management systems also reduce energy usage by idle appliances by turning them off or putting them
into a low-energy mode after a certain time. Many countries identify energy-efficient appliances using
energy input labeling. There are various tips for saving and conserving energy as well. Always buy
desktops, laptops, printers, and scanners (and all-in-one devices) with the ENERGY STAR logo, Buy
A rated appliances for your home, Check air conditioner filters each month. Dirty filters block air flow,
increasing your energy bill etc. are some tips.

NEED AND SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

 Energy Conservation is unquestionably of great importance to all of us, since we rely on energy
for everything we do every single day. Energy supplies are limited and, to maintain a good quality of
life, we must find ways to use energy wisely.Reducing the amount of energy that we use is a good way
to save money, and there are also other benefits to decreasing energy consumption. Embrace energy
conservation by making small changes that will lead to a significant difference in our overall energy
consumption. Our efforts, combined with those of others who have chosen to make a few small changes
too, will benefit our life and the lives of future generations, as well as our environment.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

To examine awareness of home energy efficiency measures in 30 houses in Payampanchayat

Examine attitudes to modify our household practices in relation to home energy consumption.

To know whether people are aware about energy conservation.

To know whether people are aware about energy conservation tips.

METHODOLOGY

A survey was conducted to study the conservation of energy in households in

PayamPanchayat. 30 households in the Panchayat were selected for the study. A questionnaire
prepared by the investigator was administered to the 30 households. The questions were framed with an
intention to find out the amount of energy conserved, and amount of energy spent or lost in various
households. The questions also were focusing to know about peoples concern towards energy
conservation and various energy conservation tips.

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

It was found that almost 83.3% of the people always keep electrical appliances (e.g.: fan, air
conditioner, exhaust food) clean and in good condition to achieve better efficiency. And nearly 73.3%
of the people have the habit of switching off any electrical appliances (e.g.: electrical lights, TV, fan,
air conditioner) when not in use.

Around 76.6% of people have tried their level best to control the overuse of electrical equipments
which draws more energy.
 90% of the people experienced some sort of decrease in the energy consumption and electricity bill
after the usage of energy saving lights and electrical gadgets.

It was quite disappointing to note that none of the people have the monthly electricity bill below
200.It was also noticed that nearly 33.33% of the people have electricity bill ranging from 200 to
400. Around 43.33% of the people had electricity bill between 401and 800 and 23.3% of the people
have monthly electricity bill above 800.The diagrammatic representation of percentage distribution
of electricity bill for a month is given in figure 1

Electricity Bill
below 200
200-400
23.33 33.33 401-800
43.33 above 800

Figure 1: percentage distribution of electricity bill for a month

It was happy to note that almost all the people have any of the energy saving bulbs in their
households. Only a considerably small percentage i.e. 0.002% failed to have these energy saving bulbs.
And around 33.3% of the people were having fluorescent tube and 20% of the people preferred to use
compact fluorescent bulbs and nearly 10% prefer LEDs. The diagrammatic representation of percentage
of people using energy saving bulbs is given in figure 2.

13.33 0 20 compact fluorescent flurescent tube

bulb
10
halogen bulb LED holiday lights
6.66 other types of none of the above
33.33 LED/lights

Figure 2: percentage of people using energy saving bulbs

 It was also noticed that in a typical week , 43.33% of the people have the habit of keeping the
computers on including standby mode for more than 120 hours .and around 40% of the peoples
computer usage was between 90 and 120 hours. Only a small percentage (nearly 16.66%) of the people
keeps the computers on for less than 90 hours. The diagrammatic representation of percentage
distribution of hours in which computers are on and in standby mode is given in figure 3

computers ON and in standby mode

less than 90 hours
16.66 between 90-120 hours
43.33 more than 120 hours
40

Figure 3: percentage distribution of hours in which computers are on and in standby mode

Almost 40% of the people replaced their old electrical gadgets only once in the past 12 years
whereas 16.66% of the people have the habit of replacing old electrical gadgets every 6 months. The
diagrammatic representation of percentage of replacement of old electrical equipments during past 12
years is given in figure 4.

Replaced old electrical equipments(during past 12 years)

every 3 months/more frequently every 6 months once in the past year
10 10
16.66
23.33
never dont know
40

Figure 4: percentage of replacement of old electrical equipments during past 12 years is given in
figure 4.

CONCLUSION
 An energy-efficient home will keep your family comfortable while saving you money. Whether
you take simple steps or make larger investments to make your home more efficient, you'll see lower
energy bills. There are many ways to conserve energy. It depends on the kind of choices we make to
help us save our environment and also help our future generations. There are many things that will use
less energy and by using such things you will conserve energy in a sensible way. Embracing an energy
efficient lifestyle today will help you geta better life tomorrow. So letus slow down the demand for
energy and give a better future for our coming generations.

REFERENCES

Diesendorf, Mark (2007). Greenhouse Solutions with Sustainable Energy, UNSW Press, p. 86.

Sophie Hebden (2006-06-22). Invest in clean technology says IEA report. Scidev.net. Retrieved
2010-07-16.

The Twin Pillars of Sustainable Energy: Synergies between Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy Technology and Policy (PDF). Aceee.org. Retrieved 2015-01-10.