Amal Al-Sibai Saudi Gazette ALONG with all the pleasant aspects of holiday season, the advent of summer also means higher electricity bills and the fear of power outages in Jeddah. During the hottest summer days, sometimes the extreme demand for electricity to keep air-conditioners happily whirring exceeds the electricity production; the result may be power outages. There is much we can do to avoid such frustration from happening. Excessive spending and consuming have been a part of Saudi culture for very long, but many efforts are being made in schools, media, government awareness campaigns, and mosques, which call for water and energy conservation. Islamic teachings criticize wasting of natural resources in any of its forms, which should be taught to the younger generation and the society in general. The concept of conservation was mentioned several times in the Holy Qur'an, as in Verse 31 of Surah Al-Araaf, “O Children of Adam! Take your adornment while praying and going around the Kaaba, and eat drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not the extravagants.” Some common mistakes that we make in our homes may be eating away at our electricity supply. By changing a few lifestyle habits, the average consumer can reduce his/her electricity bill by up to 40%, for example by remembering to turn off the light switch each time we exit a room. Muhammad Abdulkhaliq, an engineering consultant involved in raising awareness about energy conservation at the Ministry of Water and Electricity shed light on common practices that actually waste a large amount of energy. Many of us probably never realized that opening the fridge door while staring inside until we decide what we want to eat wastes a great deal of energy. And women who keep the fridge door open while pulling out different items, pouring, mixing, turning on the stovetop, and cooking are also guilty of unnecessarily wasting energy.
“When the fridge door is open for more than a few seconds cool air escapes from the fridge. The compressor has to work harder to bring down the internal temperature again, which draws a lot of electricity. Also, many people are unaware that keeping the fridge closer than 15 cm to the wall behind also causes the fridge to use more electricity,” said a specialist in energy conservation. Lighting accounts for around 10% of the average household's electricity bill. Switching from the regular yellow or incandescent bulbs to the environmental friendly compact fluorescent light bulbs is an easy way to save on your electricity use at home. Did you know that the lifetime of the compact fluorescent light bulb is typically 7,000 to 15,000 hours, as compared to 1,000 hours for incandescent bulbs? By using the yellow incandescent bulbs in our offices or homes, we are burning up a lot more energy. By installing compact fluorescent lights you will cut your energy use and save money on electricity bills. Plus these types of bulbs let off 75% less heat, which may slightly decrease your need for air-conditioning. Another appliance that needlessly wastes energy and is used in many homes simply for convenience and to save a bit of time and work is the electrical clothes dryer. With such abundant and intense sunlight in this part of the world, drying our clothes naturally is a viable and eco-friendly option, rather than using the clothes dryer. A US study in the year 2001 on energy consumption revealed that if all Americans would use the clothesline or drying racks instead of electrical clothes dryers, the savings would be enough to close several power plants. Over the extent of 18 years, the average clothes dryer will cost you approximately SR6,000 in electricity use to operate whereas natural drying will cost you nothing. By far, the worst culprit for electricity consumption in Saudi Arabia is air-conditioning. Dr. Saleh Al-Awaji, Deputy Minister of Electricity, said, “The demand for electricity usage increases by 8% every year, and air conditioning for buildings is responsible for 70% of the electricity usage in the Kingdom. By implementing modern heat insulation technologies in buildings and residences, we can save from 40% to 50% of electricity consumption.” When designing your new home or re-modeling your current one; think energy saving. Install heat insulation technologies in construction materials and windows to keep heat in during winter and keep heat out during summer. When painting your home, select light, gentle colors to decrease absorption of heat. The dark colors that are in fashion these days in interior decorating actually waste energy because more lighting needs to be used inside the home if the walls are darker in color. Designing homes with very high lofty ceilings adds elegance to the home but is a mistake when it comes to energy saving because it actually increases the need for electricity to keep the home cool. Do not underestimate the usefulness of planting trees around your home because the shade that trees provide can cool the house and significantly reduce your electricity bill. Inadequate care and maintenance of air-conditioning units leads to increased wasting of energy. Opening the window while the air-conditioner is operating doubles the use of energy to keep the room cool. Failure to regularly and properly clean the filters in the air-conditioners also wastes energy. One can apply a layer of protective coating on the exterior of the unit to shield it from some of the normal damage caused by sun and weather conditions and improve its efficiency. Set the air-conditioner at a moderate temperature, rather than the coolest temperature. Never forget to turn off the air-conditioner or light switches or television when you leave the room or the house. Hang colorful reminders or notes on the wall by the light switch to remind the children in the family to do the same.
