SLC32-W1 || Real Life Problem Solving Challenge: Save Electricity At Home
In Nigeria, we have different systems or channels on how light passes through, one that's stable and one that's not. In fact, it depends on the location you're staying at. There are locations where light is distributed and regulated by the community. What do I mean? Everyone, the community members placed in charge to collect Nepa bills do visit people's houses and then cut the light off if they don't recommit their payment for the month that's due.
In these areas, light comes randomly or, in most places, steadily. But they don't run on meter levels, and they pay their bills for the light and not for the amount of electricity they use. Most times, they pay a small amount. Now those using the meter still use the light passing through their transformer. Now it all depends on the location because there are people who have meters but don't have stable electricity. Anytime there's light, they use it in regulation, based on how they subscribe.
What are two electrical appliances in your home that use a lot of electricity? Explain with original pictures. |
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Two electrical appliances in my home that use a lot of electricity include the fridge for preserving foods and the electric fan for regulating the temperature of the room because of heat.
- Fridge: When there's electricity from Nepa light, we do turn on the fridge to preserve foods like soup and perishable foods, and we usually keep it at max so that it would become a block of ice that can last for days in case of a power outage. In the case where there's a power outage, the fridge runs using electricity from generation, and it does consume fuel used. In terms of Nepa light, the electricity used up by the fridge is always high, most times leading to huge bills we get to pay when recharging the meter.
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- Electric Fan: Because of how hot the room is during the day and at night, we used to turn on the fan to serve as ventilation and regulate heat in the room. Sometimes, we keep them on without turning them off.
So these two electrical appliances use electricity, and a lot, in my home. For electrical devices, the water pump and bulbs mostly use up electricity and increase bills.
What two methods do you use to reduce electricity consumption? Show at least one practical method with a selfie. |
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To reduce electricity consumption, I use these two practical methods which I'm going to share with you. I'll be more detailed with one method because it's something we sometimes overlook.
Use and turn off LED bulbs when not in use: This is one method that's outstanding for the electric device called a bulb. This method helps in reducing the consumption of electricity in ways that can be imagined. If you take a look at the pictures, you'll see that I have two bulbs, and one is cheaper than the other, though one is more power-consuming than the other. One is the incandescent bulb, and the other is the LED bulb. When in use, the LED doesn't consume electricity like the latter.
Now, it's advisable we turn off lights that aren't in use to save electricity consumption, including the LED bulbs. For example, when watching TV shows on your television, it's advisable to turn off the light since it's not in use, as the screen is bright enough and can give this cinematic view. Light from the screen of your television can damage your eyes, as there'll be a lot of reflections unless otherwise. This is the method I use to reduce electricity consumption. I make sure all lights that are not in use are turned off. The practical video is shown below.
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Disconnection of the electrical appliances or devices that are not in use from electricity: In our homes, our sockets are always on even though there's nothing plugged into them, or maybe our fans are on when we're not there. It's advisable to always turn off sockets that are not in use and to unplug electrical appliances from the sockets even though they are not in use.
Removing it from the sockets helps save electricity consumption, as there are still elements of electricity in a socket that's turned off even though they aren't activated to the appliances. When not in use, I do turn off my electric fan and remove it from the socket....
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 | When not in use |
Why is this important? This isn't just important in electricity consumption but also in safety and maintenance. The act of unplugging from the socket instead of turning them off helps prevent what we call "phantom" energy consumption, which is mostly generated by residual lights or from transformers.
When I turn off my electric fan to conserve electricity, I do turn on my rechargeable fan with an LED bulb and use it so as not to turn on the light that shines in the entire room. I use this fan at night, and when it runs down, I'll charge it. It's less consuming than turning on an electric fan that uses direct electricity, which reduces the units of electricity I purchased. Sometimes I'll turn off my room light and use the lamp to read since it has a fan and bulb.
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Have the two methods you use to reduce electricity consumption resulted in a reduction in your electricity bill or not? Explain |
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We're using a prepared meter and not getting physical bills from the community leaders in charge of Nepa light in my area. I do recharge my electricity in units once it's exhausted. To prevent the exhaustion of our units of electricity, which is an added expense to us, I use these methods to conserve electricity consumption. If you're using a prepared meter, you'll definitely be mindful of things you turn on.
When I tried using this method, I discovered that our electricity bill isn't outrageous and our unit doesn't get exhausted that much. It usually lasts for a while before thinking of recharging it. Back then, our units usually finish before the end of the month because of what we use. Now, it doesn't.
What is the easiest habit for you to save electricity? |
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The easiest habit to save electricity is turning off electrical devices and appliances that are not in use. If I'm not using light in my room, I'll turn off the bulbs. This is very easy to remember. Also, if my devices aren't in use, like my laptop, fans and other appliances, I'll ensure I turn them off. In some cases, most of us fail to turn off light from devices that are fully charged.
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We allow it to continue to charging. Even my fridge, I do unplug it when it's hardened with ice. I won't allow it to continue running because there's light for days. So this habit of turning off things that are not in use is the easiest habit to save electricity at home.
What advice would you give to others to save electricity so that they can reduce their electricity bill and save money? |
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My advice to others who want to save electricity in their home to reduce electricity bills and save money is to avoid the use of those glass bulbs or can always turn it off when in use. There's a thing glass has with light that it produces so much heat and consumes electricity so much from its source. The LED bulbs come in rubber and do incite light to conduct heat and electricity with it.
Taking the example of the local incandescent bulb, or yellow bulb, so to speak, it consumes a high amount of electricity and produces enough heat that can change the temperature of a room. I'll advise that no matter how cheap this bulb is because it's cheap, try using the LED bulb to avoid electricity consumption.
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- Always turn off your lights that aren't in use. The bathroom lights are usually on, but no one is in the bathroom. The kitchen light is always on at night when we sleep. Why not try turning it off before you go to bed or even if you're not using the kitchen? During the day, we have natural light that fills the room. Turning on most lights won't be wise.
| Turn off electrical appliances and devices that aren't not in use |
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 | Turn off switches |
Try these methods out and thank me later. While we try these methods that help in electricity conservation, let's know that we're not doing it just because of that. We're also trying to prevent hazards and spoilage because of being overused.
Comments on other people's posts |
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I invite @mamun123456 @okere-blessing and @dhizy
https://x.com/i/status/2059781556588130788
Saludos amigo espero estes bien me parece excelente los tips que nos das para ahorrar la energia y tienes razon hay que desconectar lo que no se este usando sea luces o electrodomésticos, exitos.
Curated by: @ahsansharif
The part about how electricity works differently depending on your location in Nigeria is so accurate and I feel like most people outside Nigeria won't even understand that explanation properly. The community billing system you described is something I grew up seeing too. I also switched to LED bulbs some time ago and the difference on my meter was real, I just never thought to make it a full post topic the way you did here. Good entry, I enjoyed reading through it!
Thank you very much for taking your time to read this. You've just made my day with this positive comment.
You are welcome sir 🙏
I appreciate the advice you gave, buying energy-friendly appliances is an excellent power conservation strategy. It only feels expensive when you first embark on it, in the long run it proves to be far cheaper. It applies to the pressing iron, fridge/refrigirator, air conditioner and every other appliance you may think of.
Wishing you the very best in this contest.
Sure. That's why many are going deep into solar products now.