ENERGY STUDY ASSIGNMENT

NAME: A.W.A.T.M. ABEYSEKARA INDEX NO: 100008H Monthly family consumption of energy and expenses Category Electricity Gas LPG Food Petrol Consumption per month 150.2 kWh 1/2 cylinder (6.25 kg) 62.5 l Expenses (Rs.) 4053 1225 30000 10000

Table 1

*See APENDIX (B)

Expenses for energy

35000

30000
25000 20000 15000 10000 5000 0 Electricity Gas LPG Food Petrol

Percentage expenses for energy

Electricity Gas LPG Food Petrol

Electricity usage for appliances per month No. of days used per month 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 16 8 30

No. of Electric appliances Appliance 1 1 2 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 Refrigerator Water-pump Lights-1 Lights-2 Fans Rice cooker Television Washing machine Iron Laptop

Power (W) 531 480 20 10 100 700 231 500 750 50

Usage period 4 hrs/day 22 min/day 5 hrs/day 5 hrs/day 10 hrs/day 40 min/day 2 hrs/day 40 min/day 45 min/day 2 hrs/day

Monthly usage (hours) 120 11 150 150 300 20 60 10.667 6 60 Total

Total power Total kWh consumption charge (kWh) (Rs.) 63.72 5.28 6 4.5 30 14 13.86 5.3335 4.5 3 150.1935 644.64 15.84 18 13.5 90 42 41.58 16 13.5 9

Table 2 - Total kWh charges are calculated according to the consultation from the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka. (*See APENDIX (A))

Percentage power consumption

4% 3% 2% 9% 9% 20% 42%
Refrigerator Water-pump

Lights-1
Lights-2 Fans Rice cooker Television

3% 4%

4%

Washing machine Iron

Percentage expenses
2% 5% 1% 2% 2% 5% 1% 1%
Refrigerator Water-pump Lights-1

10% 71%

Lights-2 Fans

Rice cooker
Television Washing machine Iron Laptop

REVIEW OF THE STUDY There are four members in our family. From table 1 we can see that the highest expenses are for the food consumption (67%). Next highest expenses is for petrol (22%) and then for electricity (9%). Reducing expenses for food are not much practicable. The expense for petrol is higher because my father goes to work by his car daily. So, it is not possible to limit the car usage, but can save petrol usage by, Reduce the speed of the vehicle, because higher fuel consumption is for higher speed. Check tire pressure regularly. Tire with lower pressure is caused to high rolling resistance resulting in increased fuel consumption. Petrol vaporizes very fast. So dont fill the fuel to tank at fast rate. Use stock tires to reduce fuel consumption. Park the vehicles in shade since it will take less time for the car to cool down once starts driving again. Higher gear at low speed will lead to lose of more fuel. Shift gears carefully and according to the desired speed. This will cause less strain on engine. Check the lubricants, hand brakes and the clutch. Clean the air filters regularly which block the path of air to the engine reduce the fuel consumption. Next highest expense is for electricity. From table 2 we can see the power consumption of electric appliances. According to that refrigerator (42%) and television (20%) are the highest power consumed appliances. So we can take steps to reduce these expenses as described below. Save in lighting Use Compact Florescent Lamp (CFL) as much as possible. Use brighter bulbs or task lighting in areas where you do close-up work such as reading, cooking or similar work. Use less-bright light in other areas. Keep light bulbs and fixtures clear of dust and other particles. Clean bulbs give off more light than dirty ones. Use natural light whenever you can. Make the best use of natural light by arranging desks, reading chairs and work benches closer to windows. Use lighter colours for walls, ceilings and floors as they reflect more sunlight. Use halogen lamps for outdoor floodlights in place of standard reflector bulbs. A 50or 90-watt halogen lamp can replace a standard reflector bulb that has twice the

wattage. Use motion detectors as they save energy and money by turning on lights only when needed. Save in Using Electronic Appliances/Equipment Computers, fax machines, TV's, VCR's, CD players, cable boxes, cassette decks also consume energy even if they are in their standby modes. Some will continue to consume energy even when turned off if they are plugged in. Consider unplugging them when we dont use them or when you leave home or go on vacation.

Save in the Kitchen Use efficient cooking sources. A pressure cooker cuts cooking time by about twothirds, and a microwave uses less than half the energy of a conventional electric oven. When using the oven, cook many dishes together. If the dishes call for separate temperature settings, just set it in the middle. Adjust cooking times rather than using the oven twice. Cook with lids on your pans if possible. For example, cooking certain food without a lid on the pot can use three times as much energy. Don't open the door of the oven as you cook. Every time the door is opened, a lot of heat escapes. Save in the Laundry Don't overload washers and dryers, but load them to capacity. Overloading can cut down on efficiency. Use the water level control on clothes washers. Use less water for smaller loads. Use the right water temperature for washers. Washing clothes with cold water usually does not affect cleaning results and may reduce shrinkage. Follow detergent instructions carefully. Using too much soap makes the washing machine motor work harder. Delicate clothes don't require as long a wash cycle as dirty work clothes. So wash them separately. Iron all clothes at once. Keep the surface upright when ironing. Save in Refrigeration Set the temperature of refrigerator compartment at 3 to 4C and the freezer at minus 15 to minus10C. For older models, check temperatures with a thermometer. Make sure the fan vent is clean and keep the coils at the back of the refrigerator clear of dust. Dirty coils make the compressor work harder and use more electricity. Check and ensure that the refrigerator door gasket (the plastic strip surrounding the door) is airtight and in good condition. If needed, it is able to repair or reattach it with glue. If not, the manufacturer or a local hardware store can supply you with a new one. Defrost whenever more than one-quarter inch of frost accumulates. Arrange items in the refrigerator compartment to allow air to circulate freely. Keep liquids capped so they don't add to the humidity and make the compressor work harder. Keep the refrigerator door closed as much as you can. Organizing items makes it easier to find what you need quickly. Defrosting frozen food in the refrigerator helps keep the refrigerator cold.

APPENDIX
(A) http://www.ceb.lk/sub/residence/tariffplan.html
Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka has approved the revised tariffs based on Increasing block tariff with effect from 20th April, 2013.
If the consumption is between 0-60 kWh per month the following tariffs will be applicable Monthly Consumption kWh
0-30 31-60

Unit Charge (Rs./kWh)

3.00 4.70

Fuel Adjustment Charge %

25 35

Fixed Charge (Rs./month)

30.00 60.00

If the consumption is above 60 kWh per month the following tariffs will be applicable Monthly Consumption kWh
0-60 61-90 91-120 121-180 >180 10.00 12.00 26.50 30.50 42.00

Unit charge (Rs/kWh)

Fuel Adjustment Charge (%)

N/A 10 40 40 40 N/A 90.00 315.00 315.00 420.00

Fixed charge (Rs/month)

Note
1. Fuel adjustments charge is applied only on monthly energy charge. It is not applied on monthly fixed charge.

(B)

http://www.ceb.lk/sub/residence/billcalculator.aspx