70 WAYS TO SAVE ELECTRICITY
KEEP YOUR ELECTRICITY & ENERGY BILLS DOWN AND SAVE ENERGY FOR THE FUTURE BY BEING AWARE OF THE MOST EFFICIENT WAYS TO USE ELECTRICITY.
COOKING
1 Keep the door closed. Ever time you open it the temperature drop about 20 degrees (c)
2 Cook several dishes at the one time. If you are cooking small items use the fry-pan.
3 When cooking small quantities use one sauce pan with dividers.
4 Keep food warm at 70-80 deg(c) Higher temperatures waste electricity and over cook food.
5 Use oven heat for plate warming.
6 Use utensils with flat bottoms and well fitting lids. Make sure they cover hotplates.
7 To cook vegetables the water doesn't need to be boiling furiously - a gentle simmer is enough.
8 Fan type ovens reduce cooking costs.
9 Use bright clean hotplate reflectors to send the heat upwards where it is wanted.
10 Pressure cookers can save up to 25% of power.
11 Use small appliances e.g. griller, crockpot, wok, etc. for appropriate foods.
12 Thaw frozen foods before cooking - this saves about 15 minutes cooking per 450 grams (one pound).
13 A microwave is very economical for suitable functions -it is excellent for reconstituting food.
14 Don't use grill-boiler plate on top of range for utensils not large enough to cover it.
15 Don't boil water on a hotplate - use an electric kettle.
16 Make sure your oven door seals properly.
HEATING AND COOLING.
17 Have the ceiling insulated with at least 50mm of fibrous or foam insulation.
18 In timber framed or brick homes the walls should also be insulated. Block off any chimneys not being used - A lot of heat is lost there.
19 Unless you have full home conditioning close the doors of the room/s being heated or cooled. Doors and windows should fit well because draughts can waste a lot of energy. Close curtains to stop heat escaping.
20 See that air- conditioner filters and condenser coils are kept clean.
21 Reverse cycle air-conditioners provide 2 to 2.5 times as much heat as an element type heater for the same electricity consumption.
22 Zoning of a house conditioned by a ducted system can cut energy consumption to a half or even third.
23 Shade windows during summer to keep sun of the glass.
24 Don't leave heating or cooling appliances on when rooms are unoccupied.
25 Use personal fans and ceiling fans for relief from hot weather. Fans cost much less to run than air conditioners.
26 Many air- conditioning systems operate at 22 deg (c). You will still be comfortable if you set the control for 24-25 deg (c) in summer. and 18-19 deg (c) in winter and you will use a lot less electricity.
27 Leave room conditioner "fresh air" and "exhaust air" controls in the closed positions unless you want to freshen thaw room air.
28 Set fan at high speed for a room conditioner to work most efficiently.
29 Evaporative coolers are very effective when installed correctly. The operating cost of an evaporative cooler is only a fraction of that of a refrigerated unit.
30 A student can be kept warm with a 150 watt infra red lamp fitted under the desk.
31 Localized under carpet heating gives economical armchair comfort.
32 People heating is more economical than space heating.-use radiators multi-heat radiant heaters, wall strip heaters, fan heaters.
33 Electric blankets are the cheapest form of bedroom heating.
REFRIGERATION
34 Select a fridge that uses waste heat for defrosting etc. These fridges are usually cheaper to operate.
35 Buy the size you need extra capacity uses extra power.
36 If you already have a chest or upright freezer buy an "all though” refrigerator instead of a fridge freezer combination.
37 Defrost before the ice build up is 1 cm thick.
38 Open the door only when necessary.
39 Make sure the door seals well. If a piece of paper will slide easily between the cabinet and the door seal is not good enough.
40 Keep dust and fluff brushed off the coils on the back or bottom of the fridge.
41 Put the fridge in a well ventilated position.
42 Place your fridge away from direct sunlight or any source of heat. Don't put hot food into a fridge or freezer.
CLOTHES AND WASHING
43 Don't buy a large machine if you don't need it. For the occasional big wash an extra cycle or two is cheaper than under using a large washer.
44 Adjust the water level to economically wash a partial load. Otherwise it is better to wait until you have a full load. But don't overload your machine.
45 Your washer may have features than can save your money. Soak cycles remove stubborn stains in wash cycle. Suds savers allow you to re use hot water.
46 Use correct type of detergent and cold or tepid water will wash clothes effectively.
LIGHTING
47 Good lighting means avoiding glare and gloom by using the right amount of light in the right way.
48 Use light translucent shades- opaque or dark shades require bigger lamps.
49 Use a good local light near the task. It is more effective and more efficient than a large central light.
50 Use fluorescent tubes. They use about a quarter of electricity used by ordinary globes and they last
About eight times as long. They CAN be switched on and off as often as you need without affecting operating cost.
CLOTHES DRYING
51 Use solar energy to dry your clothes -it costs nothing.
52 Operate your dryer using the fan alone. Only switch the heater on if it is really necessary. Vent the dryer outside the house and don't let lint block the vent.
53 never overload or under load the dryer - you get most economical operation with the correct load.
54 Switch off when the clothes are dry enough - over drying makes them feel harsh and waste electricity.
55 Tumble dryers are more effective than cabinet dryers.
WATER HEATING
56 Off peak low pressure storage heaters are generally the cheapest overall.
57 Don't allow dripping taps .Sixty drips a minutes means about 1200 liters a month drown the drain.
And you have paid for it to be heated.
58 Water restrictors and low flow shower nozzles will help to save water.
59 Insulate hot water pipes from storage heaters for at least a meter from the heater as heat can be conducted along these pipes and lost to the atmosphere.
60 Install a storage heater of 125 liters or more to run off peak tariff - which is about half the normal rate.
61 Normally you will use less water for shower than bath.
62 Fill your electric kettle or jug from the cold tap. Running off a lot of cold water from the hot pipes is wasteful and expensive.
63 Don't have you hot water set too 70 deg (c) is usually hot enough. Otherwise it costs more to heat the water and it loses more heat while being stored.
ACCESSORIES & Misc.
64 Dimmers save power and enable you to obtain pleasant changes of mood in your lighting.
65 Use plug-in timers to control such things as frying pans, crock pots, radiators, lights and air conditioners.
66. Install insulation and attic fan or whole house fan
67. Install dehumidifiers for air conditioning season
68. Install humidifiers for heating season
69. Wash down condensing unit weekly during the summer
70. Install tankless water heater
Leadership obligation and responsibility
Many words in the English language give definition to our conduct as individuals or to the conduct of organizations and agencies of government. Among these words are four that have special importance to those of us who care, have values and are interested in becoming men and women of character. The words are honesty, responsibility, leadership and public trust.
The world we have known has changed rapidly in the last 50 years. The changes were driven by the advent of high technology, instant media coverage and communications which changed the way our society earns its living. The evolution from an industrial society characterized by the blue collar worker, to a society that now makes money by managing information or providing service to others has produced rapid changes more profound than in any other time in human history. These economic/technological changes have also prodded our society to examine virtually every traditionally held belief and custom. In addition every organization, including government, continues to be scrutinized for its relevancy to this new way of earning a living.
I presume who, or what, is to blame for the confusion in today's society. I think it fair to say, however, that we have all had a hand in trashing our traditional values and institutions. It is paradoxical that high technology with all of its great promise to improve our lives, in fact, has been used as the reason for us to create a society that by any historical standard is troubled! Crime in all of its forms, including violence, is at epidemic proportions and the personal conduct of almost a majority of our citizens leaves much to be desired. Our basic institutions such as the family, school, religious institutions and government not only often fail to achieve their objectives, but sometimes, through their muddling, make the problems we face much worse!
In today’s environment it is difficult to overcome the temptations of self-indulgence and overcome the cynicism we have developed and the almost constant challenges to our integrity. Yet, for our own good and the good of our families, we have to examine some fundamental aspects of our lives. Corporate
In today’s society we must look beneath the surface of this simple question and throw out answers that suggest material wealth or power. These achievements tend to corrupt and in the final analysis, are meaningless. Instead think of your life as a statement to your children and others of what you learned is most important and enduring about yourself. Integrity, honesty, courage, compassion, fairness, justice, ethical behavior and kindness are the virtues by which you will always be judged as a leader, a parent, or a neighbor.
As a leader you must constantly be on the lookout, not to feel as if you become power itself, and think of yourself as invincible. You are in this position of leadership to serve the people honestly and with integrity. You have to serve as an example of true virtues. Do not let your position of leadership get to your head. People have nothing to fear but fear itself. We must overcome it.
In a world where the competition for economic success has blinded humanity to our values and the cost of economic success has blinded us from adhering to the true precepts of honesty and integrity.
When we are accountable for something within our power or control we are said to be responsible. Since humans have the capacity to make moral decisions, we also have the obligation to make correct decisions or face some consequence.
The concept of responsibility is universal. It is found throughout our human history and is prominent in the thinking of every tribe, village or nation that has ever existed. Responsibility became the anvil that society used to forge acceptable social behavior on the part of its members. It also became a yardstick used by individuals to decide whether their actual behavior matched what they knew was the right thing. This is called conscience.
All societies fashion laws, customs, rituals, religions and taboos to quantify and qualify levels of responsibility for each member or group. A child is not held to the same level of responsibility as an adult. An individual employed by the public is held to a higher standard of behavior than someone employed by a private concern. Although these groups must be held responsible as well, fashioning similar standards for corporations and governments has been more difficult. When people form a group, like they do in building an organizational entity, many of the usual social norms used to pressure individuals will not apply. The social pressure generated by peers, parents, neighbors, religion, and law do not have the same effect on an organization's behavior as they do on an individual. An organization, per se, does not have a conscience. The leaders of the organization provide the conscience of the organization.
Unfortunately, some leaders have concluded that the organization is immune from the usual social pressures, or that they can ignore these pressures while their questionable behavior continues. While this may be expedient or profitable in the short term, eventually most organizations that operate in this fashion lose the trust of the public and are eventually reformed or forced out of existence. This is part of the problem currently facing the corporate structure of our society today.
If the concept of responsibility is to work for nations, individuals or organizations, then appropriate actions must be rewarded and inappropriate behavior corrected or punished. Throughout history, understanding and accepting individual responsibility has been one objective of the legal system, child rearing and the teaching of the religious and education system. Individual responsibility was honored while individuals who did not act in a responsible manner were punished. Depending on the time frame, society used methods for compliance that were Draconian, such as hanging or shunning, forcing an acceptable level of compliance. Society has also used the similar disciplinary measures with rulers who were not responsible. In the case of the king, it was rebellion and beheading. More recently, in the case of Nazi Germany and , it was virtual destruction. In regard to current standards of responsibility, one could argue the nations of , and are walking on thin ice!
While this degree of punishment on the part of our society might not meet the fainthearted standards of justice held by some "enlightened liberals," harsh measures have always made the point to individuals, organizations and nations that acts have their consequences. Responsibility in behavior is a concept that has certainly stood the test of time.
In
What makes the problem more vexing is that it seems more fashionable these days to find someone or something else to blame for our personal and organizational misdeeds. Wouldn't it be refreshing if someone at the White House, the Pentagon, the Congress, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or the movie industry stood up and said, "I am responsible for that blunder, I am sorry and I'll try a bit harder." This would require character.
What makes the problem more vexing is that it seems more fashionable these days to find someone or something else to blame for our personal and organizational misdeeds. Wouldn't it be refreshing if someone at the White House, the Pentagon, the Congress, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or the movie industry stood up and said, "I am responsible for that blunder, I am sorry and I'll try a bit harder." This would require character.
It could be argued that blaming others is perfectly normal. After all we are human, not angels! However, the good character we try to achieve cannot be attained by blaming others for our shortcomings, nor can individuals achieve lasting success in their personal or organizational lives by using unethical and expedient means while avoiding responsibility when they do wrong.
"The end never justifies the means" is an old cliché several generations seem not to have learned.
Responsibility is not something each individual has a choice. Shortly after birth you get it! You will continue to have more placed upon your shoulders as you grow older, smarter and more reliable. This will continue until your behavior indicates you cannot accept anymore. I hope when taking the oath as a leader you realized you were asking for double or triple the amount of responsibility carried by most other people.
We all know people who try to evade their responsibilities. Few ever fully succeed and most are eventually exposed and punished. Much of the punishment is self-inflicted. Other people may be denied employment, promotions, or fired from their positions. In areas where responsibility is impossible to deny, such as in a school or the athletic field, people who do not accept responsibility usually do poorly. In marriage, a lack of responsibility often leads to divorce, poor parenting and an overall miserable existence.
As a member of the leadership community, we accept additional responsibilities by the nature of our work. We also accept double the consequences if we fail. Responsibility is a pervasive, all-encompassing aspect of our lives. We must face that it is virtually impossible to escape responsibility as a leader – (be it government, corporate or religious, etc.) both on and off the job, particularly if we aspire to a position that requires a significant amount of leadership.
Wouldn't it be easier for us to say to ourselves, "I will be responsible, and I will accept responsibility no matter what the consequences? Period."? It doesn't take any more energy to accept responsibility than to evade it. By accepting responsibility for your character and behavior you must have the courage to be held accountable for your actions. You won't be able to blame mom or dad, the environment, your lack of money, your ignorant supervisor, or other people who just do not understand you. You will have to say, "It is my fault, and I'll try and do better next time." These are tough words to say. Nonetheless, once you are honest with yourself, there is a freedom that comes over you that is exhilarating! No more energy wasted in trying to convince other people you are something you know you are not! No more fear that someone will expose you as a phony. No more time wasted trying to find someone else to blame. No more shopping for the most impressive labels to help bolster your feelings of self-worth.
While this is simple advice, it often is hard to follow. Hell, we are human and we all make mistakes. Shake your head at your own stupidity; laugh at yourself if you can. Decide to try and do better tomorrow. The good Lord knows when I make these mistakes, the first thing I do is to look for the wife, kids, close family and friends. But as we get older and wiser, we realize that we are the problem, not them. Things are better now (but the damage has been done!). This is called being honest with yourself. It is healthy thing to do.
Just remember that individuals who want to be known throughout the leadership and community as people of good character always keep trying to improve themselves. You have to realize, and accept, that to be committed to a higher standard of conduct you will often be called upon lower your values to a more common denominator. You have to be willing to risk all that you have to maintain your commitment to a higher standard. If you are looking for an example of a "tough leader" this would be the type of individual who would best fit the bill.
There have been many articles and books written on the subject of leadership. Personally, I don't think the subject of leadership is that difficult or complex to understand? A leader provides direction, makes decisions, is at times inspiring or insightful, and most importantly, sets a good example for others to follow. To do this entire well an individual needs a commanding knowledge of the job, a strong commitment to the values of honesty, courage, compassion, truth and self-discipline. The leader also needs to be respected. Respect need not arise from fear, but rather from the fact that the leader has the sense to do the right thing and the will to make things happen. All of these personality characteristics allow an individual to objectively gather the facts at hand and make the right decision. Hindsight may later indicate it wasn't the best decision, but given the circumstances at the time of the event, it still was a decision made for the right reasons. This is all we can ask of a leader!
Leaders are made, not born! Leadership is not a gift of genetics, it is a combination of knowledge, personality, and habit--all of which we learn from parents, brothers and sisters, schoolwork, teachers, peers and from the other educational experiences during our lives. Leaders have moral courage, strong wills and an understanding of the concept of responsibility. They have a great deal of self-discipline, confidence in the ability of others and the self-assurance to let others participate in the decision-making process. It is quite possible that a leader not occupy a high position in life.
By contrast, the worst leaders I observed during my career were those who lacked self-confidence, didn't trust anyone and tried to micro-manage every situation. They considered themselves experts in every field and were fonder of talking than listening. Depending on their personalities, they either couldn't delegate or delegated everything. In either case, their strategy was designed to protect themselves above all else. These were not individuals with strong character traits. On the contrary, they were shallow people either hiding behind their rank, their Gucci loafers or their stylized hair cut. When something went wrong they looked for an excuse, a scapegoat or a cover-up to avoid being held responsible.
Yes, many lousy leaders we have all known did not realize that leaders have to take responsibility, sometimes for something they had no control over. Leaders, like ducks, get shot at and sometimes hit. The good ones accept this as part of the territory. The others usually claim they were in the restroom at the time of the incident!
Public trust, is defined as the faith the public has in organizations that are created to protect our basic freedoms. Examples of some of these organizations would be our courts, the military, the legislative and executive branches of government at all levels: public health, social services, and fire and rescue services, as weak as law enforcement organizations. Each citizen has an expectation that public organizations, and each member of the organization, will discharge their duties in a competent manner and not abuse authority granted to them by law. Not only does the citizen pay for these services, but they have relinquished some of their individual freedoms to ensure that the government has the ability to look after their well-being. Consequently, a sworn member of a law enforcement organization is held to a far higher standard of conduct than other public employees because they have been entrusted with great power. An abuse of this power always is a betrayal of the public trust and is seldom tolerated in a democratic society. Hence, the punishment of cops, FBI agents, DEA agents, prosecutors and judges who abuse the powers and privileges granted them by the public is always harsh!
Public trust is a precious commodity not only to organizations in the public sector, but to organizations in the private sector. To be successful in the private sector a corporation has to have the public's trust in the products it sells or the services it provides. Should this trust waver, or be lost, the corporation encounters a serious problem that may include being forced out of business. Why many well-known corporations would jeopardize public trust through their questionable business practices is very hard to understand. Was it demand to show greater profits? Ignorance? Or was it that they all thought the corporation was above the law and the scrutiny of the public? Squandering a company's reputation to make a quick buck is a very high price to pay for a lack of some employee's ethical standards and the lack of oversight of these individuals. Similar problems beset the public sector. Unfortunately, some government organizations do not treat taxpayers as if they were customers. Disrespect, rudeness, inefficiency and abuses of power by government employees are well-documented and not uncommon. Virtually every public organization has employees who abuse the power of their position at the expense of others. However, you can bet that the public, tiring of inefficiency and insensitive behavior of these individuals, will call for heads to roll.
Assuming responsibility for wrongful acts. My sense is that the best damage control is the truth. I would argue that truth is what has always worked best and is what the public wants to hear. Most of the population understand that leaders often run into difficult, demanding and complex situations. Occasionally, government personnel will make a mistake and do something that may be a violation of policy or law, or perhaps, just a failure to use common sense. All the public requires to sustain its faith in the organization is that reasonable people within the organization give the matter serious consideration and take whatever corrective steps are required.
This takes moral courage on the part of the leader to operate an organization in this fashion. You have given up some of your control of the situation. You have possibly put your job on the line and the troops or the union may initially criticize you for not immediately and vigorously defending them. It is quite probable that a minority of the public will never accept your explanations or actions and will continue their criticism for a long time.
The bottom line is that taking responsibility is what leaders, and directors get paid to do. This is what being a leader, or a duck, is all about.
Tough words -- responsibility, honesty, leadership and public trust and accountability. They are even tougher to put into practice and blend into your own character. But if we are successful in building our character into a reflection of what those words mean, the personal reward is worth far more than the effort required. Peace of mind, respect, admiration and the ability to withstand life's curve balls are a few of the benefits of being a person of character. I am still working on my character, and believe me, I still have a long way to go. I hope you also think it is a worthwhile, lifelong endeavor.
PS
The media has the responsibility and obligation to tell the truth and the facts as they are, it must not panic the public and cause havoc. It must not divulge national secrets that can jeopardize our nation and our soldiers.
Men inhumanity to men – We must learn to respect each other, to pursue true peace and justice.
Compiled by: Yehuda Draiman
Hidden beneath the
Let us say it is true. How come everyone is not running to exploit it, like they exploit any other economic and financial benefit?
The other aspect is how much energy, and at what cost – financial and ecological, is it going to take to heat the oil shale up and extract the oil.
I suggest conserving resources; we should use renewable energy, such as Solar and Wind energy etc. to heat up the shale.
Another issue is they are waiting for oil to reach $200 per barrel so the government can reduce the deficit and outstanding loans.
I hope that is the truth and that there are no hidden agendas.
Technological hurdles to extract oil from shale
"Despite all the attempts to develop a shale oil industry in the
Experts with field experience who are bullish on the prospects for 's oil shale. But they recognize that, here and now, we are still not there yet technologically.
There are a number of problems yet to be solved before oil shale can be recovered on any type of meaningful scale, let alone a mass scale. And getting the extraction technology right is only one monkey wrench in the works with oil shale. There are others.
For example, there are questions of air quality regarding domestic oil shale operations. How badly would these operations pollute the air? Would the levels be acceptable? Shell isn't sure.
There are questions of water availability. During the extraction process, how much water would be required?
Experts are not sure. An early "guess" is two to three barrels of water per barrel of shale. This could be a conservative estimate. Either way, will the massive amounts of water necessary for heavy-duty shale extraction even be available in the first place, given that the Colorado River Basin is already running low?
You also need to account for the environmental and ecological damage and restoration to pre-drilling condition.
American technology and knowhow will find the answer – all you have to do is wave the dollar bill in front of corporate and they will find the answer “by hook and by crook”. Then the executives, the shareholders and the politicians will laugh all the way to the bank.
Yehuda Draiman.
Hidden beneath the
Let us say it is true. How come everyone is not running to exploit it, like they exploit any other economic and financial benefit?
The other aspect is how much energy, and at what cost – financial and ecological, is it going to take to heat the oil shale up and extract the oil.
I suggest conserving resources; we should use renewable energy, such as Solar and Wind energy etc. to heat up the shale.
Another issue is they are waiting for oil to reach $200 per barrel so the government can reduce the deficit and outstanding loans.
I hope that is the truth and that there are no hidden agendas.
Technological hurdles to extract oil from shale
"Despite all the attempts to develop a shale oil industry in the
Experts with field experience who are bullish on the prospects for 's oil shale. But they recognize that, here and now, we are still not there yet technologically.
There are a number of problems yet to be solved before oil shale can be recovered on any type of meaningful scale, let alone a mass scale. And getting the extraction technology right is only one monkey wrench in the works with oil shale. There are others.
For example, there are questions of air quality regarding domestic oil shale operations. How badly would these operations pollute the air? Would the levels be acceptable? Shell isn't sure.
There are questions of water availability. During the extraction process, how much water would be required?
Experts are not sure. An early "guess" is two to three barrels of water per barrel of shale. This could be a conservative estimate. Either way, will the massive amounts of water necessary for heavy-duty shale extraction even be available in the first place, given that the Colorado River Basin is already running low?
You also need to account for the environmental and ecological damage and restoration to pre-drilling condition.
American technology and knowhow will find the answer – all you have to do is wave the dollar bill in front of corporate and they will find the answer “by hook and by crook”. Then the executives, the shareholders and the politicians will laugh all the way to the bank.
Yehuda Draiman