school energy&environment

Electric current

A considerable amount can be saved in electric energy if users are well-informed and their behaviour reflects their awareness, and by adopting the so-called  “good practices”,  such as:

• do not leave the lights on in rooms that are not occupied;
• choose  chandeliers with less bulbs ( for an equal amount of lighting produced, chandeliers or lamps with a number of bulbs  consume more energy than those with one light bulb only);
• position  the refrigerator or the freezer in well ventilated places, far away from sources of heat;
• regulate the thermostat of the refrigerator or of the freezer at an intermediate temperature (the colder positions require a useless increase in the consumption of energy 10-15%);
• for washing machines, wherever possible use  low temperature  washing cycles;
• for TV sets,  video recorders and electronic equipment in general, avoid  leaving these units  in the stand-by mode.

By adopting these simple rules, which do not involve any monetary investments, it is possible to obtain significant energy saving, amounting to about 10-20%.
Significant saving of energy  can also be obtained  by replacing standard equipment with high-efficiency equipment (in the Western Countries electrical appliances utilize almost 50% of the total electric energy produced). It is possible to intervene both on the lighting and on the electrical appliances.
With regard to lighting, by replacing incandescent light bulbs with low energy consumption light bulbs (a light bulb is more efficient than another when it consumes less energy in order to obtain the same amount of lighting) energy consumption for lighting decreases 80% (in Italy 13.5% of electric energy is used for lighting in homes, and good conduct in energy consumption can lead to a significant decrease in this amount).
With regard to electrical appliances, high efficiency models are available on the market since a long time.  In the shops, refrigerators, freezers, washing machines and dishwashers are provided with an energy efficiency labels. These labels that have become compulsory following an EEC directive, define seven classes of energy efficiency, from A (low energy consumption) to G (high energy consumption). High efficiency electrical appliances can consume up to one third of the electric energy  consumed by the electrical appliances in the lower range. State of the art models (refrigerators, washing machines, dish washers) allow an overall saving of 74% of consumed energy.