ELECTRIC CONSUMPTION AND ENERGY SAVING

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INTRODUCTION: THE EFFECTS OF ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Electricity has a great importance in our World nowadays. Especially, due to the pandemic we all have started using the electrical devices and gadgets much more than before. This increase in electricity consumption has absolutely some effects on the environment. These impacts depend on the usage, how and where we have been generating or delivering. The usage of electricity may seem quite safe. However, the production and transmission of electricity have a huge impact on the environment.

Electricity is generated by moving a conductive wire such as copper in a magnetic field. An electric generator is a machine that contains coiled conductive wires rotating inside a magnet and generates electric current by rotating these wires. In order to obtain a large amount of electrical energy which is necessary in our homes, workplaces, industry; large power plants are needed.

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Most power plants are generating heat to activate the generator. Fossil-fueled power plants burn natural gas, coal and oil for heat generation. Nuclear power plants also produce heat by breaking down uranium fuel. By using the non-renewable energy sources to produce electricity, generally the whole planet is affected badly.

Firstly, the emissions which cause greenhouse gases affect the air, and water. The impacts on air and water also affect the humanity and the environment. For instance, the United States generate %65 of the electricity by using fossil fuels. Some chemical substances appear after burning the fossil fuels. These substances are nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, etc.

These substances cause various problems for environment, humanity and even some human made things such as sculptures. Sometimes the buildings, water, soil, trees and other creatures who live on Earth can be affected by the substances that is released during the burning of the fossil fuels.

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Due to the processing and use of petroleum, a rapid pollution and deterioration is observed worldwide. The negative impact of energy use poses an enormous threat to our world. The pollution that occurs in the environment is caused by a mixture of the gases resulting from the burning of carbon. Carbon reacts with air, water and soil. Energy use itself is a task that requires attention and care. The spread of radioactive materials harms the existing ecological balance in nature.

While generating the electricity, the substances that are released can cause acid rain. The aquatic habitats are the most effected places by acid rain. Day by day the acidity of the lakes and rivers increases and the number of animals that live in them decreases. Another serious problem is if some of the species become extinct, then the other species will also become extinct as the ecosystem will malfunction. Not only the animals are affected by the acid rain, but also humans. It causes some health problems such as the irritation of the eyes and asthma.

The productivity of agricultural areas can be decreased due to the substances that are released while generating electricity. Nutrients and minerals in the soil can be changed. Running out of water can be a problem as the “climate change problem” still exists. If the “global warming” increases, that will also affect the environment seriously. These problems can affect humanity in both health and economics. Human health is especially get affected by, when people is being exposed to pollutants in air, water and soil.

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OBJECTIVE AND EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the electric consumption of two most frequently used household appliances at home, to get awareness about the ecological effects of electric consumption and to find ways for saving energy.

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

1- Analyzing the effects of electricity consumption on the environment.

2- Selecting the household appliances that are going to be studied.

3- Determination of the power consumption in watts for the household appliances that are examined.

4- Determination of the operation time in a week.

5- Calculation of the price of the electricity that is consumed by these appliances.

6- Discussing the energy saving methods.

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ANALYSIS

DETERMINATION OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY USED APPLIENCES

It has been investigated the most frequently used appliances at home. The most used household appliances are the television, the dishwasher, the laptops, the light and the vacuum cleaner.

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The light is used for two hours a day as there is lots of day light in the house. The dishwasher is used once a day which is approximately one hour. The vacuum cleaner is used once a week which is nearly two hours in a week.

[2]	It is seen that the television and the laptops is the most frequently used appliances in a week. The computers are used ten hours a day due to the pandemic and online education. The television is used three hours a day.

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THE POWER CONSUMPTION IN WATTS, THE TIME OF USAGE AND THE PRICE OF ELECTRICITY THAT IS CONSUMED

The formula of the energy is: Energy = Power x Time = V.I.t = I².R.t = V²/R.t

The power consumption of a laptop is about 50-100 Watts in an hour which is equal to 0.05-0.1 kWh. The voltage of the laptop is 20V, the ampere that is required for the laptop to operate is approximately 3,5A.

20 x 3.5 x 10 = 700 Watts for ten hours.

1 Watt = 0.001 kWh.

700 Watts = 0.7 kWh.

1 kWh = 0.75 TL according to the city Ankara in 2020.

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0.7 kWh = 0.525 TL per day. It costs 3.675 TL per week, 15.75 TL per month and 189 TL per year. As we have two laptops in our home, the power consumption is twice of these numbers. 1.05 TL per day, 7.35 TL per week, 31.5 TL per month and 378 TL per year.

The power consumption of a 43 inches (117 cm) television is about 100-200 Watts in an hour which is equal to 0.1-0.2 kWh. The voltage of the television is 40 V, the ampere that is required for the television to operate is approximately 4A.

[6]	40 x 4 x 3 = 480 Watts for three hours. 480 Watts = 0.48 kWh. 0.48 kWh = 0.36 TL per day. It costs 2.52 TL per week, 10.8 per month, 129.6 TL per year. The difference of power consumptions between laptops and television comes from the different “time usages”.

DISCUSSION: ENERGY SAVING METHODS

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Energy consumption has enormous impacts on the environment. In order to decrease these dreadful and dangerous effects, everybody can do some basic changes in their lives. Actually, most of us know these simple energy saving methods as we all have taught at the kindergarten. Although we know about the importance of energy saving, we still do not implement

these actions to our lives. Therefore, I wanted to remind the importance of this topic by giving some simple examples from our daily lives.

“Turning off the unnecessary lights” is the simplest action that we can all do. For instance, while sitting at living room with your family, we can turn off the lights of the hallway or the kitchen. By doing this, not only the environment will get effected in a positive way, but also your money will be saved.

Secondly, using LED lights, which is more efficient, your money will be saved again. As the energy consumption is less, the environment will get less affected. Also, you may use natural light which is totally free! If we use day light, the environment will not get affected, as we do not consume energy. Actually, we will get affected by the environment -in a positive way- by using natural light.

Turning the water off while brushing teeth or washing hands; taking shorter showers can affect the energy consumption very much. While using “hot water”, some energy is consumed. The less we use water inefficiently and unnecessarily, the more energy is saved.

While you are not using some electronical devices and gadgets, you should unplug them. When they are unplugged, less energy is consumed; and more energy is saved. If you are not able to unplug all the devices you can start with turning of the television from its button. When you turn the television off by using the remote control “red light” occurs and that consumes energy all day long. You may also unplug your phone or computer when it is fully charged. By unplugging these devices not only the energy is saved, but also the battery’s life is saved.

When you turn on the heater or the air conditioning, be sure that you have closed the windows and the doors of that room. As the heated or cooled air is conserved in the room, you will not have to turn the heater on for the whole day. You can also dress appropriately according to the weather. For instance, when it is cold you can put your sweatshirt on and when it is hot you can wear a T-shirt. By dressing logically, you will not have to turn the air conditioning on which will consume less energy. The energy will be saved with these tricks.

All in all, there are lots of ways that one can save the energy easily. By changing your lifestyle a little bit, the energy consumption can be decreased.