- For anyone embarking on the journey to being lesser of a burden on the planet, I believe the easiest way to start is to reduce your power consumption. I say this for a couple of reasons. One, it is awfully easy to do. As you walk along your house, just keep turning the lights off. Teach your children to swicth of the lights when they leave their rooms - thereby founding the basic thoughts of saving in their young minds.
- To add to this, reduce your dependence on the AC. Start with setting the temperature 1 degree higher than your usual. I have been to some houses & parties, where the guests are preactically freezing, but apparently its cool (pun intended) to keep the AC on full blast. Once you bring down your AC temperature to 25C, you can graduate to the next level which is using it for fewer and fewer hours a day. A big achievement is when you can start sleeping without the AC most of the time, except for some peak heat days in the year.
- The third thing which is very easy to do is switch of the mains for all appliances when not in use - this means the switch for the TV/ DVD/ Set Top Box/ Microwave/ Lamps/ Mobile and Laptop chargers/ Music system etc.. This is relatively easy to do, and also reduces the threats of a fire considerably.
- If you follow these three things, you will find a considerable reduction in your electricity bill, and a measurable proof of your achievement. That is why I believe this is the best and easiest way to start being more environmentally conscious.
- We used to live in a 2800 sq ft apartment in Powai, with US returned neighbours in the exactly same apartment. Their monthly electricity bill was INR 19,000 while ours was INR 2500 or thereabouts. We felt so happy and excited about this, that it drove us to make more changes in our lifestyle, which we now knew we could easily accomplish.
Latest Everydayeco Ideas
