Coping with the High Cost of Electricity

In this day and age, is there anybody who can survive twenty fours hours without electricity?  I won't.  There are a myriad of reasons why I can't.  But with my electricity expense eating a big chunk of my household budget, I am faced with several options.  One option is to cut down on my consumption of appliances that cost more like the airconditioner and water heater.  Another one is to find alternative sources of power.

1.  Cut down on consumption of aircon and water heater.  Me, cut down on my aircon hours and take a shower of icy water?  That is out of the question!  No matter how much the kilowatt/hour rate is, that is unthinkable.  Another thing that I could not live without is my internet connection.  My laptop wakes up when I wake up and goes to sleep when I go to sleep.  My internet connection is my sort of lifeline to my virtual world.  Do you know that I own a farm in Farmville and has amassed 15M in FV money?  Lol.

2.  Look for alternatives.  Since it is obvious that I can't compromise the number of consumption hours, I have to be creative in thinking of ways to pay less while consuming more.  My husband said that we have to replace our present appliances with those of newer and more efficient technology, like the inverter technology.  Airconditioners, refrigerators are the first appliances to be available in inverter technology.  With this technology, usage is maximized while saving a lot of energy and of course, money.

There is an alternative source of power that most of us are not aware are using it already for the longest time.  It comes free and is very abundant in tropical countries.  I am talking about solar energy.  What is solar energy?  Solar energy is simply energy from the sun.  For centuries, people have been using solar energy in such simple tasks as drying of clothes, food and what have you.

http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/images/technical/solar-power.jpg

What can a private individual do to maximize solar energy?  For residences and business establishments,  it entails the installation of solar panels on the roof to catch the sun's rays.  The solar panels convert the sun's rays into electricity that could be used to empower airconditioners, refrigerators, heaters and other appliances.  The number of solar panels to be installed would depend on the electrical consumption.    A higher consumption would require more solar panels.  

Solar panels on the roof of the house.http://www.hotpundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/solar-energy-nj-tax-credits.jpg

Although solar energy has a lot of advantages like it saves money as it is free; it is environment friendly as it is clean, sustainable and renewable; and is easy to maintain, the main drawback for its use is the big initial cost in installing the solar energy system.  The recovery period for the initial investment will depend on the amount of  electricity used.  The bigger consumption, the shorter time to recover the initial investment.  Once this has been recovered, solar energy is practically free.  

Solar energy is one area that the Philippine government should invest in as the country enjoys many months of sunny weather.  It should encourage the use of solar energy by making financing for this undertaking available to everyone.  If banks can lend money for a house and lot in the form of real estate financing, what is stopping them from providing financing for the installation of solar panels?  What a waste if we don't do anything to store this energy that is God-given, abundant and free at that.  

How big is your carbon footprint?

Image via Wikipedia

Do you know that one doesn't have to be a rabid green advocate to be able to contribute something to the preservation of Mother Earth? One just have to know the concept of what carbon footprint is.  It shows one's impact on the planet. Carbon footprint is what scientists call for the total amount of greenhouse gases produced to support human activities, whether directly or indirectly, and is expressed in tons of CO2 (carbon dioxide).  Greenhouses gases trap energy from the sun and prevent the trapped energy from escaping back to space.  As a result, surface temperatures rise and gave birth to the climate change/global warming phenomenon.  Carbon footprints are of two types – primary and secondary. When one drives his car or uses his appliances, carbon dioxide or other green house gases released directly affect the environment thus the primary carbon foot print. On the other hand, whenever one buys food and stuff, manufacturing and transporting these goods entail the use of electricity as well as vehicles that emit carbon dioxide.  This process 

releases greenhouse gases which are measured as secondary carbon foot print. Though 

you may not be directly releasing these gases, the indirect use of these products adds to the carbon foot print.

It is interesting to note that the average Filipino has a smaller carbon footprint compared to his First World counterpart.  This doesn't mean though that he is more environment-conscious than the Westerner rather his lifestyle is less energy dependent.  The most common appliances that can be found in a typical Filipino household are radio and TV.  These do not emit a significant amount of carbon emission.  Refrigerators on the other hand eat up a lot of energy as these have to be plugged in 24/7.  Air-conditioners, water heaters, flat irons and microwave ovens suck up tremendous amount of energy but these amenities are not yet staples in Filipino homes.

The challenge to all of us nowadays is to shrink the size of our carbon footprint.  How big is big?  Here is a link to a Carbon Footprint Calculator: http://www.earthlab.com/ecp.aspx.  Sheer awareness of how big one's carbon footprint is the first step to effect a positive change.  It also pays to use resources (electricity, natural resources and water) wisely, support cleaner technologies, practice public transport and carpooling, and switching to renewable alternatives when available.  To cite an example,  there are already available renewable alternatives to petroleum-based fuels (biodiesel, ethanol) and lubricants (ester-based  lubricants).   Going green is not a fad, it is a commitment.  A commitment of love.  As the saying goes,  "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."

http://www.brighthub.com/environment/green-living/articles/72761.aspx

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/special-report/10/03/08/pinoy-carbon-footprint
http://www.wwf.org.ph/newsfacts.php?pg=det&id=58