Key Aspects About Electricity Consumption: Difference between revisions

For a business centered on selling food, the whole food production chain may have to be studied to determine what could be done quicker or with less heating. Sometimes, there may not be easy solutions that would not compromise quality, variation or appeal.

In the case of office activities, especially for mid-sized areas, computers, servers and auxiliary equipment have a very large impact on electricity consumption. Distance working and non-standard schedules requires all computers to be turned on, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and this creates a constant important electricity demand.  

=Most common electricity consuming devices=

Using computers, printers and other data processing equipment is unavoidable in our modern life. However, most devices require a certain amount of electricity to work, although size and backside labels can give relevant consumption details.  

Keep in mind that multiple devices that are powered on at roughly the same time may have a certain impact on electricity consumption. Laptops always consume less than desktops so for activities that are not particularly processing demanding, they may be better suited for daytime work.

Printers and multifunction devices should be given special attention. While inkjet printers are usually low powered devices, with a power rating that is less than 50 Watts, some larger copiers, printers and multifunction devices, particularly laser ones, can have very large instantaneous power loads and this will be translated into high consumption for high volume activities.  

==Washing machines, clothes driers==

This aspect has to be considered carefully, keeping in mind that washing only certain clothing items, as they are used, require more energy and water than washing a bunch of clothes. In other cases, communal washing may not be the best choice for sanitary, privacy or scheduling reasons.

While clothes driers and washing machines that have integrated driers are highly convenient, they do have an impact on energy consumption. While airing and drying clothes outside is preferable, colder or more humid environments make such an option frequently inconvenient.  

In situations were a clothes drier is too inconvenient, expensive or takes too much space, stand-alone dehumidifiers or air-conditioning systems can improve clothes drying performance indoors.

Ironing require quite extensive energy inputs and is a major contributor to consumption, particularly if done regularly. Traditional ironing systems are less efficient than vertical ones for small fabric straightening purposes.  

Ironing also releases water vapours as well as heat, increasing local humidity and creating an environment that is less pleasant to work in. Unfortunately, there are fabrics that need to be cared for with ironing.

The best solution is to find fabrics and clothing products that trap the least amount of water and require the least amount of special care, such as ironing, to look right. Unfortunately, as there are no international standards and guidelines for efficiency in this area, a lot of personal experimentation has to be carried out.

Appliances that heat water or food can have quite an important contribution to overall consumption. In many cases, they are much more convenient to use and more efficient and than, for instance, simple teapots used on an electric cooking machine.  

However, if there is a strong demand for cafes or teas, there may need to be an assessment about how to better handle the situation.

For businesses that have food preparation activities, the issue is much more complex. Serving quickly clients is mandatory and appliances that can ensure this result are highly important.  

Refrigeration covers not only the obvious purpose of storing food and food related products that can degrade but also water chilling systems. Environment temperatures have the largest influence on a refrigeration equipment consumption both during normal operation and particularly when drafts are formed as the appliance is open for loading or unloading.  

It is also important to note that high refrigeration volumes have to be managed carefully to avoid items that are forgotten, going past their intended consumption date. Water chillers and dispensers are convenient devices that have to be properly sized to be efficient but they are much more advantageous to use than refilling, storing and retrieving water from a standard refrigerator.

Space heating and cooling may require considerable amounts of electricity. It may be helpful to establish specific temperature ranges at which appliances are turned on an off to maintain comfort. This will have a very large impact, particularly in summer. Permanent monitoring of temperature and humidity is essential to asess how to maintain it in an acceptable range.

All these situations have to be carefully studied. It is not as effective to just use the "eco" function for certain devices, since it will just provide a lower service, in this case water temperature and electricity consumption, that may not be satisfactory for most purposes.

Better performing products are generally more expensive and durable than economy ones. It matters a lot when operating older devices, manufactured more than 7 years ago, as they can be performing well but require more electrical energy due to having a less efficient electrical motor.

Pressure washers are much more effective for cleaning ceramic tiled floors, concrete and asphalt, being highly effective both on the indoors and outdoors activities. They can also save a lot of time and also a lot of money, reducing the need for expensive and toxic cleaning products. Pressure washers also reduce water use making more savings readily apparent.

==Lighting equipment==

[[Category:Energy Conservation]]