Energy Saving Device ....part 2

Energy "saver" products which is targeting home users.

It has been quite common we can see this type of products being sold at supermarkets, R&R areas at highways and many more public places. Common items on displayed are:

• kWh meter ( to measure electrical energy consumption)
• Fluorescent tubes
• Samples of electricity bills for a house (address normally cannot be seen clearly or covered at all)They claimed the device can reduce power factor/stabilize the voltage/reduce current or even to make the movement the electron more smooth.
• They will show us the reduction in electrical parameters such as current and power when they use the device and without the device.
• Fluorescent tubes will be used as electrical appliance that they claimed use less energy if the device is used.
  

Some of them even claimed that the power being supplied to our home is not stable and that device can save electricity and stabilize the power supply.

One more thing I am not sure their qualifications and level of knowledge especially when they also claimed sometime that the product has been approved by SIRIM and Energy Commission.

That is what they claimed and this the facts:

1. Some of them have sent their device to SIRIM for testings as follows; -

• Safety test- SIRIM will test according toStandard MS 1144:1998 for General Requirements for Electrical Accessories (First Revision). If they passed this test, basically the product is safe for use.

However, I am not sure about the consistency of the safety performance of the product sold in the market to be compared with the tested units.

I have done some checking below are my findings so far:

• Power consumption test- So far, there is no standard available to test the energy performance of the device. What was done normally by these suppliers is , they sent it to SIRIM for testing with the testing requirements prepared by themselves. SIRIM will conduct the test a requested by them. They will use the test result to prove the device can save electricity.
  

The observation can be from the test results are:

• Only reduction in Ampere/kW/kWh and the reduction vary from depending type of electrical appliances being used in the test. It is within 2% reduction. Normally they claimed more than 30% savings.

• None of these test results indicate the energy performance value of the appliances such as lumen/watt for lamps or Energy Efficiency Ratio for air conditioners.

So far, none of these products suppliers are able to provide the technical prove that the device that they are selling can reduce electricity and in the same time maintain or improve the output of the appliances where it is installed. The simple way to calculate power is Power (Watt) = Voltage (V) x Current (I) for single phase supply at home Surely anything we do to reduce V or I will reduce the P but reducing Watt is not the only element in energy efficiency. It should not affect the performance or output of our appliances as well and our comfort level.

2. Energy Commission has never approved any energy saving device that need to be installed at any electrical appliances and has the ability to reduce electricity consumption or to improve its energy efficiency level. A check in Energy Commission's website showed a list of products that met certain requirements that have been set and can be classified as energy efficient material and equipment namely insulation material, televisions, domestic fans, wall mounted split unit air conditioners, lamps, ballast for fluorescent lamps, domestic refrigerators and high efficiency motors.

For normal consumers like us, may be we don't really look into this since our concern is only on how we can pay less for our electricity bills. There are many other ways to use less energy and pay less but in the same time we keep our comfort level at home. It is all about how we use it and what appliances we are using. Many guidelines on how to use energy efficiently have been published and available in the bookstores and websites and we just need to have a look at it to be efficient energy users.

The choice is in us to choose the " easy" way and buying the energy "saver" with so much uncertainties or the proven methods that can be easily applied at our home.

Common terminologies in energy management

Common terminologies being used in energy management:


Energy- Electricity, fuel, steam, heat, compressed air, renewables and other like media. Energy can be referred to the various forms of primary or secondary energy which can be purchased, stored, treated or used in equipment or in a process

Energy use- manner or kind of application of energy such as ventilation, heating, processes, production lines.
The quantity of the energy applied is expressed as energy consumption.

Energy intensity- Energy consumption amount divided by production amount
Applicable for the whole plant, individual process line, each equipment/machine

Energy consumption amount - In electric power(kWh), heat (J) r by individual particular unit such as steam (ton), water(m3) and etc.
Production amount - Unit in weight(tonnage), number of products and etc.


Energy baseline- Quantitative reference providing a basis for comparison of energy performance

Energy Efficient- To use less energy to produce the same or better level of output or to use the same amount energy to produce better level of output
Energy (Electricity, fuel, thermal and etc.)
Output (Quantity, quality, comfort level and etc.)

Energy efficiency- The term by the organization such as conversion efficiency, energy required/energy used, output/input, theoretical energy used to operate/energy used to operate.
An increase in energy efficiency is when either energy inputs are reduced for a given level of service, or there are increased or enhanced services for a given amount of energy inputs.

Energy performance- Measurable results related to energy

Energy performance indicator- Quantitative index of energy performance as defined by the organization to quantify the amount of energy used or saved per normalized unit of appropriate variable.

Energy management policy- Overall intentions and direction of an organization related to its energy performance as formally expressed by top management that provides a framework for action

Energy Management System- A set of interrelated or interacting elements of an organization to establish energy policy and objectives and to achieve those objectives



References
Websites, ISO 50001

Energy Saving Device

There are many ways to save energy but before we go further it is better to understand the true meaning of energy efficiency.

The words save or conserve energy often understood as energy efficient or to improve energy efficiency.

Energy efficiency is the relationship between the energy being used to produce a useful output.
Energy efficient means to produce same level or better output with less energy as input or to use the same level of energy to produce better output.

It electricity, higher efficiency not only about reducing electrical energy consumption in kilowatt-hour (kWh) but it need to be considered with the output of the particular product or equipment.

For example when an energy saving device is installed at a lamp tubes, we must relate the reduction of kWh shown with the energy performance of the tube which is measured in Lumen/Watt.

There are many claims in the market that there are "single" solution to save energy or to increase efficiency for all types of equipment or appliances at home or at factories.

I am not against any new technology to improve energy efficiency but so none of that solutions are convincing enough to me at least from technical point of view.

How to become an efficient energy user

We want to save energy but very little of us really do it.Why? Simply because we still can afford to pay our energy bills and fuel that we need to use in our daily life.

In many countries where most of their energy are imported like Japan and Thailand, energy management has been regulated by specific laws and regulations to ensure intensive energy users are managing their energy consumption well with certain energy saving targets to be complied.
For Malaysians, energy costs that we are paying now is partly subsidized by the government and this has given some "cushion" from the real impacts of energy price changes in the world and still many of us struggling to cope with that.

Based on forecasts by APERC in 2006, Malaysia is expected to be net energy importer in 2020 and it gives us more reasons to be efficient now rather that later where energy cost will be totally depending on fluctuation in the global market price.

The best way for us to deal with less energy subsidies from the government and the fluctuating global energy prices in years to come is by controlling on how we use our energy from now. From the most extreme view, there will be a time in the future where our efficiency in using energy will determine our survival as a person or as an business entity.

It is difficult to save? As an ordinary people, it is not since we in many ways, we have almost full control on our energy use.
For bigger users such as industrial and building sectors, more to be considered to become more efficient depending on the nature of energy being used for each organization.

We cannot save energy by saying but only by doing it and we often listen to a question " How can do it?"

My years of experiences in this field has told me one thing. Energy need to be managed and it is an on going efforts to ensure we can maintain the usage at desired efficiency level. Even though we may use the most efficient technologies available but it would not be as efficient as we expect over the period of time if we do not manage it well enough.For example, an efficient designed designed building or equipment will not be efficient by itself the moment we start to occupy it.

I believe in a sustainable energy management and just like any other management issues,they need a system which is specifically designed to ensure it will succeed in a long term.

As users, energy need to be manage systematically like other areas such as quality, safety, water and environment. However energy management is often seen has no direct benefits or impacts when core functions or business of most organizations is to produce goods or deliver services as sources to make profits.

One ringgit we saved is actually one ringgit that we earned and being efficient energy users do not mean that we have to compromise on our output or performance in quality or quantity of products/services to be delivered.

Having an energy management system to manage energy has been proven as the most effective mean to ensure all energy saving efforts will be more achievable where results can be measured and more improvements can be introduced to increase efficiency level.

As a conclusion, energy management through a proper system will enable us to become efficient and remain efficient in using energy.