Inverter Technology and my experience

Since the start of the year 2015, we have replaced our conventional refrigerator to the inverter type fridge. Likewise we changed our regular window type airconditioning unit to a split type inverter.
Guess what after a few months of use, i have been consistently saving about 2k pesos a month. I think in about 2 to 3 years time, the savings on electricity will pay for the cost of the inverter appliances.

We got the Panasonic inverter refrigerator.

We got the split type inverter aircon Koppel.

We will know further if maintenance cost will outweigh the electricity savings.

Tips: Saving on Electricity

I just received our electric bill this week. Guess what, our bill for the past month was at 6.7k. The previous electric bill was at 8.5k. That's a whopping 1.8k reduction and that's huge. Apparently our consumption reduced from 694kwh to 572kwh. That's a difference of 122kwh. So I tried recalling the things we have done to be able to achieve these savings.

The following are so far what I have recalled:

1. I had our two window-type aircon units cleaned.
2. I used electric with speed setting low and placing the fan nearer to me.
3. I used my 3G usb modem more often than our dsl + wifi.
4. I shutdown my laptop instead of sleep mode or hybernating.
5. I changed my usage of laptop and TV, ie not having them switched on at the same time.

I wonder if this trend will continue in the next bill as the next months will be summer and the aircons will consume a lot of electricity.

Compact Fluorescent Lamps CFL

If you Google search save electricity and check the sites that Google recommends, they almost present the same tips. At the top of the tip list of course is to change your light bulbs to compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) as they consume a lot less electricity and lasts longer. There are also now CFLs which are brighter or has higher lumens at lower wattage. I am actually changing to mostly 5watts CFLs that are even brighter than 8-watt CFLs. I purchase Philips 5-watt Tornado Spiral CFLs and I recall Philips was first to market this in the  Philippines.

I have had several brands of CFLs installed in our home since we moved about 4 years ago. I had Chinese brands and Taiwanese brands, and of course Philips. Philips CFL is a bit pricey compared to the other brands, however the Philips CFL is brighter and lasted longer.  Now all of my CFLs are Philips despite being more expensive.

The next time you change your light bulbs at home, I highly recommend Philips CFL.
You can check their site: Philips

Of course there is the LED bulb which consumes a lot less power than the CFL but almost double/triple the price. We will have to wait till the prices are affordable.

And for additional reference on tips on saving electricity, I found this website very informative:Save Electricity.

Induction Stove and the old reliable Gas Stove

                           
Electricity is very expensive in the Philippines. In fact I recall a news saying it is even cheaper in Japan. That's why it is hard and expensive to operate a business here in the Philippines heavily relying on electric power.Several manufacturing companies already moved out of the country. As individual homeowners, electricity now is huge expense in the household. So we find ways on how we can save our money.

I came across a saving tip on radio and from the website of the local electric company...use induction stove instead of the gas stove. They claim you can save money if you use induction stove apart from the benefit it being more efficient and safer to use. Our household uses lpg gas stove and I crunch some numbers if you can really save from using this new technology.

Here are my findings:

1. Induction Stove costs more than the gas stove. (3000Php vs 600Php).

2. If you currently use your gas stove more than 1 hour per day, changing to an induction stove would cost you more in the long run. You will be paying more than the cost of the lgp tank (745Php) per month.

3. If you use your gas stove less than an hour per day, then you may opt to change to induction stove considering the safety, cleanliness and efficiency.

As for our household, I will still stick to our old dependable gas stove considering our usage. We refill our lpg every two months and we use the stove at least 3 hours a day.