|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| With the receding cold wave, everybody's gearing up for the infamous Indian summer, which is guaranteed to bake, broil, and fricassee you. With the heat already touching 40 degrees in parts of the Indian subcontinent, people are reaching for their AC remote controls with alacrity. But did you know that conventional air conditioners can contribute to global warming and the Green House effect? |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The environmental impact of Conventional Air Conditioners |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| For one, air conditioning systems tend to leak refrigerant chemicals into the atmosphere. These leaked refrigerants travel upwards into the upper atmosphere and wreak havoc with the ozone layer which protects us from harmful UV rays of the sun. In addition, the heat that ACs pump out of an area contributes to global warming which in turn causes radical changes to your local weather. It’s a vicious cycle; you use ACs to pump heat out of your home and into the environment, which makes it hotter, thus consuming more power to keep your home cooled. As if that weren’t enough, AC consumes a lot of power; it puts an enormous load on our national electricity grids every year. Cooling the average Indian home using ACs can output more than 1500 KGs of CO2 (produced by burning coal in thermal power plants) every year! That CO2 released into the atmosphere contributes to global warming. If that doesn’t get you, try this one on for size – an average 1.5 Ton air conditioner can draw the equivalent power of 25 ceiling fans; in fact, your AC power consumption contributes to nearly 40% of your power costs. Wouldn’t it be great if you knew how to reduce that kind of power consumption to a more manageable level and lend the environment a helping hand at the same time? |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Doing your bit |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fortunately, you can. We have standards in our country that regulate the energy consumption of power-hungry electrical appliances such as ACs. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE – a statutory body under the Ministry of Power) initiated a labeling program for electrical home appliances in 2006. Under this standard, manufacturers could (voluntarily, prior to January 2010; but mandatorily since) affix a Power Savings label that indicate the STAR ratings. Using these STAR rated, energy-efficient, ACs can not only reduce the load on the local power plant, but also reduce the load on your wallet! How? Check out the table below: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note: Assuming 8 hours operation per day for five months in a year Source: Bureau of Energy Efficiency | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Table 1: Star Ratings vs. ROI |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The higher the number of STARs, greater is the savings in electricity consumption. Using a 5 STAR AC can save you more than Rs.2, 000 a year! Also, these energy efficient ACs use better quality refrigerants, which have lower ozone depletion potential.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lending a hand to a greener India: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| What goes around comes around – Besides reducing your electricity consumption by picking the AC with the right STAR rating, and following the Right tips to increase cooling, you’ll also be doing your part in making our country a greener place to live in! Did you know that if all the air conditioners in our country were to switch to 5 Star ACs instead, the power savings could be used to light up a metro like Mumbai for over a month? Social responsibility aside, what with the rapid change in climate and numerous other environmental issues plaguing our nation, we owe it to ourselves to do the right thing and be environmentally conscious. If you’re the type to spurn plastic bags for cloth ones, or travel by public transport to reduce your carbon footprint, then go further and step into one of our stores to select the energy star rated AC that suits your needs best. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reliance Digital
|
Back to Did you know?
Videos
What's New!
Buying Guides
Did you know?
How-To's
Finance Schemes
FAQs
Glossary
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
