Save electricity in the heat


TEPCO, my electricity company, put a notice in my mailbox today. They are asking customers to save electricity as a result of the earthquake in Niigata prefecture in July. All seven nuclear reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station are shut down and that has created problems for TEPCO, who has had to secure power from other plants.

The leaflet explains that between 13:00 and 16:00, they are having trouble supplying the electricity needed, so please turn down the tempereture of your air conditioners, hang up curtains and blinds in front of windows, and turn off the TV if you are not watching.

I'm sure people can do more than that. Any good ideas, dear readers...?



TEPCO Challenges website here.

TEPCO Green Power Program here:

The Green Power Certification System is a framework for the consignment of natural energy power generation by corporations and customer groups to Japan Natural Energy Company Limited, which mediates for windmill power generation companies. As of July 2004, 45 corporations and customer groups had contracted to purchase a total of 44.3 million kWh -- the equivalent electric power consumption of 12,300 households.




I wrote about Natural-e and their programs for "green power" in a previous post about Reducing fossile fuel use in Japan.

(Photos of sudare and power-saving fridge curtain from Nippon.fr)

Comments

Pandabonium said…
Unplug all those "wall warts" when the items they are supplying are not in use. I am referring to the transformers on the power cords of cell phone chargers, laptop computers, printers, etc. They use significant amounts of power even when the appliance is not being used.

Many homes in Japan have electrically heated toilet seats and built in bidet which heats water as well. Those may use 80 watts or more and should also be unplugged when not in use.

Computers and monitors can use a lot too.

One day, the electric companies will provide indoor meters for each outlet or each circuit so consumers can see such energy "leaks" and how much they are costing in real time.
2:04 pm, August 16, 2007
Martin J Frid said…
Yes, unplugging is important. Wow, inddor meters, that would be cool. I want one for each outlet. Would that be possible? It could make a big difference, with a display that tells you what is going on.

It would help identify "forgotten" sources of power-drain, like a dripping faucet.
4:55 pm, August 16, 2007
Pandabonium said…
Definitely. There is an interesting article on the BBC site about Smart Meters. They monitor exactly where the power is going. Some even allow you to see a graphic readout on the internet.
9:43 am, August 19, 2007
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