Home energy management should work hand in hand with the optimized appliances in the house in order to make a significant leap towards sustainability. A Home Energy Management System employs a combination of hardware and software elements that work together while considering the best comfortability in your living space.
What is home energy management system?
A Home Energy Management Systems, abbreviated as HEMSs, aid in the control of electricity demand to optimize distributed renewable energy production and energy consumption without sacrificing consumer comfort. This system is designed specifically to address the proper functions of connected devices with utmost efficiency while providing the best living environment. HEMSs operate based on a variety of factors, including energy costs, load profiles, climatic factors, and consumer comfort.
Why is home energy management important?
A home is the smallest unit of society where we all recharge and seek comfort after every long day of productivity. Our reliable shelter serves as our house of relief, a necessity for our security and convenience. This is our asset which at the same time is a liability when it comes to the terms of maintenance and recurring responsibilities we pay for our reassuring environment.
Home energy management plays a significant role in providing systematic function for home amenities with efficiency in energy utilization without compromising the comfort of daily living. An efficient energy consumption proves advantageous environmentally, economically, and most importantly, in risk management. A reliable energy management system ensures a risk-free operation for devices that dramatically boosts security in the house.
What are the benefits of home energy management?
A switch to a more reliable home energy management proves beneficial for the household owners when it comes to efficiency in energy usage, cutting of costs in bills, comfort, and of course, security. Here are a few of the best advantages you can benefit from a home energy management system:
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Energy-wise
The main function of a Home Energy Management System is to reduce the energy consumption of household appliances and devices without compromising the ideal function of your amenities. HEMS, therefore, seek wiser energy utilization. In line with this, this also lowers the carbon footprint, which is relative to the amount of energy used for an operation.
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Efficiency
The efficiency of your working devices gives a proper framework for the other devices to function as well. When energy usage is facilitated correctly, it is less likely for fluctuations and sudden scarcity of energy for the other appliances to operate appropriately, which means more stability to power.
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Reduce cost
With a Home Energy Management System in the house, the operations become more efficient, and the consumption of energy becomes wiser. Apparently, these benefits lead to a reduction in the cost of your electricity bill. In such a way that cutting operational costs for business industries gives them a higher return on investments, the same principle can also be applied to your home.
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Systematic control
Revamping your house with a Home Energy Management System gives your house a more reliable methodological control over your devices that works even without your manual intervention. This only means fewer concerns for you since this system works on its own, managing your amenities to give you the best comfort at home while you take your time relaxing or just focusing on your own tasks.
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Enhanced wellbeing
Consider having a Home Energy Management System like integrating a dependable AI or Artificial Intelligence in your house that manages the operations of your devices and appliances that automatically adjusts according to the best environment suitable for you and your family. The ability to manage every area of your house’s energy performance, including the lighting and HVAC, is another crucial feature of a HEMS that enables you to create a comfortable working environment.
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Increase property appraisal value
Smart houses are considered the new trend of a home and will be growing with innovations moving onwards. As it boosts comfortability in your living space, this also affects the overall value of the house. With this feature in the property, the appraisal of this asset is drastically increased in case there is a need to liquify your home and even more marketable if subjected to be sold.
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Risk reduction
With your devices and appliances working in much more efficient ways, it is less likely to be exposed to hazardous incidents. With a systematic framework that controls the distribution and consumption of energy for the devices’ operations, a more stable operation is guaranteed. With lesser risks of fluctuations and other concerns associated with energy and power control amongst the devices, the possibility of fire, damage to appliances, and other hazards are mitigated by this smart solution.
What Uses the Most Energy in Your Home?
We sure are familiar with the word ‘Kilowatts,’ which is named after the Scottish engineer James Watt, is the unit used to measure electricity. The more watts, the more electricity is consumed.
On the actual appliance, the wattage is typically printed together with other operational details that we can use as the basis for calculating how much its cost will be in our upcoming bill. Your energy bills are influenced by the Watt consumption as well as how long an appliance is operated.
Here are 5 of the greatest energy consumers at home in general overview:
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Heating and Air Conditioning
Setting up an ideal room temperature may be cooler than outdoors or otherwise, for some countries that need heaters when the weather is cold takes so much energy.
In Thailand, the average power usage of an aircon is 2.5 kW (kilowatt) per hour, and that should be multiplied by how long this appliance works per day. If it has to work 8 hours a day, that will be 20 kW a day, further multiplied to 30 to cover a month. For the average household in Asian countries, air conditioning takes around forty percent of the monthly energy bill.
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Water Heater and Cooler
Water heater for your shower when left plugged in 24 hours a day as preparation for bath any time of your day takes so much energy as well. Together with the cooler of your shower, electric consumption strikes high. Aside from shower equipment, the water heater and cooler also include the ones you use for water dispensers that work all day as well.
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Refrigerator
On average, a refrigerator runs around 500 watts per hour and should work 24/7. This is affected by how it is used and the things that are put inside the refrigerator. If we calculate the wattage consumption of a refrigerator with 500 watts for 30 days, that will sum up to 360 kilowatts.
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Washer and dryer
The washer and dryer both use mechanisms for changing the temperature and motor at the same time. This combination takes so much energy to operate. Although these machines do not work for long hours, they are still big eaters of electricity in the house.
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Lighting
One light bulb usually runs around 12 watts, 15 watts, and 60 watts for a regular household. There are light bulbs that may be a little low or a little higher in wattage consumption that you might think that their power use is negligible. But count all the bulbs you have in your house and how long each should work in a day. As a point of comparison, a refrigerator runs at 600 watts per hour, which is only equivalent to ten 60 watts bulbs.
How can we reduce electricity consumption at home?
It is understandable how appliances that are not used should be turned off or unplugged when not in use to reduce energy consumption. Be mindful of the devices you utilize and how you operate them. But here are a few tips on reducing electricity consumption at home:
- Shut down or unplug devices that are not in use. This includes computers, TVs, chargers, microwaves, printers, and other electrical devices as their minimal consumption, even if not used, may stack together and count as a bigger consumption. Devices that run under standby modes still use electricity.
- Use energy-saving devices. LED lights and other devices that use the same technology takes up less energy compared to other types. There are also other appliances aside from lights that apply energy-saving concepts in operation. These devices may be a little pricy compared to the regular ones but will save you costs in energy bills in the long run.
- Take advantage of smart devices. These devices that turn off automatically when not in use or the ones that employ sensors to operate make it efficient.
- Utilize natural light when available. There are certain places in the house that can maximize the natural outdoor light to brighten up the space. Using natural light cuts off energy consumption.
- Build proper ventilation in the house. With a proper ventilation system in your interior design, allowing natural air to come in and go out of your living space saves up energy for cooling the place with an air conditioner. It does not prohibit you from using air conditioners but will give you options instead.
- Use timers for some devices. You may also use timers for your air conditioner and other electrical devices to switch off automatically when not in use or scheduled operating time. This way, there is no hassle for you to wake up and switch off these devices as they will do it on their own.
- Clean your filters from time to time. Cleaning and changing filters on furnaces and air conditioners regularly ensures efficiency and takes less energy for your air conditioner to reach the ideal temperature.
- Manually do the chores sometimes. Doing the chores like washing the dishes or doing the laundry yourself is beneficial for you. This will save you from bigger electric bills and at the same time will serve as your exercise.
- Schedule tasks regularly for chores. These chores that you can work in bulk can be scheduled to be done once to save electric consumption is still useful. You can wash your laundry in full loads once a week to save electric consumption compared to doing the laundry little by little every day.
- Employ Home Energy Management System. To ensure the efficiency of your devices without compromising your comfort, HEMS will be best for your house. Reducing electricity consumption is one of the main functions of a HEMS.
How does energy management help sustainability?
Energy management promotes efficiency in regular operations by employing precise actions or smart solutions to reduce unnecessary waste, pollution, and carbon footprints. The current society does not depend solely on renewable energy sources, which still contribute to carbon footprints with the potential of affecting the environment adversely.
The least we can do is to use energy wisely. On the other hand, sustainability is the course of living within the given limits of our natural resources to coexist with our environment healthily. With proper energy management, we are able to preserve a sustainable and healthier environment.
Tips for Home energy management & Appliance Optimization Systems
Aiming for sustainable energy management at home, you should be able to optimize your appliances as well. Doing so will be beneficial for you in the long go.
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Identify sources of consumption.
You should be able to identify which among your appliances takes up the most energy. This includes gas and electricity. This will allow you to take steps to change habits or monitor progress and activity in line with lowering carbon footprints.
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Choose true savers.
If you are to change your appliances, or maybe in the future, consider the true savers in the long run. Most of the cheaper products have low efficiency, which takes a toll on your bills in the long run, while the ones that are a little pricy at the start will save you a longer length of time.
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Collect utility data.
Collect and study your recurring data or bills to check and track your energy management campaign for your house.
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Employ energy management methods
You may employ the abovementioned tips on lowering energy consumption together with your housemates.
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Track your progress
Give time to monitor your progress in home energy management to see if you are making good progress or if there is still a need for you to reinforce your practices.
You can also use this data if you choose to partner up with a reliable industry to help you maximize your home energy management plans.
Get Started with Schneider Electric Thailand
To be an advocate of sustainability and employ a home energy management system to promote efficiency in your household, visit https://www.se.com/th/en/.
Schneider Electric Thailand is the world’s most sustainable corporation that provides energy and automated digital solutions to make the best of your energy resources while ensuring the best of life comfort.
