WHAT ROLE DO PEOPLE PLAY IN ENERGY EFFICIENCY? - ENVIRONMENT - 2025

The role that people play in energy efficiency can be seen in actions such as the use of household appliances, recycling or sustainable architecture. Energy efficiency is defined as the use of the minimum amount of energy that is needed to carry out a process or a task, that is, it is not wasting energy.

It has become part of modern society to implement or develop methods that allow energy saving with the aim of becoming independent from other resources such as fossil fuels.

Energy efficiency seeks to improve human activities and preserve the environment. Source: pixabay.com

Energy efficiency has touched different areas of man such as transportation, industry, construction and the home. The contributions and benefits that energy saving offers are significant for the economy, society and the environment.

The most relevant impacts of the application of methods to save energy are the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, greater purchasing power of households through lower energy expenditure and reduction of expenses by governments.

Reducing energy consumption is one of the most urgent problems in today's society, which is why increasing efficiency and saving energy are tasks that concern us all equally.

Personal actions that contribute to increasing energy efficiency

Use of appliances with low energy consumption

There are different types of electrical appliances or electronic equipment that use smaller amounts of energy, which allows reducing consumption within the home and thus reducing expenses.

These equipments carry an identifier according to the level of consumption, the most efficient being those that have A, B and C on their label, and the least efficient F and G.

Most companies are currently working on the development of lower energy consumption equipment, focusing on less energy efficient appliances such as the refrigerator, television and washing machine.

Efficient use of electrical equipment in the home

More energy efficient appliances tend to be more expensive, so they are not accessible to most people.

So other ways to save energy when there is only regular electrical equipment at home are: disconnect equipment that is not being used, decrease the time of use and make the most of it while it is in operation.

Examples of actions that we can practice at home are to turn off the electric bulbs during the day, take advantage of the washing machine with full loads and disconnect the microwave, chargers, televisions, video game consoles and computers while they are not in use.

Design of efficient buildings or sustainable architecture.

Many of the buildings that currently exist were not designed to reduce energy consumption, so making modifications to buildings or residential areas is one of the common practices to increase energy efficiency.

Similarly, technologies are also implemented during the construction of new buildings to increase energy savings, becoming one of the most profitable options in the future.

Examples of this are:

• Self-generation of energy through biofuels, the wind and the sun.
• The use of environmentally friendly materials.
• Modify the orientation of buildings to take advantage of the sun and the winds.
• The installation of smart floors that regulate heat as needed.
• The incorporation of gardens outdoors or on roofs.

Use of more energy efficient vehicles

Currently there are private vehicles such as hybrids or electric, which consume less energy, compared to those powered by gasoline or diesel.

The use of this type of transport reduces or does not produce greenhouse gas emissions, offering man an increase in energy efficiency by a large percentage and reducing the consumption of petroleum derivatives, which are highly polluting for the environment.

Use of electronic equipment with greater energy efficiency in offices and companies

Offices and companies use electronic equipment such as computers, printers or audiovisual equipment that consume a lot of energy, so changing these devices for more efficient ones will generate energy savings that will translate into a reduction in company expenses.

Use of public or ecological means of transport

Choosing ecological or public means of transport such as the subway, buses or bicycles allows you to reduce and use energy efficiently.

Use of new technologies and efficient methods in industrial processes

Industry is one of the most energy-consuming activities in the world; This energy is used mainly for manufacturing processes of products or provision of services.

In industries they apply efficient intelligence, which aims to implement methods that seek to reduce the greatest amount of energy and resources used in their processes, without negatively affecting the quality of the product.

For this, equipment is replaced by other more efficient and effective ones, they generate their own energy through solar panels or consume energy from renewable or non-polluting sources.

Intelligent networks

The implementation of smart grids allows monitoring, managing and controlling the energy supply chain, with the aim of reducing costs and energy consumption, as well as helping to integrate renewable energies within electrical systems.

The implementation of smart grids will have a positive economic, social and environmental impact in any region of the world. Italy and the United States were some of the first countries to make the first smart grid deployments.

Recycling

On a daily basis, humans consume a large number of products made with materials that can be recycled, such as plastic, aluminum, paper and glass. Materials like these are recycled and used in industries to save energy by reducing production and resource costs.

It is important to emphasize that the recycling culture must be general, that is, not only industries are part of it, in the same way governments and people also contribute to this task.

Recycling in addition to improving energy efficiency, also contributes to the preservation of wildlife and the reduction of pollutants.

References

1. Fereidoon P. Sioshansi (2013). Energy Efficiency Towards the End of Demand Growth Academic Press.
2. McLean-Conner, Penni (2009). Energy Efficiency - Principles and Practices. Penni McLean-Conner: 49-129.
3. Sumper Andreas; Baggini Angelo. Electrical Energy Efficiency: Technologies and Applications: 296-297
4. R. Bayindir; L. Colak; G. Fulli; K. Demirtas (2016). Smart grid technologies and applications. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication.
5. Nicu Bizon, Naser Mahdavi Tabatabaei, Frede Blaabjerg, Erol Kurt (eds.) (2017). Energy Harvesting and Energy Efficiency: Technology, Methods, and Applications. Springer: 1-3.
6. Steven T. Moeller (2002). Energy Efficiency: Issues and Trends. NOT GOING.