Energy General Championship

1.1 Introduction

The journey of a thousand miles, must begin with a single step.

Everyone knows there's a problem. What everyone does not realise is that they are part of the solution. Techfest and TechniC(The technical Club of IIT Bombay) have launched a drive to that measure right here at IIT Bombay, the place we call home. The hostels are all set to compete to be crowned the most energy efficient in campus. Whether you invent the most efficient bulb, or just turn off your lights when not needed, do whatever you can to ensure your hostel is at the top and the meter reading at the bottom. Keep checking out this page for the latest standings and other updates.

So come September, start saving because everyone's efforts count!
The GC starts on September 1^st.

For any queries, please mail to energygc[at]techfest[dot]org

View the Tips to save Energy »

Energy Saving tips for the hostels at IIT Bombay

The following steps should be taken by the council to save electricity

1. The usage of geysers can be regulated simply by appointing one person from each wing who will check the usage on a regular basis
2. Mess secy's should ensure that the tubelights and fans of the mess are switched off whenever the mess is not in use. Also the mess secy should ensure that the TV is not plugged in when its not in use, because this also consumes a considerable amount of electricity.
3. Sports secy's should ensure that the halogens are switched off when no one is playing.
4. A regular hostel spirit should be maintained through regular mailing and reminding your friends of the fact that saving electricity will put you forward in the race of winning the GC.
5. The Maint secy's should ensure that the lights and fans of the lounge area are switched off whenever not in use.
6. The monitors of unused computers in the comp room should be switched off. Even this will lead to saving of a massive amount of Electricity.

An Individual can take the following simple steps to save electricity

1. Switch of the fans and tube lights whenever you step out of the room
2. We are very negligible when it comes to switching off the mosquito repellant machines in the morning. Doing that will also save a considerable amount of energy.
3. Unplug the charger whenever you are done with the charging of the batteries of your laptop or cell phones.
4. Do not switch on all the tubelights in your wings. Use of alternate tubelights will ensure optimum amount of lightning.
5. Always remember to switch off the tubelights in bathrooms in the morning and whenever they are not in use
6. Switch of the monitors of your computers and always shut down the laptops whenever not in use.
7. Become a responsible hostelite. Follow these simple steps yourself.

Here are some general tips

1 How can you save on your Mess Refrigerators?

Here are 5 things to help you out...

1. Make sure that you are using a refrigerator that is appropriately sized for your needs. If your fridge is too small, you may be overworking it. If it's too large, then you're potentially wasting energy and home space. Optimize the storage to use electricity up to its highest efficiency.
2. Give your unit some room to breathe, place it at least 4 inches away from the wall so as not to overwork the motor. Moreover, move it away from sources of heat such as the stove or oven.
3. Do a test on the refrigerator seals. Insert a piece of paper or a bill along the edge and close the fridge. Check if you can easily pull it out. Repeat in several places. Change or fix your refrigerator seals if the suction has become weak or the seal has been damaged.
4. Avoid putting hot or warm food inside the ref. Let it cool first before putting them inside.
5. Open the fridge as infrequently and briefly as possible. Properly stock the items inside and try to have an inventory list stuck on the door so you won't waste so much time searching for what's inside

2 How do we save on Computers and Accessories?

We all have a tendency to keep the computer/laptops ON, if we are not using it because we don't want to wait a couple of minutes to boot up again, but if you are going to be away from the computer for a hour turn it off as you will save more power in that hour than that used to power one 14 watt compact fluorescent lamp for 24 hours. Do not keep it on standby. For computer rooms we may not be asked to switch off the computers. In such situations make sure you turn computer monitor off when you aren't using it. And, alter the "Desktop settings" or "properties" and program your computers to go into sleep mode after a while in case you forget to turn off the monitor. Your speakers use electricity. Consider using headphones instead, or even better, going without sound when you don't need it.

3 Save Electricity on Lightings

Turn off lights when not in use. Use "task lighting" rather than lighting the whole room unnecessarily for close work. In the wings try to optimize the use of lights. Go for alternate lights ON if no need for subsequent lighting. Try to keep the lights as clean as possible. Dust your lamps and light fixtures with the power off. Even a thin layer of dust reduced light levels.

4 Save Electricity used for Tumble Dryer

Electric tumble dryers are commonly the second biggest energy user in the home, after the fridge. They are obviously used a lot less, but still use a huge amount of electricity when switched on. You can avoid using the dryer so often by line drying clothes whenever possible or using an indoor clothes dryer when the weather is bad. If you do need to use the dryer, then ensure the clothes are as dry as possible after washing, e.g., they have gone through a fast spin so that there is minimum excess water. This will reduce drying time considerably.

5 Don't Leave Electrical Appliances on Standby

Many of us with use the remote to switch off the TV or stereo, leaving the appliance running on standby. This actually means the appliance is still using up electricity and wastes a considerable amount of energy. By switching off at the main power button, or even the socket, you could be saving both energy and money. Items left on standby use up to 85% of the energy they would use if fully switched on.

6 Switch Off the Unnecessary Plugged in Electrical Appliances

We should make it a point to switch off cell phone chargers and electrical mosquito repellents from the mains after use, so that they do not consume power. The cell phone charger utilizes 3 watts per hour, when it remains plugged. So once the battery is charged, we should take the charger off the plug point. Mosquito repellents can consume 5 watts per hour.

View the Results »

3.1 Results

Energy GC has been a huge success. There have been impressive savings.

Per capita consumption in units in 2008: 216.65

Per capita consumption in units in 2009: 199.52

Net effective saving in units 92,364.96

This graph gives an idea of the impact of Energy GC in the month of September.

The Energy GC Impact