Save $500 a year on bills

Esther Ng, Today Online 26 Jul 08;

SHOWHOST Samson Zee used to leave his computer switched on overnight. His air-conditioner used to be left running the whole day when he went out. Being energy-efficient was the last thing on his mind.

All this changed when he hosted the launch of the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) 10% Energy Challenge in April and started to apply the agency’s energy-saving tips.

Between May and June, Mr Zee shaved off between $30 and $40 off his monthly power bill. This, despite the fact that many consumers had complained to SP Services that their bills for May were higher than those of previous months.

Mr Zee is so pleased with the results that he wants to share his new-found knowledge and passion.

“Everyone can be more energy-efficient. I used to spend $120 a month and my home office is around 2,000 sq feet. Now, my energy bill has dropped to around $80-$90 a month. That’s a saving of about $500 a year,” he said.

His secret? Changing the way he uses his household appliances.

For instance, when Mr Zee found out that air-conditioning typically formed about 30 per cent of a household’s electricity bill, he started to install more fans in his office.

“I would set the air-con at 25 degrees Celsius. Once the room is cool enough, I would switch it off and use the fan. You can still get the same cool effect,” he said.

When this Weekend Today reporter shared how she was reluctant to switch to fluorescent bulbs because of their cold and unflattering light, Mr Zee was quick to dispel this myth, explaining that “compact fluorescent bulbs these days come in various shades from cool to daylight to warm”.

According to Ms Tan Li Yen, an NEA executive engineer, this is a common misconception surrounding fluorescent bulbs, adding that myths on energy usage abound.

“Many people think I must pull the plug from the power socket to prevent my appliances from consuming electricity on standby mode. This is not true. It applies to countries like America where their power points don’t come with switches.”

She added: “You only need to switch off the appliance at the power socket.”

Other myths include switching a compact fluorescent lamp off and on, or that shutting down and starting up a computer uses more energy than leaving it on.

According to the NEA, it is more energy efficient to switch off your compact fluorescent lamp if you are leaving the room for more than five minutes.

For households with storage water heaters, the NEA recommends switching on the heater 20 minutes before taking a hot shower and switching it off immediately after use. Or, consumers could also switch to instantaneous water heaters which are cheaper and more energy efficient.