Mapúa expert shares energy saving tips for the pocket and the environment
With electricity prices rising, it’s not uncommon
for people to seek ways to save energy and, more importantly, money.
Fortunately, as more Filipinos strive to be thriftier, their efforts positively
impact energy conservation.
Dean Aldrin Calderon of Mapúa University’s BS Energy
Engineering program explained how
energy consciousness translates to both environmental and financial
sustainability.
“When people learn the value and start to practice
energy conservation measures, they automatically become ambassadors of green
living, promoting energy and environmental sustainability. By lessening or
eliminating electric bills, people can also gain from this practice because
they can save more financially,” said Dean Calderon.
Other environmental and societal factors that
benefit from energy conservation techniques are environmental protection,
energy security, sustainable development, educational value, and behavioral
change.
However, to truly make an impact, Filipinos should
consistently and collectively practice energy consciousness year-round – even
during the hot, dry season.
The previous dry season saw many households using
their air conditioning units for hours on end because of the unbearable
temperatures, leading to sky-high electricity bills. Dean Calderon shared that
in these cases, people should just focus on optimizing energy consumption by
setting their appliances, specifically air conditioners, and refrigerators, at
a specific point and not going beyond what is necessary.
For households and most workplaces, whose highest
energy-consuming appliance is usually the air conditioning unit, he recommends
switching to inverter air conditioners, which consume less energy. They should
also select the set point temperature of their units. He said that most
Filipinos think that 24°C is still warm when it is, in fact, not. Meanwhile,
the global practice of consistently shutting an aircon and refrigerator on and
off makes their compressors work harder, so they use more electricity. These
practices demonstrate how energy consumption is affected by our normalized
beliefs.
Another simple yet practical way to decrease
electricity bills is to stop leaving appliances like lights, television units,
and electric fans on when they are not in use.
He recommends installing and using solar panels to
eliminate energy consumption in the case of electric vehicles.
When done consistently, simple energy practices
such as these will lessen electricity bills and, more importantly, encourage
people to create an energy conservation culture and a paradigm shift that will
pave the way toward achieving a greener future.
Energy expert Dean Calderon emphasized that
everyone should be more mindful of their energy consumption and think beyond
their needs. Citizens should always prioritize sustainability and consider the
harmful effects of energy overconsumption on our environment and planet.
Mapúa introduced its groundbreaking Energy
Engineering program in 2023 to further advocate a culture of energy
consciousness and conservation. The first Philippine university to offer it as
an undergraduate course, Mapúa’s Energy Engineering program equips students
with knowledge and skills to help find alternative energy sources, improve
energy usage, and develop efficient energy solutions.
He elaborated that Mapúa’s Energy Engineering
program deals with energy utilization for conventional power generation,
alternative sources of energy, and non-power applications with a focus on
energy conversion, combustion technologies, heat transfer, energy materials,
thermodynamics, built environment, and technological impacts on society.
“The program future-proofs undergraduate students
and prepares them to become energy industry game-changers and drivers of the
transformation and the ascent of sustainable energy,” he added.
To learn more about how you can become an industry
expert in Energy Engineering, and discover more undergraduate
programs offered at Mapúa, visit
https://bit.ly/AskMapua.
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