STAY COOL AND SAVE MONEY ON YOUR ENERGY BILL
As the General Directorate of Meteorology issues a heat wave warning for some of the cities, expectant women and disabled employees at some institutions are given a day off due to heat wave. The experts draw attention to the increase in energy consumption due to excessive use of air conditioners these days where heat records of last 50 years is broken, and make recommendations on how to use energy efficiently.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Görkem Üçtuğ, Lecturer, Faculty of Business, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), pointed that energy consumption reached its peak during noon time and he said, “Air conditioning systems try to keep the indoor temperatures at a specific degree. If we cause indoor temperatures to raise high, the air conditioner spends more energy in order to cool the room. Air conditioners have high energy density. Therefore, during summertime in our country, especially during noon hours, the energy consumption reaches its peak. When supply-demand balance is not reached, electric outages may be experienced”.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Üçtuğ, who suggests that windows or doors to be kept shut when the AC is on, stated the following:
“If possible, shut the curtains and minimize the entrance of sunlight. If you have to open the windows or curtains, AC unit should be turned off temporarily. Refrigerators also get affected by hot weather. They should be placed away from sunlight as much as possible. Fans only give “cooler” air when you are directly in front of them. Avoid turning the fan on if you are not in the room, it would cause the room to be even hotter. Pay attention to these in order to decrease the energy consumption. When you leave a room, make sure to switch off all the lights since heat from the light bulbs would also make the room hot.”