ENERGY EFFICIENT COOLING
Temperatures reach a record high in July across the country. The experts draw attention to the increase in energy consumption due to excessive use of air conditioners these days, and make recommendations on how to use energy efficiently.
Ast. Porf. Görkem Üçtuğ from Faculty of Engineering, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), pointed that energy consumption reached its peak during noontime especially and when supply-demand balance was not reached, electric outages may have been experienced. “Air conditioning systems try to keep the indoor temperatures at a specific degree, stated Üçtuğ and he said, “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.”
Asst. Prof. Üçtuğ, who suggests that windows or doors to be kept shut when the AC is on, suggest that the entrance of sunlight should be minimized. Üçtuğ said, “If you have to open the windows or curtains, AC unit should be turned off temporarily. Hot weather also affects refrigerators. They should be placed away from sunlight as much as possible. Also, fans only give “cooler” air when you are directly in front of them. Avoid leaving 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.”