The inefficiency of the power sector has constrained the competitiveness of the productive sectors of the economy and has imposed significant costs and distortions on the economy. Producing and using electricity more efficiently reduces both the amount of fuel needed to generate electricity and the amount of greenhouse gases and other air pollution emitted as a result. Electricity from renewable resources such as solar, geothermal, and wind generally does not contribute to climate change or local air pollution since no fuels are combusted.
Presently, energy utilization in Nigeria is far from being efficient. Apart from the direct loss due to energy wasted, using energy inefficiently has three major implications in Nigeria. These are:
a) The investment in some energy supply infrastructure is far in excess of what the energy demand is;
b) The environmental problems associated with energy utilization are more aggravated due to large energy consumption;
c) Excessive energy consumption adds to the costs of goods produced especially in energy intensive industries like cement, steel works and refineries.
If we use energy efficiently, it will help to reduce the building of more power stations, thus the money for building power stations will then be spent on other sectors of the economy. More also, more people will have access to energy; if we save energy in one part of the country, the energy saved can be made available in another part.
Excessive waste is a sign of an unsustainable technology. In Nigeria a lot of energy is wasted because households, public and private offices and industries use more energy than is necessary to fulfil their needs. One of the reasons is that they use old and inefficient equipment and production processes. There are several ways to save energy in our home or workspace and they are listed below;
Thermostat Settings on Air conditioners
Nigeria is hot, it doesn’t matter where you are. Air conditioners are no longer luxuries but necessary.
Did you know turning your air conditioner off when away allows your room to heat up meaning that your air conditioner is forced to work even harder to cool it down again, thereby using up more energy?
An electronic thermostat can help save money on cooling. Instead of keeping your A/C on/off the entire day, you can set your system to adjust at different times of day. This also prevents you from forgetting to decrease the settings when you leave home or at night.
Air Conditioning Advice
Placement of air conditioners is important. For built-in units, the best location for vents is close to the ceiling since cold air falls. For free-standing systems, keep them a good distance from doorways that open frequently and where air can quickly escape.
Electricity Usage
Appliances use energy even when they are not running. For instance, an LCD or plasma television consumes about 400 watts when turned on and 4 watts when powered off. When you consider all the electronics in a house, it can add up to a lot of unnecessary electricity over the course of time. Take the time to unplug electronics that are not frequently used. To make this easier, install a surge protector with multiple electronics plugged in and shutting the entire surge protector off.
Water Consumption
Water is one of the most misused resources in Nigeria! As it turns out, water and energy are intertwined. Producing energy uses water and providing freshwater uses energy. Both these processes face growing limits and problems. You can save both in the following ways;
1. Boil what you need — Save water, money and energy by only boiling as many cups of water as you need.
2. Shower with less — Switching to an efficient shower head will allow you to lather up in less water, which means you’ll save water and cut your energy bills.
3. Read more here — https://friendsoftheearth.uk/natural-resources/13-best-ways-save-water-stop-climate-breakdown
Monitoring Air Leaks
Keep doors and windows sealed to maintain the air conditioning in your residence or workspace. If you have doorways with two sets of doors, avoid having both open at the same time. This will minimize the amount of air that leaks out of the interior of your home.
Lighting
Make use of natural sunlight whenever possible to illuminate and heat up interior spaces. Use solar powered outside lights. Low energy use light bulbs are readily available, and many are brighter and last longer than their normal counterparts, making the upgrade an easy decision.
Some of these energy-saving practices are quickly implemented while others require you to be more conscious of your daily practices. Combined, they can result in significant savings on your recurring utility bills. Connecting these dots is the essence of digital business transformation. Utilities are ideally positioned to leverage advancements in IoT; artificial intelligence; machine learning; cloud, fog and edge computing; and analytics to tackle previously intractable problems such as non-technical losses. Reducing wasted energy and water is good for the bottom line, good for customers and good for our environment. Be Energy Efficient!