Fan: Get wind of these hacks

ELECTRIC FAN
Choose the right fan. Desk fans are best for small rooms. Stand fans are best for medium-sized rooms because of their adjustable height levels. For large or spacious rooms, consider using ceiling fans with longer blades. The longer the blades, the more air they can push around. Ceiling fans are very efficient in stirring the cooler air along the floor to cool the rest of the room.

Set the right speed. The speed level setting of a fan is directly proportional to its energy consumption. The faster your fan blades rotate the more energy your electric fan consumes so set your fan speed according to your cooling needs. Based on Meralco Power Lab tests on a 16’’ fan at #1 (low) vs #3 (high) setting for 9hrs/day use, you can save P32.40 a month when you switch to low setting!

Clean fans regularly. The dust that accumulates on the fan blades, motor housings, and grills reduces the air current generated by the fan. Also any form of impurities that pile up at the motor's cover prevent air from naturally cooling the motor. This causes it to heat up more and consume more energy.

TV: Tune in to sustainability

TELEVISION
Choose the right size. Choose the size that best suits your viewing needs. The bigger the TV, the higher the wattage ratings, the more energy you consume. The screen size of your TV should be based on your viewing distance from the unit. For your high-definition TV (HDTV), first measure the viewing distance starting from the viewing area, like sofa or bed, to where you will place the HDTV unit. Minimum viewing distance = screen size x 1.5. Maximum viewing distance = screen size x 3. 

Watch TV together. Instead of watching different TV programs on different TV sets and multiplying your consumption, agree on a program you can all watch together. 

Use Energy Saving Mode. This usually dims the backlight, which means lower power consumption.  Save energy consumption from 27% to 67% by switching to Energy Saving Mode.

Unplug your TV sets. This eliminates stand-by power costs.  A 21-inch TV can add P15 – P20 on your electric bill every month on stand-by power consumption.