QUICK HACKS TO SAVE ENERGY

Even though electricity is a luxury in various regions of India, it is often taken for granted by people who reside in towns and metropolitan cities. So much so that some months your electricity usage, as apparent from your bills, makes you break out into a cold sweat. Also, with summers around, power usage will soar more than ever.

It is high time that we as responsible citizens do our bit to save some energy so that the rest of the country can benefit from it. Shared below are quick hacks to save energy:

AC can be best set at an optimum temperature of 24 degrees 

We all know that AC’s suck up a major chunk of electricity hence to save energy and for optimum results, try setting up your AC at 24 degrees and not lower than that.

Appliances should be switched off when not in use

You must know that any electrical appliance when left unattended and is in standby mode still consumes electricity. In fact, devices on standby suck up a whopping 5% of the total electricity consumption. This is a serious reason to switch off all your appliances when not in use. Mobile phone chargers when left plugged in with switches still on tend to still consume power. So, do remember to turn the switch off.

The right kind of lights can help save a lot of energy

The variety of lights you choose to use can be the most effective way to save on power. The right kind of lights can make all the difference in the amount of electricity you consume. Compact-sized fluorescent bulbs may offer almost the same amount of light and brightness as in the case of incandescent bulbs. But the fact remains that they are 4 times more energy efficient. So, while these bulbs are more expensive than the regular ones, they do use much less energy and last relatively longer. In certain cases, they may last for as long as a year.

Use your iron wisely

Whether you believe it or no, here’s telling you that your iron can contribute to your energy-saving pursuit. In case you’re about to buy an iron, ensure buying one which has an automatic temperature cut-off. Do not wet your clothes before you iron them, this will ensure low power consumption.

Keep your fridge organized always

When you have a crowded fridge, there is less room for the air to efficiently circulate. With that, your fridge starts working harder to keep cool. The harder it works; the more electricity it consumes. On the other hand, the more organised your freezer, the better it works. The thermostat of your fridge should always be in the medium cooling position. Do not put in hot or warm foods straightaway. The liquids must always be covered and food must be wrapped up so that they do not moisten which can cause the compressor to work extra hard.

Pay attention to your washing machine

When you fill up your washing machine to the brim with soiled clothes, and use the right amount of detergent, it works most efficiently. That said, do not overload the machine leading it to cope harder and using up more power. Cold water may be optimally utilized when the clothes are not too dirty. Dry out your clothes naturally, make use of a timer facility if need be. When you make use of cooler and less water you end up saving about 80% to 85% of the energy utilized in washing clothes. 

Give that electrical dryer a miss unless you absolutely cannot

For tropical monsoon climates, there may be no other option than using electric dryers from time to time. Dryers consume electricity enormously. If you must absolutely use one, dry your clothes in consecutive loads.

Opt for an Eco-friendly shower

Your shower could be an energy-friendly one when you switch the geyser off after 10 minutes of it running. In case you cannot do without hot water, decrease the thermostat, setting it to 50 degrees. If you can, do use a solar water heater. This is a much Eco-friendlier alternative to a regular water heater.

Use a microwave to cook whenever you can 

Microwaves consume half as much energy as a regular electric stove. You never need to preheat a microwave unless if you want to bake. Also, if you must check on your food, refrain from doing it ever so often. Every time you open the door of your microwave the temperature drops by 25 degrees and will need to consume a lot more energy to pick up back again. 

A pressure cooker saves electricity too

Whenever you can, make use of a pressure cooker to cook. It will save you time as well as energy. Let any items that you got out from the fridge to settle to room temperature by leaving it outside for at least 10 minutes, and only then cook them.

Create shaded spaces around your house

Potted plants don’t just look pleasing, but they can also serve to be amazing energy-savers. You may line them up outside of your house. This will keep the sun from shining straight onto your AC. An air conditioning unit that operates in a shaded space needs up to 100% less electricity than one exposed to the sun.

Hope these hacks will prove to be helpful to you in saving electricity.

Mahindra Powerol’s range of energy-efficient diesel generators can come to your rescue during the melting summers. For information please visit: http://www.mahindrapowerol.com/

A Close Look at Wet Stacking of Diesel Generators – Effects, Prevention and Solution

Diesel as a source of fuel is conveniently independent and its compression ignition systems have a higher thermal efficiency than that of gas engines that use the spark ignition systems. That said, an important factor to be considered when choosing a diesel generator is its potential for ‘wet stacking’. Diesel generator designers must bring into account the potential for wet stacking when they determine the equipment for the system, maintenance, service programs and load calculations. Further, this post will discuss the adverse effects of wet stacking on your diesel generator and methods you can use to eliminate the condition.

What is wet stacking?

Just like all internal combustion engines, a generator must have exactly the right amount of air-to-fuel ratio to operate at its best efficiency and deliver optimum results. It should be able to utilize its designed operational temperature so that the fuel can burn out completely. Diesel generators rely on the hot compressed air in the cylinder to ignite the fuel. Because the air is cooler than the design temperature, the conditions for combustion are not ideal. Thus, the fuel ignites, but it doesn’t burn completely. The unburned fuel exhausts and results into wetness in the exhaust system. Hence, the phrase, wet stacking.

How do you know if your generator is wet stacking?

Your diesel generator may likely be performing inefficiently if one or all the below conditions exist:-

• There’s a continuous release of black exhaust smoke from your diesel generator’s exhaust pipe.
• A thick, dark substance is continually dripping from the exhaust pipes.
• There’s a formation of deposits of soot or hard carbons.

Effects wet stacking has on your generator

• Raised expenses: Wet stacking can shorten the life of the engine of your diesel generator by many years and you may have to replace it much before than you planned to.

• Air pollution: The level of smoke emissions produced due to wet stacking is restricted in many urban areas.

• Low power: The deposits caused due to wet stacking will reduce the maximum power of your diesel generator even before the engine is damaged.

• Higher maintenance: A diesel generator that is experiencing wet stacking will need considerably higher maintenance than one which is adequately loaded.

Prevention and Solution:

The basic solution for wet stacking is a few hours of operation at a load of about 75% of the generator’s nameplate rating (or more) to raise the exhaust temperature high enough so that the unburned fuel in the exhaust system can be vaporized and the soot can be blown out away. At the same time, the exhaust temperature at that load is higher than the auto-ignition temperature for diesel which on rare occasions can ignite fuel and soot within the exhaust system. In case a unit has a history of extended operation at low load, or if there’s no proof that it’s been exercised recently at adequate load, it’s vital to get a professional generator maintenance report to manage the load testing procedure. If a generator is made to prolong operations at low loads, it can lead to permanent damage of the engine which will need a major engine overhaul. The costs of an overhaul can run high and so, replacing the unit altogether is the more economical option.

For more, please visit: http://www.mahindrapowerol.com/

Rating your diesel generator right.

Ratings for a diesel generator is result of intended use and the ability to supply power. So, when you look at buying a generator, you would first consider its intended use. While it may seem obvious what power rating is required for an application but there are a number of factors to consider before purchasing a generator. Let’s familiarize ourselves with generator ratings and their relevance.

Standby Power Rating

The primary application of a Standby Power Rated generator is to supply emergency power for a limited duration during a power outage. These generators do not have an overload capability built into the units. Standby power rating should be applied to the unit where public utility power is available and power cuts are very rare.

Prime Power Rating

The prime power rating is the maximum power accessible at the variable load for an unlimited number of hours per year in a variable load setting. Prime power rated generators should be used if the public utility power is intermittent with frequent power cuts.

Continuous Power Rating

Continuous power rating is used in applications where the need for supplying power is at a constant 100% load for an unlimited number of hours each year. These units are used in applications where the power grid is unreachable, for e.g.: mining, agriculture or military operations.

Elevations and Temperature’s Effect on Power Rating

Beyond the above mentioned considerations, elevation and temperature are also factors to be considered before rating the engine.

For more information on diesel generators and the various kVA’s visit www.mahindrapowerol.com

Effects of Power Outages.

A common hurdle faced by India towards its growth factor is power outage. India is among the fastest developing countries of the world and so, it’s dependent upon the electricity sector to harness its growth. India is the third largest electricity producer and fourth largest in terms of consumption in the world. (Source) But unfortunately, an estimated 27% of the energy generated either gets lost or stolen during transmission. The peak supply falls short among 9% of the population. And what’s worse, frequent power outages last for as long as a whopping 10 hours. One of the biggest power outages that occurred in India was in the year 2012 when three grids i.e. northern, eastern and north-eastern had collapsed. This incident turned 22 states of the nation in shambles. And, this blackout wasn’t the first in that scale. The northern grid of India had fallen back in the year 2001, and the north-eastern grid blackout occurred in 2003.  The ripple effects of these incidents compelled the Indian government to take instant corrective measures.

Meghalaya, Andaman & Nicobar, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, are among states that are most affected due to power cuts. Power shortages are more prominent in Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh while Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka face minimum problems vis-à-vis electricity supply.

Power shortage has been among the most prevalent issue in India’s growth track. In fact, since 1951, India has missed every annual target to electricity production capacity, as per a Bloomberg report.

How do power outages affect the people?

§        Agriculture is a dominant factor in people’s lives in the rural areas with over 70% of the rural population depending upon electricity for irrigation, storing of allied products and sowing. Impending power outages affects rural households staggeringly.

§       Transportation system in urban life depends to a great extent upon electricity. From train services to automatic signaling system, electricity plays a major role. Power cuts do mess up the system.

§       The healthcare industry is badly disrupted by power outages. Lifesaving equipment cannot run without power and major operations stand cancelled. In such cases, DG sets are life saviors.

§         Data centers and IT industry processes come to a halt.

§       The lives of hundreds of workers in the mining industry is jeopardized.

§        Not to mention, everyday lifestyle of India’s population which is ever increasing is adversely affected in terms of computer shutdown, electrical equipment such as heaters and induction cookers fail to work and thus, productivity slows down.

How do power outages affect businesses?

§        Due to high frequency of power cuts, out of a total of 650 industries of various sizes surveyed, 61% companies face more than 10% of loss in production.

§        Infrastructure such as telecommunication networks, healthcare amenities, financial services, water supplies, transportation industry and mining companies get badly hit. The infrastructure constraints brought in by power outages in India increases the relative cost of carrying out businesses which in turn gives birth to supply side bottlenecks.

§        Frequent power outages gone unattended limit the private sector’s global competitiveness. As a result of this, fiscal conditions decelerate substantially.

§       The manufacturing industry chiefly depends upon electricity for production. Due to power cuts, machines and other multiple operations come to a standstill. This stops production from individual scale to batch scale altogether. The manufacturing sector is the backbone of India’s commercial success, and this disadvantage keeps India from making it to the top League of Nations. 

We at Mahindra Powerol offer solutions to combat these issues of Power outages. 

Visit us at www.mahindrapowerol.com to know more.

Difference Between Blackout and Brownout.

When it comes to electricity flow, things aren’t black and white always. However, they can be termed as black or brown. It is possible that you know of a blackout in the past, but have you experienced a brownout? And what is the difference between the two phenomena?

A blackout can be defined as a complete loss of power affecting many users of electricity spread throughout a large area over an extended span of time. Residents and businesses lose electricity power and the entire area experiences a blackout.

A brownout is bit different in the sense it is a somewhat measured power reduction or loss of electricity to pockets of consumers. Brownouts can be caused due to the state of ‘poor power quality’ in which utilities may reduce line voltage to deliver more electricity for increased power demand. Factory equipment that requires a stable supply of energy can be severely damaged or even destroyed due to these voltage fluctuations.

Brownouts can cause issues with electrical devices that function on certain specific voltage levels, like computers. On the other hand, blackouts denote major equipment failure or weather related issues leading to a complete loss of electric power.

Sometimes, rolling blackouts are put into place by power companies to balance out an increase in power demand that cannot be met by the existing system output. The demand for electricity can be increased by heat waves and prompt the requirement for a rolling blackout.

HOW CAN YOU PREVENT THESE VOLTAGE FLUCTUATIONS?

Sadly, there are only a few ways to avoid this situation. In case you absolutely need to keep your equipment running always, you could consider power backups.

An intense upsurge in electricity demand does not occur often, but if you want to ensure that your business is geared for any possible threats, it is worth investing in dg sets lest you may be left out in the dark.

For more information/inquiries related to power backups visit us at www.mahindrapowerol.com/ or call us at our toll free number: - 1-800-419-1999.