What are your energy-saving tips?

In school we are taught how to conserve energy. At home we were constantly reminded by our elders to always turn off the lights, electric fans, aircons and computers when not in use. But as years have gone by, more new electrical devices have been developed and we have started to consume more and more energy than before.

Wasting energy is like wasting money. We need to conserve energy because the energy sources we depend on — like coal and natural gas — can’t be replaced. The electricity that we use comes from nuclear power, coal power plants. When burned they emit carbon dioxide, which is harmful to humans and the environment. Saving energy not only saves us money but the environment as well.

Read on as some personalities share tips on how we can conserve energy.

Lila Almario, shoe designer

When cooking Italian, after dropping the pasta in boiling water, shut off the stove and cover the pot with a lid. Time it and stir once in a while then test it for desired doneness. Same thing with boiling eggs.

At bedtime, you can turn the timer of the air-conditioner on so that it automatically shuts off after several hours. You wake up to a cool room without having to get up, and you saved kilowatt hours, too.

Annie Ringor, president, Bridges@com

I changed all my household’s light bulbs to LED and bought all the energy-efficient appliances from Samsung. Our ironing day is reduced to just once a week, and we also unplug all electrical appliances/gadgets whenever we go out of town.

Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez

In our “Bagong Parañaque Program,” we encourage people to turn off and unplug electrical appliances rather than putting it on standby mode; use fluorescent light instead of incandescent bulb or LED if possible; unfurl curtains and open windows to let sunlight and fresh air in minimizing the use of electrical lighting; put just the right amount of water to boil when making coffee or if you have a vacuum flask put the excess hot water in it and walk, rather than ride a vehicle.

Loud sounds and high volume also consume a lot of energy and are stressful to our ear. Lower volume to what is enough to hear.

Atty. Mela Bengzon

Go green in the kitchen. Renewable energy is currently the latest trend in business, and in the legal profession.  With the recent gas leak in New York that caused a building to collapse, there now exists an imperative need to have a grasp on how to be energy-efficient and safe, especially in the kitchen.

 Have high-quality pots and pans — copper-bottom or cast-iron are best; while baking, never open the oven door; always check for cracks or tears or, even signs of wear and tear, on your oven or furnace doors. If you smell a foul odor like that of rotten eggs, you may have a gas leak. Leave the area right away, and call proper authorities.

Congressman Dato Arroyo

Instead of turning the lights on during the day, you can keep the windows and/or doors clear and uncovered so that the sunlight filters in.

Eileen Macapagal De Leon, entreprenuer

The blinking lights on fax machines, phones, printers and other appliances is 15 percent of your electric bill. So, I unplug my appliances, computer (and other gadgets) when not in use instead of standby or sleep mode. Also turning the refrigerator thermostat down by two levels consumes less energy.

Yvette Fernandez, editor in chief, Town & Country

I bike to and from my exercise classes since I don’t live too far away. That burns extra calories. I wish I could bike to work and elsewhere but the pollution on EDSA is just too bad. I wish they had bike lanes in Manila. I used to live in New York, and I would bike or walk to places whenever possible.

Maxine Eigenman, actress, podcast host

Buy LED lights, take cold showers as to not feel like being in the air-conditioned room all the time. Hit the mall and go for a movie marathon inside the cold cinema. (Laughs)

Carol Javier Taffs, housewife

Turn the air-conditioner off in unoccupied rooms. When buying an aircon, check out one with a lower energy-efficient ratio.  Clean the filters of air-conditioners regularly. Keep windows/doors shut when the aircon is in use. Use electric fans instead of aircon whenever possible. Power off all electrical appliances not in use. Only use hot water (water heater) when necessary. Take a shower instead of using the bathtub to save water and heating costs.

Nifleda Huab Wessling, mompreneur

Unfortunately, in the many cities we’ve lived in, my home has always been prone to break-in attempts — only one being successful, but enough to jar me for the rest of my life. Thus, I never want to leave the impression that my home is unoccupied especially when we are away on holiday for long periods, particularly during the winters here in London where it can be dark as early as 3 p.m. I have since discovered programmable timers, which are small devices that you install between the plug of your electrical equipment and the main socket (or extension sockets, if you like) and which allow you to control the on-off cycle of your equipment.  Nowadays, I simply position strong enough stand-alone lamps in the rooms I want lit during the dark hours and use these timers to program them to turn on and off at specific times. Most of the light bulbs I use at home are energy-saving LED bulbs.

I don’t know why my friends make fun of me for this but I also still use a traditional whistling (or screaming) kettle to boil me some water for a cup of tea or coffee.

Karen Vogelsang Beltran, housewife

If we do turn on the air-conditioning it’s in one room and it should be the smallest room in the house. We also stopped using a big freezer as it consumes a lot of power, too. We just go to the grocery more often. The water dispensers, which automatically cool and heat water, are also big electricity users. Cool your water in the ref and heat your water on the stove.

Michelle H. Lao, retailer

Lighting aromatic candles in the evening not only helps me to save on energy, it also allows me to revel in a fancy ambience and to luxuriate in a room that is filled with complexity and depth.

Kim Bernardo-Lokin, managing editor Business+Class magazine

We replace most of our lights to energy-saving light bulbs. which use lesser watts but are just as bright. We use curtains that block off sunlight, which is useful especially in the afternoon where it’s hottest. We also ask our kids to sleep in the room with us every time there’s no school, so we’ll use only one aircon. The kids actually find this a fun way to bond, and an added bonus was it makes us closer as a family.

Claire Seelin Diokno, makeup artist

Unplug all electric appliances as soon as you’re finished using them. I use a lot of lights when I work but I make sure I use energy-saving light bulbs. Meralco has an app that computes the electric consumption of each appliance so you can be sure to use each one wisely.