Call It Energy Wastage not Energy Efficiency – Step 1 in Energy Management

Have you ever witnessed, measured or read about any quantitative values of energy being wasted around you, in your country or in the world??? Definitely not.
We get all sorts of figures regarding efficiency, but none regarding energy wasted. The reason lies in the bad image created by “using the word waste”. Any equipment, plant or process which is reported to be (say) 50 percent efficient (thermal efficiency) portrays a nice picture. If the same equipment, plant or process is reported to be “wasting 50 percent” of the Primary Energy input (although the quantitative values are same) the statement would alert a lot of people, especially those not knowledgeable about the engineering laws and technologies involved.
Since the term “Energy Efficiency” is gaining more and more interest from general public, engineers and technologists may start relating this term with reduction in energy wastage. Such a practice would be helpful in getting the general population more and more sensitive about issues relating to Sustainability of this planet. This improvement in the understanding of general public would exert a greater pressure on industries and authorities to disclose more and more information about the energy wastages from “well to wheel”.
Let’s analyze this “well to wheel” phenomenon a bit more closely. Energy consumed by household equipment is “Paid For” by the Consumer. This payment is Energy Paid For and equals:
Energy Paid For = Energy Used + Energy Wasted

Energy Paid For
“Energy Paid For” is measured by the energy meter installed at consumer premises and includes four major components:
1. Payment for the primary energy source (say oil) including cost of its extraction and inherent wastages of the processes involved
2. Payment for the transportation of primary energy source to power plant, conversion to electric energy and inherent wastages of the processes involved
3. Payment for the transportation of electricity generated from power plant to consumer premises and inherent wastages of the process involved
4. Profit Margins and Operational Expenses of all the companies involved including their financiers

“Energy Used” is the useful output that goes to the benefit of the consumer like warmth, cooling, cooking, watching television etc

“Energy Wasted” is the electricity which is wasted by the household equipment (and wiring) in the process of delivering useful output to the consumer.

It is quite evident from the above analysis that the consumers have to pay for all the wastages outlined above in order to get the “useful output” delivered at their premises. Unfortunately, most of the wastages involved are beyond the control of the consumers. Should the consumers start complaining …………….. NO!
Complaining would be a complete waste of energy, since the systems have been running like this for decades. Additionally, as a general rule, those who complain the most accomplish the LEAST.

With the development of technologies for harnessing alternate energies, the consumers can reduce their dependence on the utility companies for supply of energy at their premises, thereby minimizing to pay their hard earned money for wastages done by others. Nature has arranged delivery of abundant energy at your home in different forms. Start to concentrate more on Green Energy.

Have you ever thought “how much of green energy is wasted every day around you”. Start thinking now!