Essay on Energy Conservation in 500 Words
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed. – Mahatma Gandhi
Think of all the energy that is wasted every day in your own household. Leaving the lights on even though no one is sitting in the room, letting the water run from the tap and overflow from the bucket, etc. Now multiply this with the number of homes in the world. That is how much energy we are wasting. Horrifying, isn’t it?
Energy conservation is the act of making an effort to reduce the consumption of energy. It can be done by either using the power in lesser quantities or by using the said energy in more efficient ways. National Energy Conservation Day is celebrated by people all over India on the 14th of December each year.
Every year, the world consumes two percent more energy than what is utilized in the previous year. We are using up more resources than we discover. In India, twenty percent of the energy is consumed by the domestic sector, whereas the commercial division utilises eighty per cent. Around eight per cent of the energy is wasted because of the structure and design of the equipment.
Importance of Energy Conservation
Fossil fuels like petroleum, coal and natural gas and minerals and metals like iron, silver, gold, copper, etc. are minimal on the earth and are exhaustible. Hence, it becomes our social duty to conserve and preserve them.
There is a great risk of depletion of non-renewable and limited resources that are lurking on our heads. Countries like the United States, China, India, etc. are heavily dependent on oil-producing nations.
The stock of oil in these countries is restricted and may come to an end very soon with the way how people are utilizing it carelessly. The demand is always more than the supply, and hence, that is the reason why we have to pay such high amounts for this resource. Therefore, it becomes necessary to conserve it and utilize it judiciously until its alternative can be found or discovered.
Fossil fuels are a significant contributor to the rise of global warming. These fuels emit a lot of carbon dioxide into the environment, thus causing the greenhouse effect. The results of global warming are quite evident in the way we have been facing rising sea levels, hotter temperatures and increase of deadly diseases like cancer. Hence, conservation of energy is required to reduce the effect of global warming on the planet.
Activities like coal mining and building nuclear power plants have caused a lot of forest destruction. This has affected flora and fauna of those regions in a very negative way. Sometimes, even humans are forcefully displaced from those places. These sites lead to a lot of air pollution and related spills. The only way that we won’t require more of these plants is if we conserve energy wholeheartedly.
Conserving energy can also lead to domestic savings. It helps us to be less dependent on finite resources and use other methods or ways to get things done. For example, one can always use a bicycle for travelling to nearby places rather than taking their car even for buying groceries from the store at the corner. By conserving energy, we also help in providing better health for ourselves and all other human beings on earth.
Ways and Techniques of Energy Conservation
Some ways of conserving energy are utmost simple to follow and can be carried out by each individual. You can always make sure that you use electricity only when needed and not waste any of it. Switch off the lights and fans when not in use.
Make it a point to turn off the television if no one is watching it. During the daytime, you can leave curtains open for the direct sunlight to enter rather than switching on tube lights. During the summers, turn on your air conditioner for three to four hours at a stretch and then close it.
Do not keep it running for the whole day or night. Try doing more tasks manually, rather than taking the help of technology. For example, instead of using the dishwasher, wash dishes with your own hands.
Replace the traditional light bulbs in your house with Compact Fluorescent Lights or CFL’s or any other energy-efficient bulbs. These alternatives use twenty-five to eighty percent less electricity than your traditional ones. These can be a little more expensive when you purchase them, but you save a lot on your electricity bills and they even last at least three times longer.
The governments of certain countries like Singapore, France, Denmark, etc. have started levying an energy tax. This encourages people to use less of it and use it in a very cautious and careful manner. It forces them to turn on to alternatives that are less expensive and are inexhaustible.
Many institutions, including airports and hotels, have started installing solar panels on their roofs to reduce electricity consumption and channelise the sun’s energy in a way that doesn’t burn a hole in their pockets.
In colder countries, people now focus on keeping their doors and windows sealed airtight during the winter months. This is because around forty per cent of the warm air escapes because of air leaks, and the colder winds come rushing in.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can infer that the energy resources on our planet are very few, but the uses and users are plenty. There are numerous opportunities that we have to save precious energy daily. Big production facilities have the capital for installing better energy-conserving appliances whereas households can save it just by switching theirs off.
It is our duty as moral citizens to preserve these resources for future generations to come. Remember that by saving energy, you are not just doing a favour to yourself and your pocket, but also to that of other people around the world and those who haven’t even been born yet.
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