Energy Conservation: Benefits, How to Conserve, Importance

Energy Conservation: Energy is something that all living organisms need or rely upon, including human beings and animals. Most of this energy is absorbed by plants in the form of photosynthesis, which produces our food. The sun provides energy directly or indirectly to all living things, including plants and animals. Continue reading to know more about different ways of conserving energy and the need for energy conservation.

Energy comes in many forms, but only electrical energy and thermal energy (fuel) can be saved. It results in pollution and eradication of natural resources if these types of energy are used in excess. To conserve energy, one uses less of it. There are many ways to conserve energy – such as turning off the lights when you leave a room, removing plugged-in appliances when not in use, and walking rather than driving. The purpose of this article is to introduce you to the principle of energy conservation. Read on to learn more.

What Is Energy Conservation?

Energy conservation is the practice of reducing the consumption of energy by living organisms. Energy is conserved to reduce the cost of consumption and to preserve the limited existing resources of energy. Energy can be conserved by using energy-efficient devices and other methods to consume energy and reduce the use of energy when there is no requirement. We know that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It can only be transformed from one form to another. So, it is important to conserve energy.

There are two types of sources of energy, namely renewable sources of energy and non-renewable sources of energy. Non-renewable sources of energy include fossil fuels like coal and petroleum. Many electric power plants use fossil fuels to generate electricity. These are exhaustible sources of energy that cannot be produced at a faster rate as we need them. They cannot be used endlessly. The formation of fossil fuels takes millions of years. So we should conserve these energy sources for our present and future generations.

Need of Energy Conservation

Energy conservation is an idea and practice that focuses on saving our natural resources, especially those resources which are available in a limited amount. Non-renewable sources of energy are those that are consumed at a rate faster than that at which they are replenished.

These resources are widely used in the production of electricity by many electric power plants and in automobiles. Their availability is limited because they take millions of years to form. If we do not conserve energy and their resources, then soon they will get depleted. Therefore, it is advisable to use alternative sources of energy to save non-renewable energy sources and reduce the consumption of energy if possible. The following are the importance of energy conservation:

• Energy conservation is necessary because it reduces the cost of consumption of energy. For example, when we reduce the use of electricity when not in use, then the cost per unit of energy also reduces. By using less electricity at home and using more energy-efficient appliances, we can reduce our electricity bills. That is how the conservation of electricity works.
• Energy conservation helps in reducing the use of natural resources of energy like fossil fuels. For example, more amount of coal and petroleum is used to heat water and generate electricity in thermal power plants. If we save electrical energy, we save our natural resources, which are consumed in producing electrical energy.
• Energy conservation reduces the waste which is released into the environment. It reduces unwanted carbon emissions into the atmosphere. For example, the burning of fossil fuels produces energy, and in this process, a lot of harmful gases are emitted into the air. It causes air pollution. Burning less amount of fuel reduces the unwanted contamination of the air.
• Energy conservation helps in improving the quality of life. It also helps in reducing global warming and other pollutants.

December 14, is celebrated as energy conservation day. It focuses on making people aware of the importance of energy conservation. Energy conservation act, 2021 promotes the efficient use of energy and its conservation. It plans to reduce the production of energy in order to decrease greenhouse emissions.

We hope that these energy conservation examples have been helpful to you in finding detailed insights into how energy conservation works.

Ways of Energy Conservation

The primary way of energy conservation is to use clean and alternative sources of energy like wind energy, solar energy, tidal energy, and biomass energy. We can reduce the use of fossil fuels like coal, petroleum, and natural gas by switching to these energy sources. These energy sources are abundant in nature and can be harnessed at any time in any amount. Moreover, they are cheaper than fossil fuels. Some other ways of energy conservation are as follows:

• We should use CFL bulbs and LEDs instead of regular incandescent bulbs. Using CFLs will reduce the cost per unit of energy consumed. On the other hand, LEDs consume less energy than a regular incandescent bulb
• We should buy star-rated electrical appliances. An electrical device with a higher number of stars will consume less energy and reduces the cost per unit of energy.
• We should use sunlight in our homes, schools, and workplaces during the daytime. This will reduce our electricity bills.
• We should switch off fans, lights, and other electronic devices when not in use or before going out of the room.
• We should reduce the use of vehicles for going to places that are within walking distance, and we can increase the use of bicycles. This will reduce the unnecessary consumption of fuels like petroleum and CNG. It also helps in reducing air pollution.
• We must keep the windows and doors of our rooms open to ventilate them with natural air instead of using exhaust fans.
• We must use devices that work with the thermostat. It will automatically turn off devices when the desired temperature level is achieved. For example, it is used in geysers. This will reduce electricity consumption by devices when not required.

From this article, we can conclude that we cannot create or destroy energy. But we can transform one form of energy into another form. There are some limited resources of energy that must be conserved for present and future generations. We should use energy-efficient devices and minimize the use of non-renewable resources in order to achieve a good quality of life and a clean environment.

FAQs About Energy Conservation

Let’s look at some of the frequently asked questions about energy conservation:

Q.1. What is the law of conservation of energy?
Ans: The law of conservation of energy states that the total energy of an isolated system remains constant.

Q.2. What are two ways to conserve energy?
Ans: We can conserve energy in the following two ways:
1. By turning off lights, fans, and other electronic devices when not in use.
2. Use energy-efficient LEDs and CFLs.

Q.3. What are the benefits of energy conservation?
Ans: Energy conservation reduces the expense of energy utilization. It helps in decreasing environmental pollution by reducing the emission of harmful gases and residual waste to the environment.

Q.4. Why is energy conservation day celebrated?
Ans: Energy conservation day promotes the thought of conserving energy, and it provides awareness among the public about the adverse effect of greenhouse gases. It focuses on decreasing the use of energy sources to improve the quality of life.

Q.5. Give one example of the transformation of energy?
Ans: When electricity is passed through the coil of an electric heater, the electrical energy is converted into heat energy.

We hope this detailed article on energy conservation helps you. If you have any queries regarding these different types of energy conservation methods, reach out to us through the comment section below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.