"I Shower In Cold Water Every Day" — Malaysians Share Easy Energy-Saving Hacks At Home
Saving energy saves the planet, y'all.
Published for Tenaga Nasional Berhad, 24 Aug 2022, 10:55 AM
When it comes to saving energy, it's important for us to start from the comfort of our home
It's easy for us to forget how wasteful actions such as leaving lights switched on in rooms that are not in use, or running large appliances that use up plenty of energy multiple times are capable of affecting the environment.
While utility companies such as Tenaga Nasional (TNB) are making efforts to switch to renewable energy, everyone has a part to play in order to conserve energy on a daily basis.
To help you get started on saving energy around the house, we asked Malaysians about their easiest hacks to conserve energy at home.
Here's what they said:
1. "As tempting as it may be to shove leftovers in the refrigerator, you gotta declutter your fridge from time to time"
"Having too much clutter in the fridge can cause it to overwork and have a higher power consumption. What I like to do is arrange my fridge with containers, each containing fruits, vegetables, and other perishables, so there's better air circulation in the fridge. I never leave leftovers in the fridge for longer than three days.
"This system I have in place makes it so much easier to take what I need from the fridge. I don't waste energy by leaving the door open for a long time, letting the cold air escape."
- Shajida, 32
2. "Forget about the water heater, showering in cold water is the best way, especially on hot days"
"Since I was a kid, I've always bathed in cold water. So, I never saw a need to use the water heater when taking a shower. I feel absolutely refreshed after a cold shower.
"I'm still in the midst of convincing my husband that showering in cold water is much better, hahaha. It's a great way to cool off from the Malaysian weather. Plus, not only is it good when washing hair, it's also an added bonus that you're conserving energy in the process."
- Dania, 33
3. "I get the kids and hubby to kumpul all their clothes needed for the week, and I iron them all in one go"
"Everyone in my family has their own set of chores, and I only trust myself to do the ironing. I actually learned to iron all the clothes sekali gus from my mother, and realised that this practice is quite energy-saving, 'cause I'm not reheating the iron multiple times!
"Another tip I learned from her is to switch off the iron when you're left with just two to three baju. This is because the iron would still be hot and will take a while to cool down completely, so you can iron the last few baju without wasting energy."
- Madihah, 29
4. "Every night, I always keep the air cond temperature set to 24° Celsius for three hours"
"There have been countless times when I switched on the air cond and left it running the whole time I was asleep. One time, I accidentally left it running an entire day while I was away from home, which caused the air cond compressor to rosak.
"Since then, I always set my air cond temperature to 24° Celsius, put a timer for three hours before going to sleep, and also included a timer for my fan to start running after the air cond is switched off, to circulate the cool air during the night."
- Ken, 32
5. "Never wash your dirty clothes bit by bit, always wash your laundry in a full load to reduce the frequency of using electricity and water"
"It doesn't make sense to me that people will wash only a few clothing items at a time, as this not only wastes energy but wastes water too.
"I'd recommend washing clothes at the end of the week, as our basket is filled to the brim with clothes by then. Oh yeah, and leave your clothes to air dry instead of using a clothes dryer. Easy-peasy."
- Dzul, 29
6. "Always opt for LED lighting, it's more energy efficient!"
"LED light bulbs have better light quality and last longer. They're also pretty eco-friendly, as they are much more energy efficient than traditional lights. I like to think that I'm helping the environment in this small way by opting for LED lights."
- Tabby, 26
In a nutshell, it's good practice to be more efficient with our energy usage.
When we adopt an energy-saving lifestyle, it will make a big difference in caring for the environment as we reduce electricity usage whenever we can.
For more easy-to-follow tips and tricks to take note of when conserving energy at home, you can have a look at TNB's tips on energy efficiency here. From checking the energy efficiency label on appliances to cleaning your air conditioner filter, you'll be able to apply these tips along with the hacks shared by our fellow Malaysians above!
What's also great is you can download the myTNB app to keep track of your daily energy consumption!
That's right, aside from organising and paying your TNB bills through the app, you're also able to find out how much electricity you have used and monitor your electricity consumption monthly!
This is possible as the myTNB app receives information from the Smart Meter, ensuring that you get to enjoy the energy consumption tracking feature in the app so you can manage your daily energy usage.
Taking the first step to monitor your electricity usage starts by being aware of how much energy you consume. Download the myTNB app via Google Play, the App Store, or HUAWEI AppGallery to get started!
