A Study on Efficient Energy Use for Household Appliances in Malawi

Abstract

Energy is important for the socio-economic development of all countries. However, the mismanagement of its utilisation can lead to a short fall in the supply of electricity. It is therefore imperative that everybody should be concerned about the efficient use of energy in order to reduce consumption. The demand for electricity in Malawi is so high that it is even more important to conserve and use efficiently the electricity available. Since households are one of the major consumers of electricity in Malawi, they should be involved in efficient energy use. The paper presents a study on the energy consumption of the most common household appliances in Malawi and prescribes the various steps that can lead to reduced energy consumption. The energy consumption of various household appliances has been measured over a period of one month in Zomba using a Landis +Gyr power meter. It was observed that the electrical-cooking stove, water heater, dry iron, and incandescent bulbs were the most electrical power-consuming appliances. It has also been observed that by using high-efficiency energy saving bulbs, hoseholds can reduce their electricalconsumption from ordinary incandescent bulbs by 90%.

Keywords: Efficient; energy use; household appliances; power consumption; power meter