Heat Flow and Reduction of Power loss

Air Conditioning Power Loss and its Prevention

As more and more air conditioners enter our homes in India we have a problem. Now everyone starts thinking of their power bills. And the utility companies also start worrying about the sudden increase in loads and dynamics of the situation. As we have seen that demand outstrips the supply position. And this is one of the reasons of power cuts in our cities and villages, especially during the summer months.

So, what can we do about it?

As consumers we can think of reducing the power consumption of the ACs. We can best do this by thinking about the direction of the heat flow from our rooms to the ambient. Since the ambient is at a higher temperature than our rooms heat would always like to flow from outside to the inside. And what do you think is the most likely passage of the heat flow?

Though we seldom think about it the maximum heat flow takes place through the glass windows. And the heat flow is through radiation. Hence, all we need to do is to paste a film onto the outside of the glass windows to reflect the radiated heat and prevent it from entering the room thus reducing the load on the air conditioner.

What the electricity utility companies can do to meet the erratic surges in demand? They can along with their coal based thermal systems have a number of gas turbines which they can press into service as the demand goes up. This is simply because of the fact that they can store gas whilst they can't store electricity.

Dibyendu De
Design Innovator -- Plant Reliability