How much is Enough?
ECOLOGICAL
How much is enough?
How much cooling is enough, how much heat is enough, how much light is enough? How many clothes are enough, how many shoes are enough? It is very difficult to define the limit of ‘enough’ and when we can afford it, it becomes all the more difficult to define ‘ENOUGH’. Many times, we can do with less of many things and levels of many things but still we keep on adding without realizing if it is enough.
In summers, AC 22 °C is good, some may even prefer 23-24 °C. But 16 °C is extravagant and it is uncomfortable too. Even in the early morning one can do without an AC, let us try to be rational.
Many times, in offices, hotels, common areas the air conditioning levels are so high or temperature is so low that it becomes uncomfortable and occupants have no control on that due to central cooling systems and no control over AC units. I have often seen people carrying stoles, light jackets, covering the AC vents etc., in summer months in offices. I have seen this across offices / buildings in my career. Why this obsession of really cold? Why extreme cold in summer months considered luxury? It is simply uncomfortable and extravagant. The electricity required to maintain 16 °C is far more than to maintain 24-25 °C, so it makes all logical sense to save electricity and save ourselves from excess cooling.
Who defines these levels, many times those who move from AC homes to AC luxury cars to AC offices whole day and they do not step out of AC ever in summer months. So, they are not in tune with normal levels for many ordinary people. So, the levels they choose, or are comfortable with, should not become the ‘normal’ for others, certainly not for entire buildings or buildings in general. This is just one example. Let the levels be at 22-24 °C, and stop wasting energy in excessive cooling which is not even the requirement.
Another parameter you would have observed, excessive artificial lighting, especially in offices, hotels, malls, common areas. That much is not required. Where there is display sufficient lighting should be there, but where else?
Few years back in one of my office there was sufficient natural light in the bay area but yet all the fancy lighting was on right from early morning like a routine or on auto-pilot. Sometimes we don’t notice, or we simply think it’s not my job, but I used to quietly switch off couple of lights and it made absolutely no difference and many times other colleagues did not even realized because many times the lighting is an overkill. If it is cloudy all lights may be required how thankfully we are in a region where sunlight is plentiful.
Let us try to optimize everywhere, there would be many examples which have not struck but you would be already optimizing.