LEDs and life cycle costing

It’s late in the evening. The sun is going down steadily and darkness is slowly creeping in your room. You move over to the switch and turn on the lights. A flicker of light and then darkness prevails. The bulb had failed. It’s still not late enough for the shops to close, so you head out to buy a new light bulb. The shopkeeper shows you the “latest low- energy technology” which is 10 times costlier than your regular bulb. You ignore it as usual and buy the cheap light bulb and go home. Sounds familiar?

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They say technology comes at a price. But is it really true? A lot of time and energy is spent in developing new and improved systems and it is natural that a higher price is demanded for it. Almost all of the legitimately developed new technology assist the user in a better way than the existing ones. They are either more resource efficient, are more accurate and precise or simply offer a better user experience and it is precisely these features that result in a higher price being quoted for these new systems. But if a new technology is more efficient, doesn’t it mean that it will result in savings during its usage? Is it cheaper in an overall context which in other words is called Life Cycle Costing?

In this article, we are going to see how technology has changed in the area of household lighting systems and is it really worth paying more for new technology.

In the late 90’s and early 2000’s one of the most commonly used form of domestic lighting in India apart from the tube-lights were the incandescent bulbs. These gave a typical yellowish light and would become very hot as one used it for prolonged duration. A slight fluctuation in voltage or a small drop of water on the bulb’s surface would immediately damage it. These were typically 40W or 60W bulbs. They are still manufactured and probably used by a lot of people in the country. These were quite cheap and as of 2017, cost around ₹15 only.

In the mid 2000’s CFL or Compact Fluorescent Lamps started becoming more popular. They were already there in the market but took some time to gain popularity due the exact reason why LEDs have taken so much time to become popular today. These used a similar technology to the aforementioned fluorescent tube-lights. However, their initial cost was much higher than the conventionally used incandescent bulbs. People would say things like “You have to pay for the technology” or “technology comes at a price”. However, it was quickly proved that although one pays a higher price for the CFL they would last longer, were less prone to damages and gave same amount of light while consuming lesser power. A typical 15W CFL consumes 1/4th the power of a 60W incandescent bulb but gives more light than it. This led to significant savings in the long run.

Fast forward to 2010 and onward and a new technology was gaining popularity. Light Emitting Diodes or LEDs were making their way in into the lighting market. Initially they were really expensive but their key feature was almost 1/3rd power consumption of CFL and less than 1/10th power of an incandescent. Most large scale industries realized the potential for savings and started switching over to LED lighting however up till 2015-16 LEDs still hadn’t made it into the households. As of 2017 too they are not very commonly seen in houses. The reason is the same old misconception that it is “expensive” but it certainly is not! LED lights last for 10 years as compared to just about a year of incandescent. Hence, it is important that one compares the Life Cycle Cost and not make a decision just based on the initial cost.

Let’s compare. The following is a simple table that compares these three types of lighting systems along with their costs and lighting levels (Lumens).

Values in red colour are extrapolated.

It can be observed from the above table and the pictures that a 60W incandescent bulb is capable of giving 710 lumens of light and costs ₹15 only. However, we know from experience that it lasts for just about a year. A 15W CFL on the other hand costs around ₹120, consumes only 25% of the power of incandescent bulb but gives out 810 lumens of light. It lasts for around 2 years.

Coming to the LEDs, one can see that two LEDs have been compared. The first one is a 4W LED bought in 2014 whereas the second one is a 9W LED by the same manufacturer bought in 2017. The 4W LED was bought in 2014 for a whopping ₹450! The 9W LED was bought for ₹150 in 2017. Although the M.R.P on the 9W LED reads ₹250, the shopkeeper was happy to offer 1 lamp for ₹200, 3 lamps for ₹500 and 6 lamps for ₹900, which results in the lowest price of ₹150 per lamp. The reason behind explaining all of this is to throw some light on the rapid fall in prices of LED lamps. While LEDs were costing ₹ 113/ watt in 2014, they have fallen down to ₹ 17/ watt in 2017 which is an 85% drop in prices!

It is evident that LEDs are becoming cheaper by the day and the government as well as manufacturers are doing their part to make it affordable for the common man. But the question is, was it not affordable before? Did it not make financial sense in 2014 when it was costing ₹ 113/ watt?

Let’s have a look at the last column, LCC over a period of 10 years. This is the most interesting observation.

Taking current price of ₹150 for a 9W LED light, 2.7 hours of daily operation, ₹7/ kWh of average electricity cost and the life of 1, 2 and 10 years for the incandescent, CFL and LED respectively. It is observed that over a period of 10 years, an individual buying only 60W incandescent lamps would end up spending around ₹4,289 including the initial cost, cost of replacement every year and the electricity consumed. Whereas, an individual using LEDs would spend only ₹771 over a period of 10 years. Point to be noted that the time value of money and the ever increasing cost of electricity has not been accounted for. In an actual scenario the difference will be more significant.

For argument’s sake, if one replaces the cost of 9W LEDs by the actual M.R.P of ₹ 250, it still shows an expense of just ₹871 over 10 years as compared to ₹1635 for CFL and ₹4,289 for incandescent.

But the most interesting observation is this.

If one just takes the prices of the year 2014 when LEDs were “expensive” and do the same calculation.

It is observed that the LCC over a period of 10 years is almost the same as CFL and still much lower than an incandescent lamp. This just emphasizes the fact that the typical human mentality is to get bogged down by the initial cost of a new technology without analyzing the life cycle costing and making a poor choice. This is particularly true for new, resource efficient and clean technologies such as LEDs and solar power.

In the case of solar, people generally shoot it down assuming that it is very expensive. However, a solar power plant lasts for 25 years as compared to 5-6 years of a diesel genset. Taking into account the rising fuel prices, and genset maintenance expenses, it is clearly seen that a solar power plant is much cheaper. The same is the case with BEE star rated appliances. Although they are a tad bit expensive up front, they lead to an overall savings when one understands the life cycle costing.

In conclusion, adopting energy efficient technology is not an expense but an investment. One should always look into the LCC of an investment and compare it with existing conventional methods to get a true understanding. This will allow for faster adoption of energy efficient technology. Our country has its fair share of power woes and while the government is trying to do its part by offering subsidies and addressing power issues, it is up to the common man to be smart, understand the life cycle costs and make use of energy efficient technology.

DIY - Solar Phone Charging Unit

This article explains about how to make your own solar based mobile phone charging unit. The design is very simple and completing this should not take you more than 2 hours.

List of components required:

      1.       Solar panel : 3W,6V panel

      2.       Sealed Maintenance free lead acid battery: 6V,4.5AH

      3.       Diode: IN4001

      4.       DC -DC Step Down Buck Converter KIS3R33S Module 7V- 24V to 5V /3A

      5.       USB based mobile charging cable( Normal data cables will not work)

      6.       Connecting wires

      7.       Soldering kit

Circuit connections diagram:

Working principle:

Mobile phones have inbuilt batteries and they need to be charged every few days or every day depending on how often the mobile is used. Batteries can be charged only with Direct current whereas the electricity we get in our normal household sockets is Alternating current. A mobile phone charger does the job of converting AC to DC and keeping the output voltage and current levels suitable for mobile charging. Chargers typically have efficiencies ranging from 60-90% depending on the quality (This is why some of the chargers get heated up quickly)

On the other hand solar panels convert solar energy to DC electricity. With suitable circuitry we can store this DC electricity in an external battery and charge the mobile phone when ever required.

The selection of solar panel and battery depends on various parameters like number of mobiles to be charged and the voltage levels of the battery etc. We have used a 6V, 4.5AH battery which can charge a typical smart phone once every day.  A 3W 6V solar panel is chosen since that is enough to charge the external battery in 7-8 hrs. The solar panel is directly connected to the battery with a diode in between to avoid reverse flow of current from the battery to the solar panel when there isn’t enough sunshine and during night time.

A DC-DC converter module is used to convert 6V battery voltage to 5V output since mobile batteries are very sensitive to charging voltage and current( a normal car battery regulator can be used but the efficiency is very low)

Construction:

·      

            As shown in the circuit diagram, connect the positive end of the solar panel to the positive end of the diode (silver ring on the diode represents negative) and the negative end of the diode to the positive of the battery. The negative end of the solar panel can be directly connected to the negative terminal of the battery.

·         Solder the terminals and use insulation tape to make sure shorting of terminals doesn’t happen.

·         Identify the input side of the DC-DC converter and connect positive and negative of the battery to the positive and negative of the DC-DC converter input respectively.

·         The output of the DC-DC converter is a USB port where the charging cable is inserted. (Note: Normal data cables do not work so a simple charging only cable should be used)

·         If the connections are proper, you should be able to see a red light glow on the DC-DC board and your mobile phone should display charging.

·         We had used a voltage and current measuring device called a charger doctor at the output to verify if the voltage and current levels are in the suitable range. This unit is not required.

Try this fun project and let us know your experience or queries in the comments section below.

Where to buy?

1.       Solar panel : http://www.amazon.in/Sparkel-Solar-Panel-meter connection/dp/B01EB0C06Q?tag=googinhydr18418-21

2.       6V battery : http://www.amazon.in/6v-4-5Ah-SMF-VRLA-Battery/dp/B00MPJ66UM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474624382&sr=8-1&keywords=6+v+battery

3.       DC-DC converter : http://www.amazon.in/Converter-KIS3R33S-Module-Replace-KG106/dp/B00YURPEL4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

4.       Diode IN4001,connecting wires, soldering kit and charging cable : Any regular electronics store

Clean water mania - the marketing and the wastage

We all go to restaurants every now and then and the first thing we get asked by the waiter is “Normal water or mineral water?” How many of us at that stage have thought to ourselves – “Why is he asking me this? Maybe the water is not that clean here, should I just order mineral water?” and often times we end up asking for mineral water.

We attend conferences in huge 3 star or 5 star hotels and we get small plastic bottles of packaged water. How many times have you opened a bottle, had some water and then forgotten about it? In conferences that last for an entire day, have you seen lots of half filled, used water bottles? Is that wastage justified? A similar sight can be seen at Indian weddings. Partially filled water bottles are strewn around everywhere. Isn’t that a huge waste of resources?

A reputed 5 star hotel must have a good water filtration system and they can provide clean potable drinking water even through their taps. Then why do they serve packaged small plastic water bottles? Because we as consumers look for it. It gives us a false sense of security that the packaged water is best. In other words, it indirectly creates a negative image of the regular water which has been filtered. The same goes in weddings that happen in established venues. A good venue must have the capacity to serve clean drinking water but thanks to the demands and expectations from us, the consumers, we can see lots of plastic bottles strewn around and water being wasted. In fact, we probably won’t have the same bottled water, if it was poured in jug and kept in front of us.

We have let this notion of ultra clean water dictate our preferences when it comes to using water. The biggest blunder being Reverse Osmosis. RO is a technology that must be used for water with high levels of salinity and dissolved solids. It is a technology that has to be used ideally in desalination plants for treating brackish water or sea water and not in regular households. The human body is capable of dealing with water that has a TDS of up to 500 ppm. Below is a part of the IS 10500, the Indian standard for drinking water which clearly states that the acceptable limit for TDS is 500 ppm. This indicates that drinking water around 250-300 ppm is good enough. ROs tend to over purify the water.

  

ROs tend to purify the water to a TDS level of well below 75 ppm. Doesn’t that mean the water is purer? Perhaps. Is it what the human body needs? Certainly not. It is wasteful to use an RO in locations where the water can reach potable levels with simple activated carbon, sand filtration processes. In fact it is criminal to use RO in such places. By over-purifying, the water not only becomes pure but it becomes “hungry”. It is ripped off of its minerals and other soluble components to such an extent that now it wants to dissolve things in it. Studies also claim it becomes mildly acidic. Not to forget the reject stream of water that is more impure than the input water. Where does the reject water go? It enters our drains and eventually it will end up polluting our existing water bodies.

Have a look at the following pictures

On the left there is natural mineral water for which IS 13428 is the standard. On the right is packaged drinking water for which IS 14543 is the standard. The difference between the two is that natural mineral water is fresh water harvested and carefully packed at a natural source, typically these are fresh water streams up in the mountains. It has natural minerals. On the other hand, the packaged drinking water is regular water, perhaps from a ground source that is filtered, purified and packed. While we spend around Rs.20 per liter for packaged water (on the right, blue label), we shell out around Rs. 60-100 per liter of natural mineral water (on the left, pink label).

 If one looks closely at the pink label of the natural mineral water, this is what it shows.

Dissolved solids, or TDS range is 300-330 ppm. It is enough to show that on one hand we are spending Rs.100 for a liter of water at 300-330 ppm but on the other hand, we become fussy and particular about using ROs and having over purified water at less than 75 ppm. The problem is in the mindset that the industries involved in water have created by marketing and superior packaging. As stated earlier, if one serves the same water in a steel jug, most people would be reluctant to drink it. The colourful packaging along with the plethora of details make the water in these bottles look “purer” whereas the fact is that they are probably only as good as the regular filtered, pathogen free water.

We have collectively fallen prey to the marketing gimmicks and allowed an ultra-clean water paranoia seep into our minds thereby creating an ecosystem that is resource intensive, high in carbon footprint and immensely wasteful.

 We all can do a few things to make things a little better:

         1.       When you attend conferences, wedding etc. and are served packaged water bottles, make sure you drink all the water. If there is water left in it, carry the bottle with you, drink it and dispose the bottle responsibly.

        2.       Wherever possible, avoid packaged water bottle. When you go to good restaurants, they will have regular water that is clean and filtered. Go for regular water. Save the environment and save money!

         3.       At home, one can test the TDS of tap water and accordingly take a decision on whether to setup a regular filtration system or an RO. Chances are that a regular filtration system is enough to give you necessary quality of water.

       4.       If RO has been installed at your home, use the reject water judiciously. Store it and use it to water the plants after mixing it with regular tap water. One can also use the reject water to mop the floor or wash the utensils after mixing it with regular tap water.

Water is an essential resource for the survival of mankind. Let’s use it judiciously and mindfully.

Wastage, Inflation and Carbon footprint

Agriculture sector is the largest employer in India with over 58% of rural population’s livelihood dependent on it, and contributing to 17% of India’s GDP.  In 2013-14 the agricultural food production was found to be 263 million tonnes, which is 8.7% higher than our demand of 230 million tonnes per year. Yet there are many questions cropping up, like,

      1.        Why are about 50% of Indian children reported under nourished?

     2.       Why does India rank 63 out of the 78 countries listed in the Global Hunger Index of 2013? (It ranks worse than neighbouring Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan)

     3.       The supply of food is much higher than what is needed. By the law of supply and demand, the prices should have gone down. Why is there inflation in food?

   

      4.       What implication do these have on the environment?

The root cause is wastage. Yes, in a developing country with 50% children who are smaller for their age, we waste food and lots of it. The fact is that production wise, we have it pretty much covered. The losses in transportation and storage are the real devils. Lack of cold storage facility near the production areas, improper packaging, and lack of cheap, efficient and appropriate transportation means are major feeders to this evil. It was estimated that in 2013-14 India wasted 21 million tonnes of wheat alone, which is as much as the entire food production in Australia!

The production of food more than what is needed is meaningless since we waste so much that the actual available food is much lesser than what is needed. This is the reason why food inflation is rampant.

Even when assuming the demand for food is the same (which in all practical aspects is ever increasing) the price increases as there is simply not much food available in spite of producing huge quantities. Thanks to wastage. In the actual scenario, the price will only go further up as the demand for food keeps on increasing while we keep on wasting the food we produce.

As a result of this, everything becomes costlier. The poor farmer who worked hard to produce the food that gets wasted is not excluded from the list. The resources used to produce food gets costlier, as a result, the farmer is unable to churn out a healthy livelihood.

It takes somewhere between 500 liters to 4000 liters to produce a kg of wheat. Even going by the lower limit, by wasting 21 million tonnes of wheat, the country has wasted 10.5 trillion liters of water which is equivalent to the consumption of water by the entire population of Uttar Pradesh for a whole year! That is a lot of water. Using this much water in agriculture would have needed electricity for pumping it. All that electricity has gone waste leading to a whole lot of GHG emissions put out into the atmosphere for nothing. This extends to tonnes of coal wastefully burnt in our thermal power plants to produce the electricity used to pump the water.

By wasting food, we put a stress on the natural resources which are harnessed and mined to provide the raw materials for its production. This results in an increased Carbon and water footprint. Wasting animal products and meat leads to a much higher Carbon footprint than vegetables and fruits as meat and dairy require more resources.

Due to wastages, the actual food availability goes down thereby increasing the prices. We have to stop wasting food.

In order to do this, the supply chain needs to be improved at a national level. In India, we can see farmers transporting their produce on rickety, inefficient, non-refrigerated trucks, driving through the bad roads bearing the dust and heat. The cold chains used for storing the produce are far from the site of production. India needs more cold chains and they have to be at the site of production. Our country needs improved, refrigerated vehicles for transporting food. It needs better roads and better goods trains to play a part in reducing food wastage.  New technology that use thermal energy storage to reduce electricity expenses must also be explored.

At a personal level, each individual can take efforts to minimize food wastage. Simple practices include-

    1.       Buying smaller, usable quantities. Try not to throw away any raw food from the house. Pay attention to your family’s eating habits and buy accordingly.

      2.       Discourage family members from throwing away good food, both cooked and raw.

     3.       If a lot of edible food is left, give it off to those who need it. There are plenty of NGOs that can help you. You yourself can just walk out of the house and find someone who will be happy to eat that.

      4.       Reduce the intake of processed food. The more processed it is, the more resources it has used up in its journey to reach you. By extension, you will be wasting more resources if you waste processed food.

     5.       Never waste food in restaurants. Always get them packed and use it at home or give it away to someone in need.

Remember, when you waste food, you also waste water, energy, money and a poor family’s hard work. In addition to that you also contribute in increasing your Carbon footprint and rising inflation.

Stop food wastage. Stop it now!