Service workshops as a contribution to energy saving in cuba

The work offers an overview of the Energy Revolution in relation to the study carried out in the Municipality of Sancti Spíritus, in relation to the refrigeration and air conditioning equipment, the number of articles delivered to the population and the situation presented by the assistance technique in the event of breakages. The experience of how to satisfy users using the revolving fund is also exposed, thus achieving a positive collective criterion.

The rate of breakage and equipment repaired in the first quarter of 2009 was taken as a sample. The task of repairing equipment in the service workshops began in 2005 with a force of more than 16 social workers and more than 40 technicians from service. Their main objective was to provide good service in the service workshops. Equipment repair is one of the main tasks within the energy saving program in the energy revolution.

Introduction

The contradictions between the growing social demand for energy and the problems associated with its generation and distribution are a burning problem today.

The evolution of man and society has been inextricably linked to a growing demand for energy. Primitive man, in his hunter and gatherer stage, needed very little energy to carry out his activities: that which he required to maintain his vital functions and a small surplus (no greater than 60% of the first) to heat, light up and cook. some foods. Today, a citizen of a developed country consumes a vastly greater amount.

Currently, almost all energy comes from so-called fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas). A first problem arises with the fact that oil reserves are not infinite, that is, they are depleted and at the current rate of exploitation, they only last a few dozen more years. The second problem is that the burning of these fuels greatly damages the environment, not to mention that before burning, accidents sometimes occur during transportation, such as maritime accidents that give rise to the so-called oil slicks, which are true environmental tragedies. The third problem is of a political-economic nature and is related to the wars that are produced by the efforts of the great powers to guarantee the energy supply, particularly the oil supply.

As a result of all these problems, the top leadership of the country sees the need to develop an Energy Revolution and to create an awareness of savings in our people, which would mean not only a better and more efficient use of the limited resources of fossil fuels with which we have, but also a guarantee in the transition towards a sustainable energy economy.

As part of the Energy Revolution that is beginning to develop in the country, the distribution of a cooking module and the replacement of high consumer equipment are carried out. As a result of this, it is necessary to open the Service Workshops, which will have as their main objective the repair of the electrical appliances that have been delivered to the population as part of the Energy Saving Program, to guarantee the proper functioning of these and extend its useful life, thus achieving the well-being of the community. The leader of the Cuban revolution affirmed: ¨In the repair of equipment the prestige of the Energy Revolution goes to us.

Materials and methods: To carry out this work we used questionnaires, interviews, and observation.

goals

The general objective To know how the Service Workshops of the municipality of Sancti Spíritus work.

Specific objectives:

1. Evaluate during a period of one month the breakage rate of the equipment in the service workshops.

2. Know which piece is in greatest demand.

3. Carry out an analysis of the causes that cause equipment breakdown.

4. Promote actions aimed at developing a culture in the population in the use and care of equipment.

Development

The municipality of Sancti Spíritus has 3 workshops and 14 service points with the aim of repairing the equipment distributed in the Energy Revolution program. The workshops are located in the area of the La Ideal park and the third television workshop is a little more distant, being in the popular council Kilo 12; The 14 service points are located 3 in the popular council Kilo 12 (Camino de la habana), Garaita and el burner, 1 in the popular park council (Las Villas), 1 in the popular council of Jesús María, 1 in the popular council of Colón and one in each popular council of the rural area such as (Pojabo, 2 in Banao, Managuaco, 1 in Tosas, 1 in Tunas de Zaza, 1 in Guasimal and 1 in Paredes).

In order to control the operation of the service workshops and contribute to raising the quality of care for the population, each workshop has the presence of a trained social worker who performs the following functions:

Demand that an excellent service is provided in the Service workshops in the care of the population and the repair of equipment in the shortest possible time. Check the equipment pending repair, the causes of breakage and the main data of the families that have the defective equipment. Carry out analysis of the causes that cause equipment breakdown and promote actions that contribute to developing a culture in the population in the use and care of them. Keep track of the availability and proper use of parts in the workshop. Visit and characterize families with equipment pending repair. Register the data of the families that cannot pay for the repair of the equipment. Collect and properly attend to the opinion states of the population, referring to the repair of equipment.Carry out a joint evaluation with colleagues in the Service on the results of the attention to the population and the repair of the savings program equipment. Provide daily a part of the equipment pending repair, the causes and the parts not available in the workshop, which must be previously analyzed and reconciled with the administration of the center.

To carry out this research, a Group Interview with the users was used as methods, as well as the In-Depth Interview with the technicians who work in the service workshops. The bibliography on the subject and the periodic reports of the task were also studied. The applied methods yielded the following results.

In the Group Interview applied to the users, with the aim of assessing the public's state of opinion about the use, exploitation, benefits and care of the equipment delivered as part of the Energy Revolution taking place in Cuba, it was found that:

There is a state of dissatisfaction in the population with the quality of the equipment, but they feel pleased with the changes made in favor of energy saving. There is a low index of real understanding by the population about the beneficial objective of these transformations. Users express great satisfaction with the care received in these centers and with most of the repairs carried out. Most of the families have little knowledge about the use and care of the equipment, causing a gradual increase in breakage and deterioration of the equipment's useful life. During the interview, it was possible to detect that the equipment with the highest rate of breakage is the electric pressure cooker followed by the electric stove.The In-Depth Interview with the technicians working in the service workshops allowed us to know that: Judging by the number of repairs carried out daily to the equipment, the quality of the module is regular. Taking the La Ideal workshop as a sample, an average of 80 users attend in one day. There is an inappropriate use of the equipment by the family, as they are used for other purposes that do not correspond to their actual use, which consequently reduces their useful life, for example: the multipurpose frying pot, the rice cooker for heating water, boiling milk, the electric heater for boiling clothes, etc. There is adequate availability of spare parts for immediate repair of breaks,This does not exclude that on certain occasions the user has to wait for the repair of his equipment due to the immediate non-existence of them. The technicians have received the attention required to carry out their work, starting with the delivery of tools and utensils that guarantee the quality of their services, as well as compliance with the worker's protection and hygiene standards. The parts with the greatest breakage and consequently demand, is the resistance of the electric stove, pressure thermostats and maintenance of the electric pressure cooker.The parts with the greatest breakage and therefore demand, is the resistance of the electric burner, pressure thermostats and maintenance of the electric pressure cooker.The parts with the greatest breakage and consequently demand, is the resistance of the electric stove, pressure thermostats and maintenance of the electric pressure cooker.

Evaluating both applied research instruments, as well as the opinion status of the population evaluated in other scenarios and moments, it is considered necessary to make some recommendations, which together with those that are raised in the equipment use manual it is necessary to comply. In addition, they must be disclosed in the media available for each workshop according to its specificities, among them the following stand out:

• Do not connect the equipment to sources with a higher voltage than that indicated for each one of them, do not use sockets that are in poor technical condition, and much less in bare cables.

• Do not use the equipment for purposes other than those indicated for its purpose.

• Use a minimum amount of water to better cook food and avoid drying it for an unlimited time.

• Carry out adequate and systematic cleaning of its accessories such as covers, gaskets, valves, etc. Do not use substances such as salfumán, bleach and other acids that destroy the enamel of the cooking container for these purposes.

• Dry whenever you use it, with a towel or other absorbent material.

• Do not scrape with metallic or other implements that could pierce some of its parts.

• Remove the lid once the steam has exhausted, gently as indicated by the guide arrow.

• Do not expose the equipment to the sun, rain, or bad weather. Store in a cool place.

• Correctly level the refrigerator with the help of the adjustable front legs, so that the door closes easily.

• To save energy and prolong the life of the refrigerator, the temperature control should be between 1 and 2 only in special cases set it to 3 or 4 for a few hours, then return them to positions 1 and 2.

• Store all your food in covered containers, in the case of vegetables you can keep them in tightly closed bags. These measures allow your food to be better preserved and that moisture does not accumulate inside your refrigerator.

• Defrost your refrigerator whenever it has a lot of ice or frost. Remove the products from the freezer during defrosting.

• Do not use constant tools to speed up defrosting.

• Be sure to close the freezer door tightly to avoid icing on the frame, as accumulated ice in this area may prevent it from closing properly.

• The refrigerator door should be opened as few times as possible and for the shortest time.

• If you have any doubts or breakages, go with the equipment to the workshop authorized for that purpose and do not dedicate yourself to making repairs at home, which, far from guaranteeing its operation, will result in a greater breakdown.

Conclusions

After conducting the present investigation, it was concluded that:

• The equipment breakage index shows in order, first the electric pressure cooker (847), followed by the burner (836), the normal pressure cooker (269), the heater (261), the rice cooker (256), fan (57), cooler (39), air conditioner (1).

• As parts of greater demand are the resistance of the electric stove and the pressure thermostats and maintenance of the electric pressure cooker.

• Among the main causes that cause equipment breakdown are poor care and improper handling of the equipment, due to the families' lack of culture on the proper exploitation of this equipment in accordance with its purposes.

• It is necessary to promote and disseminate the above recommendations to the population, which guarantee the use, care and exploitation of the cooking module delivered, using the mass media available to the municipality, such as the Cabaiguán Radio Station.