South Africa is notorious amongst its citizens for its constant load shedding schedules, and the reality is that the rising demand for electricity means that power will continue to be in short supply and the cost of electricity will remain high.
To help you save your hard-earned rands, we’re sharing 9 simple tips to help you minimise your electricity usage at home:
- UNPLUG
A variety of different electronic devices and appliances, including televisions, toasters, lamps, chargers, and more, when plugged in, can consume electricity even when they’re turned off. Getting into the habit of unplugging non-essential items like your cell phone charger, hairdryer, reading lamps, etc. can help save electricity over time.
- BE STOVE SAVVY
You’ll be surprised how much electricity you can save by simply sticking to the below cooking tips when using an electric stove/oven:
- Put a lid on the pot when boiling water; this will help it to reach boiling point quicker.
- Only boil enough water needed for your coffee or food – more water means the longer it will take to reach boiling point.
- Match the size of your pots and pans to the size of the stove plates; small pots on large plates waste electricity.
- Use pressure cookers when preparing food that normally has a long cooking time.
- Switch off the plates or oven before the food is fully cooked – this allows you to finish your cooking without using more energy.
- Make use of your oven’s leftover heat. Your oven retains heat for 15 to 30 minutes after it is turned off – use the free heat to warm up desserts, rolls or just your space.
- Take the step and convert to gas; gas stoves heat up much faster than electric ones, and can save you 30-45% in electricity costs.
- GET A GRIP ON YOUR GEYSER
- Set your electrical geyser’s thermostat at 55°C – 60°C; turning your geyser temperature down can reduce your hot water electricity bill by 5%.
- Fit a blanket on your geyser and ensure all hot water steel pipes are insulated; this prevents heat loss, reducing the cost of electricity needed to keep water hot by R500 or more a year.
- Install a geyser timer. (If you don’t have a geyser timer, switch off your geyser when you go away for a few days or more.)
- Fit your geysers close to hot water points to optimise electricity efficiency.
- Shower instead of bathing. You’ll save up to 80% in water usage and use 5 times less electricity when taking a short shower instead of bathing.
- Switch to a solar geyser; you can save 25% and even as much as 50% on your monthly electricity costs.
- POWER SURGE PROTECTION
A power surge can occur when power is restored after an interruption in the electricity supply, load shedding, vandalism to substations, cable theft, general power outages and when socket outlets are overloaded as a result of plugging in too many devices to the same socket. Even though the duration of a spike is typically less than a thousandth of a second, you should never underestimate the extent of damage that could be caused to your household appliances and electronic equipment. As we live in a country with unstable power supply, taking care to protect our household appliances can prevent costly repairs or replacements. Soften the blow of power surges by fitting a power surge protector at key plug points.
- WASH WISELY
There a number of easy ways to save electricity when using your dishwasher and washing machine;
- Always fill your dishwasher completely before operating it.
- Connect your dishwasher to the cold water supply.
- Front loading washing machines use less energy and water to operate than top loaders.
- Select short cycles or eco-settings where possible on your washing machine.
- Make sure you have a full load before washing laundry.
- Set your water temperature lower on your washing machine to cut down on electricity needed to heat the water, or use cold water only where possible.
- KEEP THE FROST AT BAY
Defrost your fridges and freezers regularly to avoid build-up of ice.
Defrosting chest type freezers should be done once to three times a year, and you should never allow frost build up to exceed 0,6 to 1,3 cm. An ice build-up reduces operating efficiency and increases running costs. You can prevent heavy icing by keeping your freezer as full as possible.
- ADJUST YOUR HOME LIGHTING
Making a few adjustments to your home lighting installation can save electricity consumption in your home;
- Using fewer bulbs with higher wattages will reduce electricity consumption; the wattage of a bulb is not a measure of the amount of light it gives, but rather the energy it uses, ie. one 100 watt bulb gives 50% more light than four 25 watt bulbs.
- Use energy-efficient lamps (CFL or LED) instead of ordinary bulbs.
(Sidenote: Did you know that replacing all the lighting in your home with energy-efficient lamps can reduce your energy use by 25 – 35 %?)
(Sidenote: Did you know that fluorescent lamps give five times the light and last up to 10 times as long as ordinary bulbs.)
- Use dimmable light switches; dimming switches allow you to regulate the light level and can reduce electricity consumption to an extent.
- Turn lights off whenever possible.
- Use low energy lamps for exterior lighting.
- BEAT THE HEAT
- Infrared heaters are more electricity efficient than other space heaters, and can be used both for spot heating and area heating. They transfer energy directly by radiation, creating heat and comfort instantly without the use of air-circulation fans.
- Oil heaters are the safest type of heater for the bedroom. A thermostat control switches the unit on and off as required, but to save energy, only use it on the lowest comfortable setting.
- Although electric blankets consume little electricity, the best method of use is to switch the electric blanket on to the highest setting to warm the bed before climbing in and then switching it off.
- Improve your home’s thermal insulation by insulating the ceiling, and sealing any air gaps in your home.
(Sidenote: Did you know that in parts of SA, during winter, the heating of rooms and spaces is one of the largest sources of electricity consumption in a home?)
- SAVE MONEY WITH SOLAR SOLUTIONS
By using solar water heating systems, you could reduce your geyser’s electricity consumption by 40% to 50% – resulting in saving 200kWh to 250kWh of electricity per month, depending on the number of geysers and the size of the family.
Has your conventional geyser burst? Take the opportunity and use the insurance coverage to upgrade to a solar water heater.
Why should you invest in solar solutions? Solar energy is a safer alternative to electricity and gas, and it’s cheaper and kinder to the environment.
(Sidenote: Did you know that, presently, solar energy is the cleanest and most eco-friendly form of energy?)