What 10 ways can you use to save electricity at home? South Africa has recently been reeling under loadshedding, with the power utility Eskom calling for an increase in tariffs as one of the ways of trying to resolve the issue. The last increase was in July 2022, and you can expect another in the near future. So, what can you, as a consumer, do to stay within your budget? Remember electricity is not the only thing whose price has been going up. The price of food, fuel and other basics have also been going up, partly driven by upheavals on the international arena.
How to save electricity at home
The good news is that there are steps that you can take to save electricity at home. By following the advice outlined here, you will be able to conserve some of your money for other things. The following are the 10 ways to save electricity at home in South Africa and elsewhere;
- Reduce power consumption by your geyser.
- Get a solar water heater.
- Switch to gas for cooking.
- Take a shower, rather than using the tub.
- Get energy efficient light bulbs.
- Switch to solar.
- Minimize use of your oven.
- Better insulate your home.
- Unplug your appliances from the socket when not in use.
- Buy energy efficient appliances
Reduce power consumption by your geyser
Geysers probably consume the most power in every household in South Africa. If you have one in your home, chances are high that it contributes a large part to your bill. The major challenge with geysers is that they can be rather wasteful. If your geyser remains on 24 hours a day, that represents a marked wastage of energy. So, what can you do to solve this problem?
There are a several things that you can do to manage power consumption by the geyser in your home. For one thing, you can install a timer on the device. When you do this, the geyser will be switched on only at set times during the day. Perhaps you wish to have yours switched on at 5am in the morning.
That way, you will have hot water ready when you wake up at six. You can set the timer on the geyser to be on at times that are convenient for people within your household. Of course, that can make you slave to these times, but it’s something that you can manage over time.
Another thing that you can do is to cover your geyser with insulating blankets. This way, minimal heat will be lost during the day, thus reducing the need to turn on the heating element on the device. So, this is another great energy saving tip that you can adopt as a household.
Get a solar water heater
Solar water heaters are another of the 10 ways that South Africans can use to save electricity at home. The great thing about the country is that it has an abundance of sunlight. That makes solar water heaters rather ideal. They are not expensive, yet they are worth every cent that you pay for them.
Remember we have already noted that geysers are the biggest culprits when it comes to household energy bills. With a solar water heater, you eliminate this because your water will be heated using the free energy that comes from the sun. Solar water heaters come in different sizes, meaning you will be able to find one that works best for your household.
Switch to gas for cooking
This is another of the 10 ways that you can use to save electricity at home. Cooking with gas is not really that popular in South Africa, though it is very popular in other countries. Gas costs a little less for cooking because it is so efficient.
Once you have made the switch, you won’t ever want to go back to electricity. Of course, modern inductive stoves are way more efficient when compared to gas, but not many South African households can afford them. But in general, gas is cheaper than electricity.
Don’t use the tub. Shower instead
Showering uses way less water than bathing in the tub. By extension, you need to heat less water when you shower, which saves on electricity. So, you should make it a habit of showering rather than taking a bath in the tub.
Get energy efficient light bulbs
If you still use old incandescent light bulbs in your home, then this is another area where you can make energy savings. There are better alternatives out there, such as LED lights and fluorescent lights. These are way more efficient. In fact, LED lights use up to 75% less energy than incandescent light bulbs.
Power you home using solar
Solar is not only limited to water geysers. In fact, you can switch your household entirely to solar energy, thus saving even more money in the long haul. It’s one of the 10 ways through which to save electricity at home.
There are many options when it comes to adopting solar energy use. You can opt to go entirely off grid. That has become more feasible as batteries become more and more affordable.
Alternatively, you can have a hybrid system. Such a system will be tied to the grid but will use solar energy when available. The advantage is that you always have a backup. Should something happen to your batteries, or on consecutive cloudy days, you won’t be left without power.
Minimize use of your oven
We all love baked foods but using your oven tends to be another of the biggest energy hogs within the household. You may wish to reduce use of your oven as one of the 10 ways through which to save electricity at home.
Better insulate your home
This tip applies to those who are building new homes or to those who are renovating old ones. Getting better insulation for your home means you will be able to save a lot of money on heating in winter. As an example, you can get a better insulated ceiling. This reduces the leakage of precious heat from your home.
Find the solution to the Hexing prepaid meter not connecting issue
Unplug appliances
You may not know it, but leaving your TV or other appliances plugged to the power socket in your home actually uses a little bit of electricity. It’s not much, but it can stack up in the long run. The best thing that you can do is to make sure that you unplug appliances when going to sleep or when going on holiday.
Buy energy efficient appliances
Regarding the appliances that are in your home, one of the 10 ways to save electricity is by always making sure that you are buying efficient appliances. If you check when buying modern TVs, you will see that they come with energy ratings. The same applies for refrigerators and freezers. Always opt for the most energy efficient appliances. That way, you will be able to save power within your home.
How much can you save?
In this article, we showed you the 10 ways that you can use to save electricity at home. But how much can you save really? It’s a question that a lot of people have been asking themselves. Estimates indicate that all the steps outlined above can save you up to R15000 in cash per year.
That’s a lot of money that you can put to other uses. So, these tips are not just for show. They can actually save you real money. Of course, the exact amount that you will save depends on how big your household is and how you use electricity. But in general, your savings will be substantial.
Here is the Ekurhuleni prepaid meter contact number