Metro gives tips how to save electricity

THE City of Ekurhuleni has given tips to help residents reduce high electricity bills and reduce power outages as a result of overloading this winter.

Speaking on behalf of the City, spokesman Zweli Dlamini says a lot of residents find themselves with high electricity bills during winter, but keeping warm does not have to be costly if you are smart about space heating this winter.

The municipality advises ratepayers to, among others, delay switching on a space heater and prevent their electricity bills from spiking by doing the following:

Dress warmly – wear a beanie and gloves at home;

Wrap yourself in a blanket, put a hot water bottle on your lap and drink your favourite hot drink when you watch television;

Close your curtains before it gets dark – it improves thermal insulation by preventing heat from escaping your home;

Seal gaps around your windows;

Draught-proof wall cavities throughout your home and, if you have one, your chimney – caulking and weather-stripping are best for sealing cracks and holes;

Draught-proof your doors and make sure all door sweeps are in a good condition; and

Most importantly, install fire retardant ceiling insulation before the onset of winter.

According to Eskom, in winter about 40% of heat is lost through the roof if your home is not insulated. Eskom explains that insulation:

Makes a home up to 5% warmer in winter;

Reduces – and postpones – the need to switch on space heaters and climate control systems;

Contributes to lowering your electricity bill – an insulated and draught-proofed room requires 51% less energy to heat up; and

Allows you to help keeping the lights on this winter.

Homeowners have also been encouraged to switch off their geysers during evening peaks (5-9pm) in order to alleviate serious supply constraints.

To assist in managing their demand, homeowners should use heating appliances as a last resort by, for example, reducing body heat-loss by covering themselves with sufficient layers of clothing or blankets, or by using hot water bottles or microwave beanbags to warm themselves up.

Should the temperature dip to very low levels, and using heaters becomes unavoidable, homeowners should buy heaters with a built-in thermostat, and only heat the rooms they are going to spend time in, the metro advises.

When going to sleep, electric blankets are preferable to leaving heaters on all night. Electric blankets are surprisingly energy efficient and can be made even more energy efficient by turning them to their highest setting for a few minutes, then turning them off for the night, just before getting into bed.

It’s also important to keep the warm air inside one’s home from escaping. When it’s cold, heat is transferred outside. When using an electric heater, close windows and curtains and cover the opening underneath doors. By installing ceiling insulation heat loss will be reduced significantly.

“As a city we are quite confident that should our ratepayers adopt these measures, they will see a huge drop on their municipal accounts while at the same time a massive reduction on power outages which are mainly caused by overloading,” Dlamini explains.