Saving on electricity is crucial – 12 tips to help you

The looming electricity tariff hike will no doubt put extra strain on already tight budgets.

“With budgets already tight, not many South Africans will be able to absorb the upcoming electricity price increase, and hopefully consumers will see a price increase as an incentive to take action against rising electricity costs by cutting back on the amount of electricity they use in their homes.

“Prudent power management is the order of the day,” says Graham Craggs, spokesman for a local insurance company.

It is possible to cut back on electricity consumption and costs by making a conscious effort.

The insurance company offers these electricity-saving ideas:

• Switch off devices when not in use. Unplug your cellphone charger when you’re not using it. If the charger feels warm when it’s plugged in but not attached to a cellphone, it’s still using energy.

• Use cold for your laundry. About 90% of the energy used by a top-loading washing machine is for heating water. A front-loading washing machine uses less water and costs less to operate than a top-loader. A washing machine uses the same amount of electricity for a full load as it does for a single item, so keep dirty clothes until a full load has accumulated.

• Use a low-flow shower head. A low-flow shower head uses less water per minute, which means less water to heat.

• Save money with low-energy light bulbs. Changing your traditional light bulbs to energy-saving equivalents can make a big difference. Also remember to turn off lights in rooms you are not using.

• Switch off the air conditioner. You need three times more energy per degree to cool a room than to heat a room.

• Optimise the energy consumption of your PC. Modern PCs can be set up to enter energy-saving modes.

• Fill your dishwasher completely before operating and use short wash cycles. Rinse-only cycles, mid-cycle turn-off and other features are designed for energy conservation as well as convenience.

• Do not overload your fridge as this uses more electricity. Do not open your fridge needlessly and switch on the energy-saving switch if one is fitted to the appliance.

• Keep the freezer open for as short a time as possible to prevent the loss of cold air. Your freezer should be kept as full as possible to prevent heavy icing.

• Defrost your food in the fridge instead of the microwave oven, as it is more economical. Use your microwave oven to cook small to medium quantities of food as it is more economical to cook larger portions of meat in a conventional oven.

• Clean the lint filter in the tumble dryer after each operation to maintain full air flow and to maximise the drying efficiency. First choice would be to dry clothes outside, in direct sunlight, or use the tumble dryer in consecutive loads where possible as your dryer will be warm already and will save on initial energy consumption.