Monday, 22 May 2023

News — SAVE YOUR ELECTRICITY THIS WINTER

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The colder months often bring higher electricity bills. Power consumption increases as people turn up the heat to stay warm during this season. Add the shorter days and long, dark nights, it’s easy to see how consumers could use more electricity than other times of year. It’s important to save electricity in winter in order to lower electricity bills, as well as reduce the carbon footprint. Luckily, there are several ways to conserve energy when the temperature drops. Finding ways to reduce electricity usage will assist consumers to keep warm without electricity bills becoming excessive. In today’s article, we discuss some key aspects to consider in preparation for winter’s electricity needs, and we share tips to apply in order to minimize electricity consumption this winter.

The first thing to do is identify which appliances consume the most electricity. That allows you to prioritize your cost-saving measures. Once you’ve pinpointed the potential areas for improvement, you can then decide what sort of changes you want to make, and how you will implement them. Most of the energy-saving measures mentioned here will not require you to make any major alterations

1. The geyser

Turning off your geyser during set periods of the day will reduce your energy usage significantly. Such a simple act can be more effective than any number of costly energy-efficient solutions.

But if you don’t trust yourself to remember when to turn the geyser off or on, there are products that can automate the process for you. A geyser timer can activate the geyser during periods of the day when you are most likely to require heated water, which for most people will be morning and evening.

2. Heating

Space heating is usually the second biggest culprit during winter, and as with the geyser, some relatively simple procedures will help you conserve significant amounts of electricity. Investing in a non-electrical heating system such as a gas heater can go a long way in saving you electricity and minimizing your electricity bill. If you use an electrical heater, it’s important to focus on heating the rooms you are currently in, and keeping doors and windows closed when the heater is on.

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3. Lighting

Keeping your home bright may not use up nearly as much electricity as keeping it warm, but replacing incandescent lights with energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light emitting diodes (LEDs) is a simple and cost-effective way to reduce electricity usage. Energy-efficient bulbs use less wattage but are still able to create the same amount of light as a conventional bulb. A 3-watt LED, for example, would be equivalent to a 45-watt incandescent bulb. Using less energy means that they do not get hot when used over long periods of time, and this makes them especially effective in areas where lights are kept on for longer than three hours.

4. Unplug unnecessary appliances

If left plugged in on stand mode, items such as laptops and other household appliances will continue to use power, so rather turn them off completely or simply unplug them. A computer or laptop, for example, can use around 20% as much power as it would if it was in full use. Unless it is necessary to have an appliance plugged in at all times, it is far more energy efficient to unplug them.

5. Other household appliances

The geyser, heating and lighting are the three areas that tend to receive the most attention when it comes to energy-efficiency, but you can conserve a lot of energy by being more strategic in your use of miscellaneous appliances. For example, hanging clothes on the line to dry, rather than using a tumble dryer or regulating your refrigerator temperature can go a long way in reducing your electricity consumption.

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