If you sing when you shower, choose shorter songs, take a shorter shower, and watch how much money you save on your electricity bill, says the City’s Electricity Saving Campaign.
Residents can save substantial amounts of money by reducing the amount of electricity they use. The easiest way to start doing this is to take shorter showers. Water heating, including laundry, bath, dish washing and cooking, comprises between one-third and one-half of a resident’s monthly electricity account, and the more hot water people use, the more it costs.
With the cost of electricity increasing from 1 July 2010, the City has spent considerable time researching what simple actions residents can take to save electricity. Using electricity more efficiently is also the most environmentally-friendly and easiest way to reduce the risk of power cuts and decrease our carbon footprint.
The City has devised a practical checklist to encourage residents to save. This will be sent out as an insert to the rates account and will be in the form of a fridge magnet. There are a number of ‘no cost’ actions which enable residents to save at least 10%. Investing less than R1 000 will save more – up to 30%. And investing in options such as solar water heating and insulation will save the most – altogether you can save up to 50% of a home’s electricity cost.
The City’s ten best ways to save electricity at home:
|
No cost options
|
Turn geyser temperature down to 55 degrees (Celsius).
Maintaining the temperature at 55 degrees uses less electricity (energy) than maintaining a temperature of 70 degrees. Works best when geyser and pipes are insulated. Don’t drop it below 55 degrees for health reasons. In most cases, the thermostat is located in the little cover over the electrical element of the geyser. Switch off the electricity circuit at the mains, undo the cover, and then turn down the thermostat using a screwdriver. Or hire a plumber to help you.
Use less hot water.
E.g. shower instead of bath, and take shorter showers. Only fill the kettle as much as you need it. Wash a full load of dishes, rather than one dish at a time. Use cold water where possible for laundry washing.
Switch off equipment when not in use.
Turn appliances off at the wall plug, rather than leaving them on standby as this can still draw about 20% or more of normal electricity use. (For music systems, computers, chargers etc.) Also turn the geyser off when you go on holiday.
Reduce pool pump operating hours.
If you have a pool with a cleaning system pump, drop its operating hours to the minimum e.g. 6 hours a day. Clean filters regularly, and consider a pool cover and turning off the pump in winter.
Reduce excessive heating or cooling.
Space heating in winter is a big power ‘guzzler’, and the same for summer cooling for those homes with cooling systems. Use localised equipment rather than central air-conditioning or heating systems, and only heat or cool occupied rooms. The room temperature should not be more than 10 degrees (Celsius) more or less than the outside/ ambient temperature. Fan or oil heaters with thermostats are best, and avoid under-floor heating. In summer use a fan rather than air-conditioning. But rather than use equipment at all, the best ‘no cost’ saving options are things like wearing warmer clothing in winter or opening the windows in summer.
|
|
Low cost options
(Investing under R1000)
|
Install an efficient showerhead.
Cape Town water by-laws limit shower flow rates to no more than 10 litres per minute. To test this at home, hold a bucket under the showerhead for 12 seconds. Measure the amount of water within the bucket with a measuring jug. If there is more than 2 litres then your showerhead is inefficient. A good, modern product will save both water and electricity without compromising your shower experience, and the saving usually pays back the investment within a few weeks or months. See www.eskomdsm.co.za for approved suppliers.
Insulate the geyser and water pipes leading to it (for 3 meters), to maximise heat retention.
Check heat loss first using a basic ‘hand test’. If the geyser is warm then it’s losing heat and needs better insulation. This is particularly necessary for older geysers. Appoint a good installer or do a thorough job yourself, and check the insulation is still in place after a few days/weeks because installation isn’t always straightforward and can come undone. See www.eskomdsm.co.za for approved suppliers.
Install efficient lighting.
Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) use 75% less power than old incandescent bulbs, and last much longer. Note that CFLs contain small amounts of harmful chemicals, so please dispose of them safely. Best is to take them to safe ‘drop off’ points e.g. at retailers like Woolworths or Pick n Pay. New ‘light-emitting diodes’, or LEDs, are even more efficient than CFLs, and last 130 times longer than CFL bulbs. They have limited applications in homes at this stage, but are ideal replacements for halogen down-lighting. They save the most, and although they may be currently expensive the cost is coming down as the technology develops. Of course, switching off lights in unoccupied rooms is also an obvious way to save.
|
|
‘Invest to save’ |
Install a solar water heating system, which can save the most of all.
This typically saves about two thirds of the cost of heating water in a traditional geyser, but this varies and it should be installed with a timer for the best possible saving. With rising electricity tariffs and the new subsidies from Eskom (see www.eskomdsm.co.za), the payback period is now no more than five years.
Install a heat pump in conjunction with your solar water heater to replace the high energy consuming heating element currently used in these systems.
Heat pumps are a new technology for homes as until recently, they have been used mainly in commercial installations. The combined payback period increases to nine years. It is also viable for use where it is not possible to install a solar water heater
Insulate the ceiling/roof.
Ceiling and good roof insulation can keep the home 5 degrees warmer in winter, and 10 degrees cooler in summer. More comfortable indoor temperatures mean less need for electrical heating and cooling, with savings of about 75% for adding both a ceiling and insulation, or 25% for just adding insulation (if there is already a ceiling). Insulating other parts of the house also helps (e.g. stopping heat loss through windows or under doors), but the highest savings are from roof insulation.
|
Other important advice
- Measure and monitor your home electricity consumption and costs.
- Educate everyone in the home, including children and domestic helpers.
- Remember that saving requires both behaviours and equipment. For example, it’s no use installing an efficient shower head if you then shower for twice as long
Interested in saving more?
For more information about ways to save electricity at home, see:
Setting a good example….
The City leads a range of other initiatives to encourage electrical energy efficiency. An Energy Efficiency Forum has been set up for large commercial and industrial electricity consumers. The City’s Youth Environmental School (YES) programme already reaches about 1 600 schools per year, and ‘Smart Living’ programmes reach thousands of public and private sector companies and residents. Public lighting, traffic lights and the City’s own large office buildings are being upgraded to be more energy efficient. The City has developed Green Building Guidelines and is also working on a programme to support the widespread use of solar water heaters throughout Cape Town.