Consumers charged at the Lifeline Tariff and who purchase up to 400 kWh per month on average will continue to receive the free basic supply of 50 kWh.

NOTE: The 400 kWh was determined from the average monthly consumption over any consecutive 12 month period.

Before considering ways and means of reducing your electricity account one should first consider the cost of operating the various types of domestic appliances.

The following table details the average cost of electricity consumed by various classes of electrical appliances and other consuming devices in the home.

(Kindly note that all tariffs and costs indicated in this document are inclusive of VAT)


Domestic High (91.17c/kWh) a service charge of R7,50 per day applies whether electricity is consumed or not.
Domestic Low (106.37c/kWh) would ideally be used if your consumption is between 400 and 1500 kWh/month. The service charge is not applicable to this tariff.
Lifeline (80.34c/kW.h) is only available to consumers who purchase 400 kWh or less per month on average. The service charge is not applicable to this tariff.

Note 2:            1 kW = 1000 watts and 1 kW.h = 1 unit, which is equivalent to 1000 watts being
used for 1 hour or 500 watts for two hours or 2 000 watts for 0,5 hours.

Due to the water heater having an element of relatively high rating and this element being
energised for long periods each day, the water heater is the largest user of electricity of all the
equipment in a normal house.  The next largest users of electricity are the stove and in some
households, space heaters in winter.

Therefore, by reducing the use of the hot water cylinder, stove and space heaters, an appreciable
reduction in total overall consumption can be made.

How to reduce your electricity account

Hot Water Cylinder

• Instruct all household members, particularly servants and children, in the economical use of hot water
  
• When bathing, use as little water as possible, or better still have a shower
  
• Do not wash one cup at a time under the hot tap but rather stack the dirty dishes and wash them together in the sink at the same time
  
• Do not allow hot water taps to drip
  
• Have the hot water cylinder thermostat set as low as the household's hot water demand will permit
  
• Avoid using the hot water cylinder during morning and evening peak electricity usage times
• Do not switch off the cylinder for short periods of time as more electricity is needed to heat the water back up to the set temperature when it is switched on again
• Switch off the cylinder when away for relatively long periods e.g. when on holiday
  
• Recommended temperature setting is 60°C
• Insulate the hot water cylinder and pipes
• If possible, invest in a solar water heater or heat pump

Stove

• When the water has boiled, turn the heat down as low as possible so that the water just keeps boiling. Do not cook food with the controls set higher than absolutely necessary
  
• It is cheaper to heat water in a kettle than to heat it in a pot on the stove
  
• Do not cook food for longer than necessary
  
• Make sure that the bottom of the pots are flat so that good contact can be obtained between the stove plates and the bottom of the pots
  
• For stoves with the heavy solid plates which retain their heat, switch off the plate a few minutes before removing the pot
  
• Small pots should be heated on the stove's small plates to avoid unnecessary heat loss
• A microwave oven is cheaper to operate than a stove
  

Refrigerators and Deep Freezers

• Open the refrigerator or deep freeze door as little and for as short a period as possible
  
• Do not place hot food in the refrigerator or deep freeze. Allow it to cool externally first
• Ensure that door seals are in good condition
  

Space Heaters and Air Conditioners

• Sit as close as practically possible to a heater to avoid as far as possible the need to have both elements switched on together
  
• Switch off the heater when leaving the room for any length of time
  
• When using heaters or air conditioners, limit or restrict as far as possible the opening of windows
  
• Curtains help to retain the heat in a room. Draw the curtains early in the evening especially during cold weather
• It is cheaper to use an electric blanket than to heat the bedroom with a heater
  

Other Electrical Appliances and Lights

• When using a kettle, do not fill it right to the top if you only intend making one cup of tea
  
• Store excess hot water from the kettle in a vacuum flask for the odd cup of coffee or for washing up later
  
• Dishwashers and washing machines should only be used when one has a full load to wash and not just a few items
  
• Do not leave lights burning unnecessarily
  
• Survey your incandescent lights for opportunities to replace them with compact fluorescents. These new lamps can save three-quarters of the electricity used by incandescents and have a very much longer operating life. The best targets are 60-100W bulbs used several hours a day
  

Swimming Pools

• Operate the filter pump for minimum periods
• During winter algae growth is restricted and the use of the filter cleaning system can be limited to once every few days
  

GENERAL

There is currently a shortage of generating capacity in the country. To minimise the load on the electrical network in the country try to avoid the use of high consuming appliances during the evening peak hours of 18:00 to 21:00. These appliances include heaters, air conditioners, stoves, hot water geysers, tumble dryers, washing machines, dishwashers and swimming pool pumps

At work

• Turn off the photocopier when you leave - a photocopier left on overnight wastes enough energy to make about 1 600 copies!
  
• Turn off your computer monitor - a monitor left on overnight wastes enough energy to laser-print about 800 A4 pages! By turning off your monitor energy consumption can be reduced by 50%
  
• Leaving the lights on in an empty office overnight wastes enough energy to make about 1000 cups of coffee!
  
• Save 10% of an air-conditioner electricity bill by turning the thermostat down 1º in winter
  and up 1º in summer