"With great power comes great electricity bills"
It has been a cold and cosy winter which means the heaters have been on in full force to warm your home and those electric blankets have been used to make your bed toasty warm. Lights have been on for longer, baths have been enjoyed more frequently and the kettle has been working overtime. To compound all of this, COVID has kept us home more which means our electricity usage has compounded too. The month has come to an end and you are dreading opening up the utility bill because with great power comes great electricity bills.
HELP is needed and ways to reduce our electricity usage is vital in saving money on your utility bill. Well, wait no longer, help is here with a list of ways to reduce your electricity usage. 12 tips to be exact, from very cheap and simple to those more pricey options. We hope these will be of great help in the great power struggle.
12 Tips for reducing your electricity usage and bill
1) Change all your lamps/globes to LEDs
This may seem extreme but it is one of the best ways to reduce usage because what electricity using appliance do you use more of than your lights (okay, maybe your Wi-Fi). Those old halogens/incandescent lamps drain electricity and don’t even produce great lighting. LEDs, on the other hand, use far less wattage and are much brighter. It is kind of a no brainer to switch over when LED globes can be bought for as little as R20 from Northside Electrical.
2) Install a geyser timer
Having a nice hot shower to end your day is just the stress-reliever you needed but then you realise that your geyser has been on all night and all day eating electricity for no reason, that shower becomes a little less relaxing and a lot faster. A geyser timer is the perfect solution as it switches the geyser off for those hours that you don’t need and it kicks in just when you do without having to do it yourself.
3) Use a geyser blanket
The geyser blanket is the geyser timer’s partner in crime, it’s the tick to its tock, the best to its friend. This duo is the ultimate combination in saving electricity with regards to the geyser (one of the biggest electricity users in the household). The geyser blanket retains the heat of the geyser for longer which means less electricity used to heat up the water thus saving electricity and saving you money.
4) Switch off geyser and appliances when going on holiday
A simple and often overlooked saver so add it to your holiday prep list or set a reminder to switch off your geyser, unplug your TV, kettle and microwave before you leave. Although these appliances may not be in use, there is a very small electricity flow into these appliances. Ever thought about how that red light is powered when your TV is off or what powers the clock on your microwave? It may be a small amount of electricity but every bit counts. Plus, this safeguards your appliances if there is a bad electric storm that potentially hits your house and your appliances.
5) Unplug unused appliances
This follows on from the above tip. You don’t just need to unplug appliances and devices when going on holiday, you can do this whenever you aren’t using them frequently. Like that spare TV in the room that hardly gets used or your cellphone charger that is permanently plugged in drawing power. All these devices use a small amount of electricity if they are left plugged in and all those small amounts of all those unused devices add up.
6) Install a pool timer
Much like the geyser timer, the pool timer switches on for a period to clean your pool once a day or more if you choose but not all day and night, I don’t think anyone’s pool is that dirty. This option helps save you electricity AND helps to keep your pool clean in a stress-free way.
7) Put outside lights on a timer or daynight switch
How many of you have arrived home after work when the sun is only just setting and you see that outside light is still on? Yup, you forgot to switch it off when you left for work and it has been on all day. A daynight switch will solve this problem for you, it automatically switches off your outside light when the sun is up and switches it on then the sun goes down. Keeping your light on when it is supposed to be on and saving you the hassle of remembering or should I say forgetting.
8) Check daynight switches are working properly
Okay, you are on the ball and have already installed your daynight switch ages ago and you can check that box on the list of reducing electricity usage. But wait, just check your daynight switch is working properly, sometimes these things break or are sub-quality and you don’t realise your light has been on all day once again for who knows how long.
9) Put outside lights on a motion sensor
The motion sensor takes the daynight switch one step further by only making use of the light when someone moves and triggers the sensor. In other words, the light will only come on when it needs to without you having to switch it on. Security, convenience and efficiency are a few words related to this energy saver.
10) Use occupancy sensors in rooms not frequently used
How often do you go into your garage or bathroom and realise the light is on and has been on since you used it early this morning? I know I have done that multiple times. An occupancy sensor is a life-saver or should I say light-saver in rooms that are not frequently used. These sensors work on the basis of movement much like the motion sensor, so you don’t need a switch, the light or fan comes on automatically and goes off when there is no movement. Great for bathrooms, passages, offices and even warehouses.
11) Boil the kettle when needed and only the amount you need
We all love and need our cup of coffee or tea to get us through the day (or 10 cups depending on the day). Surprise surprise though, most kettle elements are between 1.5kw and 2.2kw, in other words, some kettle elements have the same kw rating as a 100 litre geyser. Simply put, kettles eat electricity like a kid eats cake. So be sure to boil only the amount of water your need because the more water you have the longer it takes to boil thus the more electricity used. Also, boil when needed and use it straight away. I am so often guilty of this, you boil the kettle for a cup of tea, get distracted and then re-boil the kettle because it is not boiling hot. Massive amount of electricity wasted.
12) Use solar energy through solar panels
Yes, this is definitely the most eco-friendly and sustainable option but also the most expensive. Something that requires initial expense but will save you a lot in the end. Some less expensive solar options would be things like solar-powered flood lights, geyser and pool pump. A great step in the right direction while not breaking the bank.
Individually these tips may seem like that would make an insignificant difference but every bit counts and together they make a big difference. We hope these tips were useful and will help you in reducing your electricity usage and utility bill. Remember, if you require any of these above products visit one of Northside Electrical’s branches or call to chat to a sales member to personally assist you with your specific energy saving needs. Northside provides the KZN region with superior quality electrical, lighting and security products and remarkable service.
Red Hill – 031 569 1005
Durban North – 031 564 5692
Hillcrest – 031 765 4140
Umbilo – 031 942 7755 (temp)
Alternatively, email sales@northsideelectrical.co.za.
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