WITH winter fast approaching and the prices of electricity at its peak consumers are urged to look to their appliances as a means of reducing power consumption.
It may have been 21 days since Eskom last instituted load shedding but a constrained energy supply remains a reality. As May is National Energy month, using electricity sparingly to ease pressure off the grid is important.
The South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) is reminding South Africans that changing the way we do household chores can reduce electricity consumption and take pressure off the grid which will ultimately help mitigate the risk of load shedding.
“As we head into winter, we tend to use more power. Now is the time to start thinking carefully about how we use electricity,” says SANEDI’s Barry Bredenkamp.
“Being cautious of our consumer behaviour and implementing energy-efficient solutions are the main ways that power use can be minimised.”
Bredenkamp suggests these five key tips for saving energy at home:
*Rethink your lighting: Newer lighting technology such as LEDs have proved to be vastly more energy efficient than older bulbs. “If thousands of South Africans updated their bulbs, the energy savings would be monumental,” he added.
* Cooking: Microwaves sometimes have a bad reputation, but in fact they cook food quickly and more efficiently than a traditional oven. Consider using your microwave rather than your oven.
*Use your water appliances wisely: If you have a dishwasher, use it. Hand-washing a 12-piece dinner service by hand requires 2.5kilowatts of electricity and 103 litres of water. The same load in a dishwasher will use only 1.05kilowatts of electricity and 12 litres of water, and a fraction of the time.
*Keep the fridge cold: Ensure your fridge’s seal works properly is a great way to save power as no warm air will get in and the appliance won't have to work overtime to stay cool. Defrosting the freezer regularly is also important as ice build-up prevents the freezer from operating efficiently.
*Think before you buy: When purchasing new appliances, ensure that they carry the Energy Efficiency label, preferably rated with an A-rating.