Saving Tip #2: Electricity

This is one of your large unseen expenses, especially with the latest increases and the expected future increases. You don’t always realise how much you use, and any saving in this department would be a good saving booster, not to mention an environmental saviour. Here is how to limit the amount of power you use.

Cooking

• If you need to get boiling water on the stove, boil the kettle and pour it into the pot, you will use 50% less power.
• Use the minimum amount of water in the kettle when you boil it. You do not have to fill the kettle every time you make a cup of coffee.
• If your fridge is empty, or close to empty, place a few bottles of water in it – these items store the cold and help keep your fridge temperature constant (it turns on and off less often thereby saving electricity).
• Also place water bottles near the top of the fridge, cool air travels down and will keep the fridge colder for longer.
• Break the habit of opening the fridge and staring into it undecidedly, this is a major electricity expense.
• Reheat food in the microwave, not on the stove.
• If you are cooking in the oven, place the food into the oven as soon as the light switches off, also keep the door closed as the heat escapes quickly.
• Use a pot which is the same size as the stove plate. Putting a small pot on the big plate wastes energy.

Vampire electronics

• Ensure all standby items are switched off at the plug, eg TV, DVD, Cellphone chargers, laptops, stereo’s, plug adaptors etc. These appliances use approximately 4% of your total electrical bill whilst not in use. To spot a vampire appliance look for a standby light or a remote.
• Switch off lights whenever you leave a room, be consistent with your children, if you complain because they left something on every time and make them return to switch it off, they start to remember to do it.
• Swap all your light bulbs for either LED globes or CFL globes, these draw 50% less power. They cost more initially but save in the long term as you only have to replace them every 5 years.
• Put outside lighting on a day/night switch. You only need the lights after dark after all.
• Add a timer to your pool pump. Your pool will stay blue with as little as 4 hours running time per day. Remember to run the pump outside of peak hours to avoid maximum demand rates.

Washday

• Hang your washing on the line instead of using your tumble drier. If you hang items correctly you can avoid ironing many cotton items.
• Only switch on your washing machine for a full load, a half load uses the same amount of water and electricity.
• Towels do not need to be washed daily, give each person in the house their own towel to use and hang up immediately, you can then wash them less often.
• Your iron draws a lot of power to heat up. Make sure you iron in batches, not 1 item at a time.

Heating

• Put a geyser blanket on your geyser.
• Switch off your geyser when you go to work, you don’t need hot water while you are not there, don’t forget to do it when you go on holiday.
• Add “Aerolite” in your ceilings to keep the temperature in your house stable. It will save on cooling in summer and heating in winter.
• Open any north facing curtains in winter, it will warm the house considerably.