Easy tips to conserve electricity this winter

Here are the top and simplest methods to conserve electricity this winter, following Eskom’s 12% tariff hike in April. Fair play must go to the national electricity supplier, though. It has managed to keep the lights on for more than 100 days, which is a feat last seen in 2021.

Nevertheless, based off an average household usage of 900 kWh, you’re probably spending R375 extra on electricity per month – or R4 500 total per year. This will take the average electricity spend per household per month to approximately R3 000. So, there’s no better time than now to exercise ways to save electricity this winter.

SAVE ELECTRICITY THIS WINTER

No matter what inverter/solar/off-the-grid arrangement you may have, using less electricity is always the best option to save on your bill. Sadly, the majority of people don’t have elaborate power supplies at home to help them recoup power and expense.

Nevertheless, if you’re disciplined, anyone can maximise their energy usage and continue to save electricity this winter. A good way to stretch your money as far as possible is to know which appliances consume the most electricity and avoid using them excessively.

LIMIT YOUR GEYSER USAGE

Managing your hot-water geyser usage is probably the most critical to save electricity this winter. Your geyser races way out in front of your other household appliances when it comes to energy usage. It accounts for between 30% to 50% of your power bill. Keep it turned off until you absolutely intend to shower/bath.

Also, don’t overheat your geyser. In our particular household a one-hour heat time is enough to handle the daily shower routine. Anything more needs to be tempered with cold water and is therefore a waste. By only using your geyser for one hour per day, you can reduce a 150-litre geyser’s power usage from 360 kWh to just 60 kWh. Depending on your means, installing a solar geyser is a great way to extend off time on sunny days, too. Not that we’ve had many of those this winter.

WET APPLIANCES AND TUMBLE DRYERS

A great way to save electricity this winter is to limit tumble dryer usage. We know it’s difficult because nothing is drying naturally, but it does increase your monthly expense. A tumble dryer sits at the top of the list of home appliances that consume the most power. Same deal with underfloor heating and electric heaters. Try and source a gas heater or wood-burning fire for warmth. Although, the cost of wood nowadays will probably nullify any savings there.

Tumble dryers are followed closely by with your washing machine, dishwasher and any other ‘wet appliances’. The aforementioned require a lot of electricity to heat up the water in their cleaning cycles. Therefore, use the low temperature and/or Eco mode. Better still, try and cut out these appliances as much as possible. Do bigger loads less frequently and you can save up to 15% on your electricity bill. That alone will help equalise your Eskom tariff increase. 

GAMING, LIGHTS AND SCREENS

It’s no surprise that TVs, screens, gaming consoles, laptop computers and general lighting account for about 10% of home energy usage. We live in a world full of screens but switching them off and disconnecting laptops when not in use will help save electricity this winter.

Household lightning differs enormously from home to home, but you should always opt for the most energy efficient LED bulbs you can afford. The consumption of an LED bulb (0.004 kWh) versus an old incandescent bulb (0.1 kWh) is off the scale.