Tips on How to Save On Electricity Bills

With the current increase in electricity bill expected to be implemented July 1st, 2014 it has become imperative to be able to save on your monthly electricity bill. Some practical and helpful ways to save on electricity are given below:

• Lighting

  This is the most common and essential appliance in our homes and is usually found in every room (sometimes we have more than one of them in one room) so making savings on the use of lighting in our homes is very important. Some of the ways we can save on lighting in our homes or offices are as follows:

  • Replace all your incandescent bulbs with ratings of up to 100watts with energy saving bulbs with ratings as low as 15watts
  • Always put off all lights when leaving a room, house or office.
  • Always remember to put off security lights in the early hours of the morning

• Electronics

  Unplug all electronic devices such as TVs, DVDs, Home Theatres, Laptops, Desktop Computers, Decoders etc when not in use as electronics take lots of power even when they’re turned off. 75% of the electrical use by home electronics occurs when they’re turned off but not unplugged.

• Buy energy saving appliances. These days there are appliances such as air conditioners, fridges, washing machine etc that operate on Low Voltage System (LVS). These appliances help you save on electricity. Also check the stand-by consumption when buying appliance or ask for energy efficient devices.
• Install smart switches or sensors that can automatically turn lights on or off when in use and not in use.
• Unplug chargers. Though it is extremely convenient to leave chargers in the wall ready at any time to charge your phone, they are still drawing power that is going nowhere. Whenever you’re done charging a device just unplug it and leave it near the outlet. It is worth the extra three seconds of time it will add to your daily routine

• Energy Consumers in house holds

  A major part of our electricity are spent on the use of energy consuming appliances such as Refrigerators, Freezers, air conditioners, electric water heaters etc. Below are tips on how we can save on electricity in using these appliances in our homes

  • Refrigerators, Freezers

    • Your fridge and freezer run more efficiently when they’re full. Put water containers in the fridge and ice bags in your freezer to keep them filled.
    • Replace your worn out refrigerator door seals to ensure that they don’t require more energy to stay cold
    • Replace your old fridge If it was made before 2001, it’s using at least 40 percent more electricity than new Energy Saving models.
    • Ensure that your fridge or refrigerator is put in a place which is as cold as possible, away from heat sources like radiators, direct sunlight or other big energy consuming devices
    • Make sure that your fridge or refrigerator is at least 5cm (2 inches) away from the wall, and that the air can circulate well
    • Keep your fridge or refrigerator tidy; label the items in the freezer, so that you can get to the food as quick as possible
    • Keep the door of these devices closed
    • Act energy efficient. Let food cool down before you put it in a cooling device and warm up frozen food in the fridge

  • Air- conditioners

    • Place air- conditioners away from direct sunlight as air conditioners placed in direct sunlight use up to 10% more electricity. If yours sits in the sun, plant tall shrubs or shade trees nearby—but don’t enclose the unit or impede the airflow
    • If your air conditioner is more than 12 years old, replace it with a more recent model that is Energy Saving this can cut your cooling costs by 30 percent and save maintenance costs
    • Ventilate during the night or early in the morning in order to store the coolness for the day and reduce your air conditioner usage during the day
    • Keep blinds or shades closed. When open, the sun can really heat up a room. Turn off the lights. They add heat, just like sunlight does.
    • Keep the air conditioner on the same temperature. Don't keep changing it. It works better this way.
    • Always service your air conditioners as at when due they require less energy to run when they are functioning optimally.
    • Clean your air conditioner’s filter and fan. It’s best to do this once a month, but even once a year will make a difference

  • Electric Water Heater

    • If you only use an electric water heater at certain times of the day, you’re wasting electricity keeping the water hot 24/7. Switch on 30 minutes before use and switch off after use or install electronic timer switch available for available for 120- and 240-volt heaters. They can be programmed for daily or weekly schedules so you only heat the water when you need it
    • To make your water heater even more efficient, drain the tank and flush out the sediment at the bottom otherwise, you could be heating through inches of sediment before heating the water taking up more energy
    • Use tank less hot water heater as it consumes less electricity