Eskom’s expected hefty rise in the price of electricity combined with that fact that most of us are housebound as we try to lessen the spread of the novel coronavirus makes right now the perfect time to start reducing your electricity consumption. Not only will this lower your electric bill but it can also help minimise the occurrence of load shedding.
According to latest reports, Eskom plans on implementing an average tariff percentage increase of 15.63% in the 2021/22 financial year.
“To try and avoid some of the strain this increase will place on many households, homeowners could try and find ways to reduce their electricity consumption, which will help lower their electric bill and also take much-needed pressure off the grid to help minimise the occurrence of future load shedding,” advises Adrian Goslett, Regional Director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa.
According to Goslett, adopting an energy-conscious mindset will help towards lowering our consumption. For example, with many of us working from home, we are likely to be consuming more energy. If it’s the middle of the day and the room is dark, first open the curtains or blinds before turning on the lights. If you are working on a laptop, do not leave it plugged in all day – only charge it when the battery is dead. “These small changes in habit could make a big difference when regularly applied to how we consume electricity in general,” Goslett remarks.
In the same line of thought, many appliances (including the tv, computer, microwave, printers, and scanners) use standby power which means that even if the appliance is not in use or is turned off, it still consumes electricity. Turning off each switch by the wall will lower electricity consumption. To minimise the hassle of this task, plug nearby appliances into one power strip (extension cable, with multiple sockets). This way, there is only one socket to turn off at the wall.
Another thing homeowners often do not realise is that freezers and refrigerators use less electricity when filled to their recommended capacities. Each item over the recommended capacity will increase electricity usage by between 10-20%. A similar effect occurs when these appliances are too empty.
“Making these small changes to our normal routines will reduce our electricity usage and not only lower one’s electric bill, but it will also help households live in a more environmentally responsible way, which is a goal towards which we should all strive,” Goslett concludes.
