Ten best ways to save electricity

With the cost of electricity increasing from 1 July 2010, the City of Cape Town has devised a practical checklist to encourage residents to save money by saving electricity. The list of savings options will be sent out as an insert into the rates account and will be "in the form of a fridge magnet".

According to Alderman Marian Niewoudt, Chair of the City's Energy Committee: "There are 'no cost' actions which enable residents to save at least 10%. Investing less than R 1000 will save more - up to 30%. And investing in solar water heating and insulation will save the most - altogether you can save up to 50% of a home's electricity cost."

Using electricity more efficiency is not only about saving money, it's also the most environmentally-friendly and easiest way to reduce the risk of power cuts and to reduce our carbon footprint, according to Alderman Niewoudt.

The City leads a range of other initiatives to encourage electrical energy efficiency. An Energy Efficiency Forum has been set up for large commercial and industrial electricity consumers. The City’s Youth Environmental School (YES) programme already reaches about 1 600 schools per year, and ‘Smart Living’ programmes reach thousands of public and private sector companies and residents. Public lighting, traffic lights and the City’s own large office buildings are being upgraded to be more energy efficient. The City has developed Green Building Guidelines and is also working on a programme to support the mass rollout of solar water heaters.

“The good news”, says Sarah Ward, Head of the City’s Energy and Climate Change Unit, “is that everyone can take one or two everyday steps to reduce the amount of electricity they use, and many of these cost saving steps don’t cost a thing. In fact, you can save up to 10% before investing a single Rand. To help, the City has compiled a convenient checklist to stick on the fridge, post on the notice board, or just keep handy for easy reference. They’re tried and tested steps backed up by sound research, so residents will not only feel good about taking these steps, they’ll feel the savings too – and fast.”

If you can't wait for your fridge magnet to arrive, here are the City's Ten Best Ways to save electricity at home:

No cost options: simple behaviour change

Turn geyser temperature down to 60 degrees Celsius. Maintaining the temperature at 60 degrees uses less electricity (energy) than maintaining a temperature of 70 degrees. Works best when geyser and pipes are insulated. Don’t drop it below 60 degrees for health reasons. In most cases, the thermostat is located in the little cover over the electrical element of the geyser. Switch off the electricity circuit at the mains, undo the cover, and then turn down the thermostat using a screwdriver. Or hire a plumber to help you.

Use less hot water. E.g. shower instead of bath, and take shorter showers. Only fill the kettle as much as you need it. Wash a full load of dishes, rather than one dish at a time. Use cold water where possible for laundry washing.

Switch off equipment when not in use. Turn appliances off at the wall plug, rather than leaving them on standby as this can still draw about 20% or more of normal electricity use. (For music systems, computers, chargers etc.) Also turn the geyser off when you go on holiday.

Reduce pool pump operating hours. If you have a pool with a cleaning system pump, drop its operating hours to the minimum e.g. 6 hours a day. Clean filters regularly, and consider a pool cover and turning off the pump in winter.

Reduce excessive heating or cooling. Space heating in winter is a big power ‘guzzler’, and the same for summer cooling for those homes with cooling systems. Use localised equipment rather than central air-conditioning or heating systems, and only heat or cool occupied rooms. The room temperature should not be more than 10 degrees (Celsius) more or less than the outside/ ambient temperature. Fan or oil heaters with thermostats are best, and avoid under-floor heating. In summer use a fan rather than air-conditioning. But rather than use equipment at all, the best ‘no cost’ saving options are things like wearing warmer clothing in winter or opening the windows in summer.

Low cost options: investing under R1000

Install an efficient showerhead. Cape Town water by-laws limit shower flow rates to no more than 10 litres per minute. To test this at home, hold a bucket under the showerhead for 12 seconds. Measure the amount of water within the bucket with a measuring jug. If there is more than 2 litres then your showerhead is inefficient. A good, modern product will save both water and electricity without compromising your shower experience, and the saving usually pays back the investment within a few weeks or months.

Insulate the geyser and water pipes leading to it (for 3 meters), to maximise heat retention. Check heat loss first using a basic ‘hand test’. If the geyser is warm then it’s losing heat and needs better insulation. This is particularly necessary for older geysers. Appoint a good installer or do a thorough job yourself, and check the insulation is still in place after a few days/weeks because installation isn’t always straightforward and can come undone.

Install efficient lighting. Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) use 75% less power than old incandescent bulbs, and last much longer. Note that CFLs contain small amounts of harmful chemicals, so please dispose of them safely. Best is to take them to safe ‘drop off’ points e.g. at retailers like Woolworths or Pick n Pay. New ‘light-emitting diodes’, or LEDs, are even more efficient than CFLs, and last 130 times longer than CFL bulbs. They have limited applications in homes at this stage, but are ideal replacements for halogen down-lighting. They save the most, and although they may be currently expensive the cost is coming down as the technology develops. Of course, switching off lights in unoccupied rooms is also an obvious way to save.

‘Invest to save’

Install a solar water heater, which can save the most of all. Typically saves about two thirds of water heating cost, but this varies and it should be installed with a timer for the best possible saving. With rising electricity tariffs, and the new subsidies from Eskom (see www.eskomdsm.co.za), the payback period is now no more than 5 years. Install a heat pump as an alternative, if a solar water heater is not possible. Heat pumps can achieve similar savings but they are a new technology for homes, so they are not well tested yet and may require more maintenance than a solar water heater.

Insulate the ceiling/roof. Ceiling and good roof insulation can keep the home 5 degrees warmer in winter, and 10 degrees cooler in summer. More comfortable indoor temperatures mean less need for electrical heating and cooling, with savings of about 75% for adding both a ceiling and insulation, or 25% for just adding insulation (if there is already a ceiling). Insulating other parts of the house also helps (e.g. stopping heat loss through windows or under doors), but the highest savings are from roof insulation.