54. Brace yourself for the electricity price to skyrocket!
The chief executive of Eskom, Jacob Maroga released a statement on the 7 September 2009 that will be hard to swallow for South African consumers. He said,”Brace yourself, next year’s power price increase will be shocking.”
Maroga would neither confirm nor deny one MP’s suggestion in a parliamentary committee meeting that the next increase might be above 40% — but indications are that it will be higher.
Luke Hirst MD of DebtBusters says, “This is alarming news for all consumers, especially those already battling with debt. It is at times like these that consumers need to take stock of their monthly expenses and cut down as much as possible. We can’t live without electricity and we can’t control these increases – but the good news is that there are ways to drastically reduce your electricity usage and therefore your bills. Being a bit more vigilant and making a few changes around the house can end up saving you a fortune on electricity.”
Follow these valuable tips from DebtBusters and start saving on electricity today:
Hot water system (geyser):
Install a geyser blanket, turn down the thermostat to 60 degrees C, insulate hot water pipes and use less hot water
Lighting:
Use compact fluorescent lights (CFL) instead of ordinary bulbs, switch lights off, use low-energy lamps for exterior lighting and do not install multiple lights on a single switch.
Electric stove:
Use a pressure cooker when preparing foods that take a long time to cook, buy a stove with a convection oven, keep oven doors closed until food is cooked, bring foods to the boil on '‘high'’ setting but turn down to simmer until cooked, clean stove plate reflectors and make sure that pots and pans completely cover the stove plates.
Refrigerator:
Don’t open the door unnecessarily, make sure the seal is intact, turn off refrigerator when going on holiday, let hot food cool down before placing them in the refrigerator, defrost your refrigerator regularly, store foods apart on refrigerator shelves.
Heaters:
Infrared heaters electricity are more efficient, an oil filled heater is the safest type of heater, use electric blankets, but turn them off when in bed.
Dishwasher:
Fill dishwasher completely before operating, turn off before drying cycle and wipe dishes clean with a dry cloth, connect dishwasher to cold water supply, clean filters.
Freezers:
Freezers work hard to remove heat and have to use more power. Only fill the freezer to nine-tenths of its capacity for optimum freezing. Defrost regularly.
Microwave ovens:
Defrost food in the refrigerator instead of the microwave oven-it is more economical, use microwave oven to cook small to medium quantities of food-to cook larger portions of meat, it is better to use a conventional oven; compare cooking times (keep pressure cooker in mind)
Small appliances:
Use toasters, electric grills and skillets, slow cookers, electric pots and bottle warmers usually require less energy than the stove, use an electric kettle to boil water, not a saucepan or microwave oven.
Automatic washing machine:
A front loading washing machine uses less water and costs less to operate, use the warm water setting to cut down on energy needed to heat the water, make sure your load is full before washing.
Tumble dryers:
Those with an electronic humidity control are the most efficient-they automatically shut off the drying cycle when clothes are dry, compact dryer are economical, use correct temperature settings to minimise the amount of electricity used, remove water before putting clothes into the tumble dryer, utilise sunny days for drying clothes outside.
Ironing:
Switch the iron off once it has reached the correct temperature and complete the ironing on stored energy, use distilled water in steam irons, turn the iron off when you are not using it, by removing clothing promptly from dryer and folding them carefully, many items will require no ironing, iron low temperature fabrics first to reduce warm-up time.
Insulation:
Insulate the ceiling, seal air gaps in the home, make use of the home’s material (such as concrete, brick and tiles) to adjust temperatures instead of using a heater or cooling appliances (for example: a concrete floor absorbs more heat than a floor covered by carpeting).
Solar and LED power will become more economical for large households and businesses.
