Just Letting
How to save
electricity
Seven top tips to save electricity
T
he best time to start is now,” says Lutho (17).
As he and the rest of the Ngewana family
accepted the My Green Home challenge. The
family includes Bulelwa and her husband, Zwelethu,
their two children, Thulisa (22) and Lutho (17), niece
Unam (14) and domestic worker, Vanessa.
Seven months ago, the Ngewana family set some
ambitious goals for themselves to cut electricity
consumption by 40%, water usage by 20% and
waste to landfill by 75%. They even set a tougher
target of using only 600 kilowatt hours (kWh) per
month, which will reduce the tariff they pay on each
additional kWh by 18%.
In light of South Africa’s unstable electricity supply
and warnings of more load shedding a sustainable
source is needed to power up the nation.
In October 2014, electricity tariffs rose by 8%.
Households that use more than 600 kWh per month
can now expect to pay anywhere from about R1,20
to R1,85 for each extra kWh unit of electricity. Most
electricity tariffs have more than doubled in the
past six years, with the price of power expected to
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Issue 7 2015
increase by 12.69% in April 2015. However, when
electricity tariffs rose, the Ngewana family’s costs fell.
The Ngewana family announced that electricity at
the home had now fallen by 53%, water use by 44%
and waste to landfill by 81%. For September, total
electricity consumption was just 442 kWh, well below
the 600 kWh/month tariff step.
The Ngewana family is spending less on electricity,
as they find more efficient ways to keep their home
cooler inside. Here’s how:
1. Let the sun shine in
Make it a habit to reach for the curtain or blind
cord in the morning rather than the light switch.
However, watch out for heat build-up. In the
afternoon, close curtains on north western and
western-facing windows.
If you paint your walls a lighter colour they will
reflect the natural sunlight. There are paints with
light-reflective particles that significantly boost
reflectivity.
Just Property Magazine