Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa September 2013 | Page 34

SMART MOVES
rands a month to energy bills, are usually used to replace this lost heat in the winter. Eskom says that insulating a ceiling using blanket insulation can make a home up to 5°C warmer in winter and 10°C cooler in summer, dramatically cutting the cost of heating and cooling. Blanket insulation, like a solarpowered geyser, will also pay for itself over time. Depending on the size of a home, at a cost of around R60m2, including installation, it would probably take insulation in the region of two years to pay for itself. After that, homeowners or tenants will save thousands of rands in heating and cooling. Replacing traditional incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving light bulbs can also lead to great savings over time. The most common energy-saving bulbs are compact f luorescent lamps (CFLs), ha logen bulbs and light emitting diode lights (LEDs). LEDs are the most energy-efficient and most durable option, using 90% less energy than CFLs and lasting up to 20 years. They are, however, also the most expensive option: a standard LED candle bulb costs in the region of R150. Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are up to 75% more effective than incandescent bulbs and last 8-10 times longer. Replacing incandescent bulbs with fluorescent bulbs in an area where lighting is required for long periods of time can save R152 a year, according to Eskom’s calculations. You can reduce power bills by reducing hot water usage, too. The American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that letting a hot water tap run for five minutes uses as much energy as it takes to light a 60-watt lightbulb for 14 hours. Showering and bathing use the most hot water in the average home, so the bathroom is the best place to start when it comes to reducing the energy you expend on heating water. A low-f low showerhead is an inexpensive water saver that is easy to install. The amount of water used is reduced either through aeration or by reducing the size of the individual streams of water, meaning less water has to be heated. Fitting a low-f low showerhead can save in the region of R110 a year. To d ????????????????????????????????????????????(??M???????????M?I????????%?????()??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????0???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????%d????????????????????H????????H???????????????????????????????????????????????e????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????]?????????????e????????????????????????????????????????????????????????L????????????????????????=?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
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