Posts Tagged ‘Energy Saving’

South Africa’s recent electricity problems taught us all to think about the energy we use everyday. There’s never enough energy to waste! Because of the Soccer World Cup in 2010, we have to learn how to save energy so there is enough to go round when the fun begins. Here are some tips you can do to save electricity – take them up today!

Change a Light

• We really can change the world one light bulb at a time. The key is that the more people that take this step, the more we can change the world.
• Tell your parents about energy efficient light bulbs called Compact Fluorescent Lamps.
• They are the funky looking ones that you can’t see through, and they use about 80 per cent less electricity and last six times as long!

Fight the Light!

• Don’t leave lights on when no one is in the room.
• If you are going to be out of the room for more than five minutes, turn it off.
• If you know of a light that everyone forgets to turn off, make a sticker or a sign to hang next to the switch that says “Lights Out!” or “Don’t Forget!”

Don’t Leave Things Turned On

• Turn off the TV when no one is watching it.
• The same goes for computers, radios and stereos – if no one using it, turn it off.
• Turn off all the appliances at the power strip – that’s the four- or six-plug extension chord that you plug all your electrical things into.
• Some devices like cell phone chargers draw small amounts of power all the time.
• The best thing to do is pull them all out!

It’s a Matter of Degrees in the heat of summer!

• When it’s really hot and you just want to sit and chill, close all the doors to the room where you are sitting and pull the curtains.
• That way, the sun’s heat won’t get into the room and you’ll stay cool.
• Fans use a lot less electricity than air conditioners, so use the whirly birds wherever possible.
• If you do have an air-con machine, make sure you close all the doors and windows in the room where you’ll be sittin’ chillin’.
• That way the machine won’t have use so much energy to get the place cool.

In the Bedroom

• Don’t leave on your computer, TVs, radios or games that use electricity when you’re not using them.

In the Bathroom

• Wasting water wastes electricity. Why? Because the biggest use of electricity in most cities is supplying water and cleaning it up after it’s been used!
• If you have an old fashioned toilet, put a brick in the tank above the seat. This’ll mean you use less water every time you pull the flush handle.
• Drippy taps are bad, too. A tap that leaks enough water to fill a soda bottle every 30 minutes will waste about 8.300 litres of water a year.
• Another simple way to save water AND energy is to take shorter showers.
• You’ll use less hot water – and water heaters account for nearly 1/4 of your home’s energy use.

In the Kitchen

• Close the fridge door! Don’t keep it open any longer than you need to keep all the cold air in.
• To check if the door seals properly and isn’t loosing cool air close the door on a R10 not, and then see how easy it is to pull out. I
• f the note slides out easily, the door is probably leaking cold air from inside.

Shocking News About Batteries

• Turn off the toys and games (like PSPs) that use batteries when you are not playing with them.
• That will makes the batteries last longer, and you won’t need as many or charge them as often.

Outside the House

• If your family leaves a security light on overnight, change the incandescent bulb to the compact fluorescent ones we were talking about earlier.
• Some compact fluorescent lamps come in yellow so they won’t attract bugs.

Think About What Your Family Buys

• If you buy things that can be used over and over instead of buying disposable items that are used once and then thrown away, you will save the materials used to produce them and you’ll reduce the amount of landfill space we need when they are thrown away.
• When your family goes shopping, take shopping bags with you to save having to buy new ones.
• Plastic bags start out as either oil or natural gas and oil and natural gas are non-renewable.

In Your School

• The energy-saving ideas you used at home can also be used in school.
• Get your teacher to create a weekly “energy monitor” – someone whose job it is to make sure lights are out when there’s no one in a room.
• He or she can also make sure that electrical machines are turned off when not being used too.

Every now and then millions of South Africans prepare to traverse the length and breadth of the globe to visit friends and family, or for a much deserved holiday away from home.

What this means is that many homes will be left vacant as families swap them for holiday cottages, apartments and hotels elsewhere. If you are going to be leaving your home on standby for the holidays, remember your obligation to conserve electricity and switch off non-essential power guzzlers before you go away.

Eskom offers the following helpful energy conservation tips for the holidays:

Start planning a few weeks ahead of your holiday…

• Start using up the meat and other perishables in your fridge and freezer rather than keeping it fully stocked. The bigger
  the load in your fridge and freezer, the harder it needs to work to keep the contents at the desired temperature and the more electricity it consumes.
• Replace conventional outdoor lights with motion sensor lamps for security. Motion sensor lights use less electricity because they only switch on when the sensor is triggered.
• Install them strategically around your garden and on your perimeter wall to ensure that your property is well lit, even though you aren’t going to be home to switch on lights.
• To make it appear as though you are still at home, enlist the help of a trustworthy neighbour or friend to switch on one or two inside lights at night while you are away instead of leaving lights to burn in an empty house for the duration of your holiday.
• Fix leaky taps. Allowing water, especially hot water, to drip is literally money going down the drain.
• Unplug appliances such as computers and coffee machines. Appliances still draw a small amount of energy when they are plugged in – even if they are not switched on.
• Make sure the backup batteries on your electric fencing and intruder detection systems are in good working order. Replace them if necessary, to ensure that your security systems will still operate if there is a power outage.

The day before you depart…

• Empty your fridge and freezer, switch them off and allow them to defrost. That way they will not use any electricity while you are away.
• Turn off your geyser. This will ensure that it won’t draw electricity to unnecessarily keep your water hot.
• Switch off all power outlets and unplug all appliances.
• Switch off your oven.
• If you have a pool cover, use it. It will help keep your pool clean while you are gone.
• Switch off your air conditioning and fans.
• Switch off the water and power supply to water features and fountains in your garden.

Once at your holiday destination, employ the same energy saving tactics that you would in your own home…

• Switch off appliances that are not being used.
• Don’t leave lights on in unoccupied rooms.
• Only use the air conditioner when it is really necessary.
• Open windows and doors to allow cool, fresh air from outside to flow into the house.
• Take a shower instead of having a bath because you will use less water.
• Enjoy being outside; cook your food on the braai and eat your meals el fresco on the patio, before the sun sets.
• Don’t open the fridge or freezer unnecessarily or leave the door open too long as this allows cold air to escape and warm air in, causing them to use more power to maintain the correct temperature.
• Don’t use hot water for tasks that can be accomplished with cold water such as rinsing vegetables and dishes.
• Don’t leave taps running.

Brought to you by ESKOM