Saving on electricity and water consumption
We were recently contacted regarding the higher electricity and water consumption for the latest billing period. As such, please note as follows:
- Please bear in mind that it is getting colder every day. This will cause appliances like your geyser to work harder and use more electricity to warm the water. Some useful tips to keep in mind:
SAVING ELECTRICITY:
Laptops and cell phone chargers that are not in use are sucking power out of your home. Owners are the main culprits
here, especially with screensavers floating around on laptops. Unplug your laptops and charger or switch it off at the
power socket when not in use.
TV sets are fitted with a stand-by mode i.e., you do not actually switch the TV off. If you only watch TV when you get home in the evening, imagine how much power has gone to waste. Switch your TV off at the power socket when not in use.
A CD, DVD or Blue Ray player is a huge energy waster and they constantly use up power unless you switch them off at the power socket. Models that feature LED clocks and run messages across the display are the biggest culprits.
Oven-Use the microwave when you can. One oven or stove top will use the same amount of power as 17 microwaves.
Fridge-Always make sure you properly close the fridge and freezer doors. They lose air quickly; therefore, it will use more power to cool down again.
Invest in a few multi-plug adapters for your power outlet sockets so that you can effectively and permanently switch off appliances when not in use.
Kettles-Only heat the amount of water you need, do not fill the entire kettle as this will take longer to heat and use more power. Boil water in the kettle before adding it to the pot for cooking as it will heat up quicker, making you use less oven power.
At the end of the day when you add it all up, ‘vampire’ appliances are consuming energy, wasting your money, and adding to your carbon footprint. Do the right thing and switch them off at the plug.
Energy saving tips
SAVING WATER:
Listen for water trickling into the toilet bowl.
Press a piece of paper against the inside back surface of the bowl. If it gets wet, you probably have a leak.
Put 15 drops of food colouring into the toilet cistern. If after 15 minutes the water in the toilet bowl has changed colour, there is a leak.
A single flush consumes between 9 to 12 litres. Rather use greywater to flush the toilet. Greywater is wastewater from non-toilet plumbing fixtures such as showers, basins, and taps. There are some simple, economical ways to flush a toilet with greywater. The easiest way: The bucket flush method. Lift the lid of the toilet. Pour greywater directly into the bowl. This will create a siphon affect and the contents of the bowl will empty.
Reuse your water to save water and pay less. At present, most homes use municipal drinking water for practically everything in the house and garden. We are literally flushing our drinking water down the toilet!
Close toilets stop-cock (this is the tap/valve next to your toilet). You will save municipal water. By closing this tap permanently, you are forced to use greywater.
Collect as much washing water as possible and re-use for flushing toilets. Excess greywater can be used for plants or washing vehicles. Did you know: Reusing greywater for toilet flushing can save approximately 50 L of drinking water in an average household every day.
Take short, stop-start showers. Wet your body, Turn off the tap, Soap, Rinse quickly. Save water and energy by reducing shower times to 4 minutes or less. Cutting your shower time by just 2 minutes can result in a water saving of up to 30%. Try using a shower timer or your favourite 4-minute song to time your showers.
Do not let the taps run for too long at full flow. Wet your toothbrush, close the tap, and brush your teeth or use a cup of water for brushing teeth and shaving.
Stay home, stay informed and stay healthy!