There are loads of energy-saving appliances on the market, here are a few favourites:
WEEK 1: Simple ways to save electricity without radically changing your lifestyle
Saving electricity will not only save you money, but will also help save the environment. Follow our four week guide and start your eco-friendly lifestyle plan today!
You don’t have to spend lots of money to green your home, even small changes can help to conserve electricity and save money. Start following these useful tips to start conserving energy.
COOKING AND CLEANING:
- Fill the dishwasher completely. Partial loads waste electricity and water.
- Do not overload your fridge, excessive products in your fridge will lower the quality of the food and use more electricity – as much as 10-20% more for each extra product. Foods should be placed slightly apart on refrigerator shelves to allow the cooling air to circulate.
- Switch off, empty or clean your fridge, when taking an extended holiday.
- Use a pressure cooker to conserve energy when cooking foods that take a long time, such as pot roasts, stews and steamed puddings.
- Bring foods to the boil quickly on the “high” setting, then turn the heat down to simmer to finish cooking.
- Defrost your food in the refrigerator instead of the microwave oven: it is more economical. Using small kitchen appliances instead of the stove can save energy. Toasters, electric grills and skillets, slow cookers, electric coffee pots and bottle warmers usually require less energy than the stove when used correctly.
LIGHTING:
- The wattage of a bulb is not a measure of the amount of light it gives, but rather the energy it uses. For instance, a 100 watt bulb gives 50% more light than four 25 watt bulbs.
- Fluorescent lighting is more economical – Watt for Watt than incandescent bulbs. They use less energy and can last about 10 times longer.
- Turn lights off whenever possible because, they use electricity while they burn.
- Dimming switches allow you to regulate the light level and reduce electricity consumption to some extent.
- Use low energy lamps for exterior lighting.
WASHING:
- A front loading washing machine uses less water and costs less to operate even though the purchase price may be higher than a top loader.
- Use correct temperature settings on washing machine and tumble dryer to minimise the amount of electricity consumed.
- Clothes should never be placed in the tumble dryer dripping with water. They should have as much moisture removed beforehand and they should never be folded before being placed in the dryer.
- On sunny days take advantage of good weather and dry your clothes outside.
- Iron large batches of clothing at one time to avoid wasting energy reheating the iron several times.
- Switch your iron off before you are finished and complete the ironing on stored energy.
- Use only distilled water in steam irons.
- By removing clothing promptly from the dryer and folding them carefully, many items will require no ironing, or just a quick press.
HEATING:
- Infrared heaters are more electricity efficient than other space heating systems. These types of heaters can be used both for spot heating and area heating.
- The oil filled heater is the safest type of heater for the bedroom. A thermostat control switches the unit on and off as required, but to save energy, only use on the lowest comfortable setting.
- Electric blankets consume little electricity. However, the correct method of use is to switch them on to the highest setting and warm the bed just before climbing in – then switch them off.
- Insulate the ceiling. As much as 50% of heat losses in a house can be attributed to a lack of ceilings and ceiling insulation. If a home’s ceiling is well insulated, heating and cooling expenses can be kept low.
- To optimize electricity efficiency, geysers should be located as close as possible to the points where hot water is being used.
- By taking a shower instead of a bath you can save hot water.
- Get the family into the habit of plugging the water basin when washing or shaving.
OUTSIDE:
- Covering your pool when it is not in use will reduce its water losses. A cover will also ensure that the pool need not be cleaned as frequently and the pool pump can be operated less often, for example 10% of the time.
- Check with the supplier of the swimming pool to establish the correct operation of the filter. Operating the filter longer than necessary can be very expensive, because it wastes electricity.
>> Next week we will focus on energy saving appliances
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