How to save on your electricity bill and spend more on home maintenance

Whether you are a homeowner or in the process of buying a home, there are ways to save on your electricity bill – with or without solar – so that you can spend more money on making your home beautiful. Being energy-wise has many benefits that are worth considering. Besides saving money on your electricity usage, you’ll play your part in reducing the load on the grid, while being more environmentally friendly at the same time. It’s a win-win-win scenario!

Feeling the heat? Be cool about it

Aircons and heaters are notorious for draining electricity. It doesn’t mean that you must stop using them altogether, it just means that you should be more mindful of the impact they have on your electricity bill. You can do this by only using them when you really need them.

In addition, if you are using an aircon or heater, close your doors to retain heat or cold for longer periods of time. In winter, if you have a fireplace, consider using it more. It provides a great ambiance and saves energy. According to Eskom electric space heaters can account for up to 17% of your evening peak power consumption.

To keep your cool when it is sweltering outside, you could consider planting trees in strategic places so that the sun doesn’t flood into your home in full force.

There are LED lights at the end of the tunnel

One of the best ways to reduce your energy usage is to get into the habit of switching off all unnecessary lights. Furthermore, if your lights aren’t LED, gradually replace all your lightbulbs with LED bulbs. They are about six times more efficient and generally last much longer. A research paper completed in 2021, LED there be light: The impact of replacing lights at schools in South Africa found that 21% to 39% of electricity costs could be saved just by replacing fluorescent tubes with the most efficient LED lighting tubes.

Geysers making your water boil?

There are a few ways that you can make your geyser more energy efficient. Most professional plumbers will advise you to set your geyser temperature lower – a rule of thumb is to set it at 60 degrees. It really isn’t necessary to keep your geyser boiling hot all the time. You can also experiment with scheduling your geyser to go off when you are not home or sleeping using a timer. Another winner is a geyser blanket – it retains heat for longer, which means your geyser won’t need to work as hard. This will also lengthen the lifespan of your geyser.

Another great consideration: is your geyser the right size for the number of people living in your home? The rule of thumb is 50 litres per person in a household. If your geyser is too big, you could save a small fortune by switching to a smaller geyser. 

If you’ve done all of the above and you are still not seeing results, you could consider replacing your electric geyser for a gas geyser. This is also a good solution for load shedding frustrations. No more cold showers when the lights go out!

Get the ceiling insulation revelation!

Insulation company Aerolite claims that ceiling insulation cuts cooling and heating bills by nearly half. It works so well because it keeps your house both warmer and cooler for longer. Besides being gentle on the earth by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, insulation comes in many different sizes, thicknesses and materials so that it can be gentle on your pocket too.

Don’t forget about your appliances

To avoid the unnecessary leakage of energy, always turn your appliances off at the wall. And, when you use your kettle, don’t keep it full of water. Only use the amount of water you need for your coffee break. Boiling a full kettle uses a lot more energy than half or a quarter of the water.

When it comes to your washing machine, always wash your laundry on a cold cycle. Cold water is better for your laundry anyway. Then, hang your laundry outside to dry and only use your tumble dryer when you don’t have a choice.

Each one of these tips may only give you a small saving used in isolation, but three or more used together could make a notable difference to your electricity bill. Get energy-wise so that you can use the money you’ve saved on making your home an oasis to come home to.