| Water Conservation Tips for Households |
Water is a precious resource particularly given the drought situation currently being experienced in various regions throughout the country. As a result, water is a costly resource, and typically, water charges for domestic users are structured in a manner that penalizes households using excessive water.
Some water conservation tips are detailed below:
- Install water saving devices e.g. multi-flush toilet systems, low-flow showerheads and tap flow controllers. These devices are useful in ensuring that the least water possible is used to perform a task.
- Plant indigenous gardens, and reduce the size of your lawns, by increasing the size of flowerbeds, and including interesting rock features.
- Encourage family members to shower rather than bath – this has a double benefit in that your water usage will be reduced, as will your electricity usage, as less heating will be required, to replace water taken from the geysers.
- Be on the lookout for water leaks and repair them immediately.
A simple way of identifying a water leak would be to shut all taps and ensure that no water is being used. Then check your meter to see if it is running, or balance a kitchen knife on the inlet pipe. If the meter is running or the knife vibrates, this may indicate a leak.
Another clear indication of a leak is particularly green spots on your lawn or especially moist conditions for no apparent reason.
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| Energy Conservation Tips for Households |
With the increasing cost of purchasing electricity combined with the significant changes expected in the area of generation, transmission and supply, many industries and homeowners are investigating the viability of alternative energy sources. These alternatives often have their own limitations and are not without their own supply problems. Electricity remains one of the cheapest forms of energy available to the South African market. Nevertheless the importance of energy conservation remains a priority as South Africa inches towards reaching its maximum supply capacity. Financing the cost of increasing our electricity supply capacity will mean the cost of purchasing electricity will increase.
Some tips to conserve electricity in your home include the following:
- A very high thermostat on your geyser means that more electricity is needed to heat water to a temperature that is not necessary. A reasonable and comfortable temperature for hot water geysers is 50-60 degrees Celsius.
- Purchase equipment with heat sensing controls, such as stove plates and heaters, which cut off electrical supply occasionally while maintaining the required heat.
- Don’t use ovens to heat kitchens, as they are a far more expensive and less efficient way of generating heat than normal heating appliances.
- Allow warm foods to cool down before placing them in the refrigerator. Putting warm food in the refrigerator increases the overall heat, requiring more electricity to maintain the required temperature in your fridge.
- Maintaining and cleaning general household appliances such as vacuum cleaners and light bulbs increases the effectiveness of the appliance as well as its lifespan.
- Where possible, replace incandescent lights with fluorescent lights. Fluorescent lights produce four times more light per watt of energy used, last ten times longer and cost one quarter to operate.
- Dimming switches can be used in areas where full light is not always necessary. (Remember not to place CFL’s on dimmers, unless the product packaging specifically states that it is acceptable to do so.)
- When decorating, use light coloured curtains and walls that reflect more light, requiring less electrical lighting.
- Use timer switches on outdoor security lighting when you are out for the evening or on vacation.
- Front loading washing machines use less water and cost less to operate than top loading washing machines.
- Avoid overloading or under loading washing machines and tumble dryers. Remember that these machines require the same amount of energy for a small load as a large load, but may be prone to overheating or damage when overloaded.
- Infrared heaters are the most electrically efficient heaters, while oil-filled heaters with thermostat controls are the safest.
- Insulating your ceilings and other air gaps in your home will ensure that heating or cooling efforts are efficient, reducing energy requirements.
- Similarly insulating geysers (with a geyser blanket) and hot water pipes (with ceiling insulation material) will significantly reduce your energy requirements and is not costly to install.
The swimming pool filter pump is often the single highest user of electricity, accounting for approximately 20% of your energy usage. Therefore, reducing its operating hours by resetting the pump control clock can reduce electricity usage and related costs. Correct use and maintenance of your pool filter will also ensure that your filter lasts longer, and operated more effectively
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