The Covid-19 outbreak has caused severe disruptions to society. President Cyril Ramaphosa has instructed non-essential businesses to lockdown in order to effectively implement social distancing in order to reduce the rate of infection. This, in turn, means everyone is at home, trying to keep themselves busy. Here are some tips in order to reduce your electric consumption during the lockdown.
Geysers
Appliances
Eskom advises consumers to switch off and unplug all appliances which are not being used:
● Understand that even when an appliance (like a TV or computer) is on standby, it’s
still consuming electricity. Rather switch appliances off when not in use.
● Avoid opening the fridge unnecessarily or for long periods of time so that it does not
use extra power to get back to a cooler temperature .
● Remove the charger from the plug after charging your phone as a plugged in charger
is still consuming energy. It’s recommended to not use your phone while it is still
charging.
● Small kitchen appliances such as toasters, skillets, slow cookers, coffee machines,
and kettles use far less energy than a stove. If you have access to appliances such
as these, rather use them in order to save energy.
● Don’t set your fridge temperature colder than necessary. Recommended temperature
is between 2 °C and 5 °C for the fridge and between -20°C and – 22°C for the freezer.
Lighting
● Switch off the lights in rooms which are not in use, or use devices such as dimmers
to conserve energy.
● Replaces bulbs with the energy saving compact fluorescent bulb which uses less
electricity and lasts longer.
