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House & Garden |
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Energy efficiency has been
described as a renewable energy
resource that is perfectly
clean, quite cheap, abundant and
immediately available. It can
reduce carbon emissions and
reduce our dependence on
imported energy resources. It
doesn't pollute, it doesn't
depend on the weather like solar
and wind power. |
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Energy efficiency is not about
reducing heat, light or power;
it is all about wasting less
energy. It is not about doing
less to save energy, but about
doing the same or more with less
energy. |
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We are all aware that the supply
of electricity in South Africa
is not enough to meet the
demand. If we want to prevent
those disruptive power cuts, we
can make a huge contribution by
applying the principles of
energy efficiency in our homes. |
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And of course, any contribution
we can make to reducing energy
consumption will aid in the
battle against global warming
and climate change. |
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Here are several ways to improve
the energy efficiency of your
home. |
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1. |
Lighting |
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Use compact flourescent
lightbulbs.
Only 4% of the the energy used
in a normal lightbulb produces
light, the rest is wasted as
heat. Compact flourescent
lightbulbs (CFLs) use 75% less power
and most of the energy goes into
producing light. |
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They are more expensive than
ordinary lightbulbs, but, they
not only pay for themselves in
energy savings in a few months,
they also last 8-10 times longer. |
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Switch lights off when not in a
room, modern CFLs require very
little electricity to start up. |
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Dimmer switches will also reduce
electricity consumption. |
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Make the most of natural light
entering the house. |
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Install a skylight to lighten
dark areas in the day (instead
of switching on a light). |
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2. |
Hot water cylinder (geyser) |
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Set the temperature thermostat
at 55ēC-60ēC. |
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Install a timer that switches
the hot water cylinder on and
off during the times you
specify. Alternatively you can
control it manually by switching
it off during the day - the
water will be hot enough for
normal househould use well into
the night (if it does not last
long enough, switch it on again
in the evening about an hour
before use). |
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Wrap your hot water cylinder in
a 'geyser blanket', you can save
up top 21% electricity. |
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Insulate the pipes from the hot
water cylinder to reduce heat
loss. |
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Consider installing a solar
water heater. |
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Do not use hot water for small
amounts of washing, rather wait
till you have a sink-load to
wash. |
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Take a 5-minute shower instead
of a bath. |
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Don't let the hot wate tap run
while shaving or washing, fill
the basin. |
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When washing your hands, use the
cold water tap only. |
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3. |
Heating your home in winter |
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Install ceiling insulation to
keep prevent heat loss in winter
(and to keep your house cool in
summer). |
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Close windows, curtains and
doors at night keep heat inside.
Open curtains during the day to
let sunlight in. |
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Cover bare/tiled floors with
rugs or mats. |
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If necessary use an oil heater
instead of a bar heater. |
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It is cheaper to use an electric
blanket in bed instead of a
heater in the bedroom. |
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4. |
Cooling your home in summer. |
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Ceiling insulation helps keep
your house cool. |
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Use fan or ceiling fan where
possible instead of air
conditioner as they use much
less electricity. |
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Keep direct sunlight out by
closing curtains or blinds
during the day. |
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5. |
Appliances |
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Buy energy efficient electronic and electrical
products - an A rating is more
efficient and a G rating less
efficient. Products with the
Energy Star label are also
energy efficient. |
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Modern fridges, washing
machines, dishwashers, etc also
use much less energy than the
models of a few years ago.
Buying older models second-hand
might be less costly, but it
will cost you more to operate in
the longer term, so you won't be
saving anything by buying cheap
now. |
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Switch off your TV and
video-game consoles as they
still consume a lot of energy
even if when on standby mode.
Switch off your computer monitor
when not working at the pc for a
while - you can leave the pc on
as it uses very little energy
compared to the monitor. |
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Unplug chargers/transformers (eg
cellphone chargers) when not in
use. |
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A microwave oven is cheaper to
operate than a stove |
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Do you have more useful tips -
send them to us at
info@royalascot.co.za |
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