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TED The Energy Detective Electricity Monitor TED1001 with Footprints Software is a post from: Loadshedding Survival Guide

Programmable Thermostats

Installing a programmable thermostat in your home will definitely assist in saving electricity and prove to be a useful way in lowering your electricity bills. All you need is to get a programmable thermostat for every electricity guzzling unit you have inside the house. This is one effective way to manage your electricity consumption.

The major cost drivers in your electrical consumption are the heating and cooling units i.e.) your geyser and air conditioning units. They can range from 50% to 70% of the total electricity demand in a home. The thermostat works by lowering the use of electricity by 1% for every eight hours of use of the cooling or heating unit. Considering this significance, you can't ignore the importance of deciding properly on the type of thermostat that you will install - it sure beats manually turning your geyser on and off - sometime you forget to switch it back on and end up with cold water. This will probably happen on the coldest winter day.

Types of Thermostats

Thermostats can generally be classified as electromechanical and electronic or programmable. Each has their own features for your own use and convenience. They also have certain issues that you should consider for your own circumstances.

Electromechanical Thermostats

These devices respond to temperature changes in the environment to properly adjust the energy required to be supplied by the thermostat. Most of these are made of mercury bulbs. Mercury is used to properly contact to the environment and trigger the heating or cooling action. These devices should be handled with care because mercury is poisonous and harmful to people. There are also electromechanical types that make use of sensing devices, either a strip or a bi-metal coil, rather than the mercury. It is therefore important that you contract a professional electrician to install the thermostat.

Electronic or Programmable Thermostats

Electronic thermostats use elements that are sensitive to heat. The circuits in the system will then turn on the heating or cooling component of the equipment depending on the temperature changes. These are what are known commonly known as programmable thermostats. A programmable thermostat is better as it removes the human element - how may times have you forgotten to switch your geyser on again. Even the most organized person can forget when day to day diststractions get in the way. Setting the thermostat could be one of those important things that you might just forget. This won't help save electricity.

The programmable thermostat effortlessly the task for you at all times. You don't need to worry about setting the right temperature when you aren't at home if you have this kind installed in your household. It solves the problem by setting the program to conform with the time or temperature in the environment. You can easily schedule the temperature to change depending on the activities that you will do throughout the week. It saves electricity energy, as well your time and effort.

Non-Programmable Digital Thermostats

These devices use solid state heat sensing components known as a thermistor. They are easier to install and can be handled by any competent handyman. However, it is always best to hire a professional electricianto avoid any mistakes and undesirable consequences such as no hot water on the coldest winter day in living memory.

Conclusion

All you need do now is choose the type and brand of thermostat that suits your requirements and get it installed. You'll find that the thermostat will quickly pay for its self and you will go a long way in meeting that electricity saving target set by Eskom.

Programmable Thermostats To Save Electricity is a post from: Loadshedding Survival Guide

Did you know that home appliances consume more than 20% of your home's overall energy consumption on a monthly average? Whether you are regularly or heavily using your appliances, those equipments will still very much contribute to your high monthly electric bill. Refrigerators, clothes dryers, clothes washers, dishwashers and electric stoves are just some of the appliances included in the top energy consumption list for appliances.

South Africans having to deal with load shedding and the prospect of further tariff hikes need to find more efficient appliances and ways to use these appliances more efficiently. You may also be wondering why your electric consumption is still high when you don't use your appliances that much. When you are at work the whole day and you come home and use your appliances at night, why does your electric bill keep on rising?

For you to properly address this electricity consumption problem, you have to know more about appliances and these appliances use electricity. Your home might be full of different appliances, so how can you make sure your energy consumption will be controllable?

Energy efficiency experts say that if you currently have appliances at your home, all you can do is to live by the way those equipment consume energy. However when purchasing new appliances you are able to impact on your electricity usage by purchasing energy efficient appliances.

Therefore, when buying appliances for your home, you should consider two price tags. Of course, the first price tag will be the purchase price for the appliances. You might be surprised at how several appliances can be really costly, depending on the brand. You should consider this tag price as a form of down payment.

The second and more important and yet to be discovered price tag will be the overall cost of using or operating the appliances during the entire course of its operating life time. In fact, the second price tag will be much costlier because you will be required to pay for it monthly when you pay your electricity consumption bills - and in South Africa's case these costs are likely to increase dramatically.

For the entire lifetime of each of your various electrical appliances, you will have to pay for the operating costs. And this is where the trouble sets in. Some appliances just consume too much electricity to be functional especially in these times of energy scarcity. To shop for appliances, you should first make a short list of which equipments to buy and how useful they can be - seriously evaluate whether you really need that particular appliance and that there is not another non-electrical solution.

Go to a reputable appliance retailer and make your purchases. You could shop for appliances by initially considering and assessing the brands. Well known brands usually offer energy efficient versions of different appliances. Also consider researching the various brands on the Internet.

You should also ask the sales personnel about the energy consumption capacity of the appliances you are considering. Salesmen should be able inform you outright about the projected energy consumption of each and every brand of appliances their store is selling.

When you are buying appliances at retailers, you should ask about their new energy saving ratings. Every appliance retailer should have this helpful feature. Asking for such assistance could help you know more about appliances sold and decide which energy efficient ones you can practically purchase.

During these times when there is a pronounced energy crisis, you can also contribute to electricity conservation and make a meaningful contribution. Get appliances that are energy efficient and reliable. Purchasing energy efficient appliances should be considered an investment rather than a cost.

Energy Effecient Appliances is a post from: Loadshedding Survival Guide

Appliances account for the bulk of your electricity consumption. You know that appliances won't work without electricity and some appliance consume too much energy, while some are more energy efficient. The overall energy consumption of your appliances will heavily depend on how you use them? Yes, there are some ways you use appliances that make those items use more electricity.

You should therefore become familiar with recommended practices that will help you lower your electricity bills by reducing the electricity consumption of appliances. It is imperative that you bear in mind several useful and simple guidelines that will help you generate energy savings when using your appliances.

However, be assured that you won't be spoiling the helpfulness and convenience brought about by these appliances. With proper and advisable usage of appliances, you can save on electric consumption. Overall, you'll be surprised at how much savings you can generate just by being a wise user and responsible owner of appliances.

Here are some useful tips that will help you avoid higher electric bills when you use your home appliances, particularly refrigerators and dishwashers, which are the top appliances in terms of electric consumption.

Refrigerators

Refrigerators are the topmost consumer of electricity among all home appliances. That is because refrigerators use complex energy systems that generate and absorb heat to freeze or make cold its contents.

Refrigerators are also the most basic among all home appliances. It is principally used to store food and beverages to keep them cold. These appliances also naturally preserve food items stored within.

When buying refrigerators, you should look for the energy efficient ones. Reliable and popular appliance brands usually offer refrigerators that aren't just sophisticated and highly functional, but also energy efficient.

Take note that size matters when you are assessing energy consumption of refrigerators. The bigger the refrigerator, the more energy it uses. Two-door and single door units also differ in the amount of energy consumption. Two-door units are deemed to be more economical and energy efficient because freezer temperatures won't be disrupted when you open the door to get and store food.

Here are some simple tips you should consider if you aim to save on costs while using the refrigerator.

- Don't store hot food or beverages in the fridge. Refrigerators work by absorbing heat in stored food and conducting such heat to its compressor. This temperature conduction process makes up for energy consumption.
- Clean the condenser coils of your refrigerator regularly. Such condenser coils are usually located behind or underneath the fridge.
- Always make sure that refrigerator seals and freezer doors are fitting tightly. This will ensure that there won't be unnecessary leakage of air from inside the fridge, once they become worn and damaged replace them.
- Don't use a separate freezer for food. Doing so would be wasteful unless that separate freezer is constantly kept full. Remember that it will take less power to run a full freezer than when it is half empty.

Dishwashers

Dishwashers are one of the most expensive appliances to maintain because it uses not just electricity but also ample amounts of water. Did you know that dishwashers use about 60% to 80% of its energy consumption just to heat the water? That water-heating process inside dishwashers make up for most of the appliance's power consumption.

There are also many brands and versions of dishwashers that are specifically made to be energy efficient. You can buy such dishwashers. If you already have one at home, there are several measures that can help you lower your dishwasher's energy consumption.

- Never run a dishwasher unless it is entirely full. Doing so will help conserve electricity.
- Air dry clean dishes, this practice will help you cut energy consumption of the appliance by about 10% to 20%.

Saving on energy consumption is imperative nowadays. As a responsible individual, you should make sure you are doing your share in energy conservation, especially during these times when energy sources are becoming more expensive and are slowly depleting.

Electricity Saving Tips – Appliances is a post from: Loadshedding Survival Guide

These are all great reasons for the South African electricity consumer to become more energy efficient , but it is also our social responsibility to help conserve the earth's resources for future generations. Since almost fifteen to twenty per cent of the electricity consumption of an average household is used on lights, adopting changes in our lighting system and attitude will drastically lower our electricity usage. If you want to lower your electricity bills, then you are going to have to do something about your lighting systems.

Here are some tips on how you could start saving electricity by focusing on lighting;

Turn off lights when not in use.

The first rule in saving electricity is by turning off the lights that aren't in use. You should teach your children at an early age to have a habit of turning off the light as they go. This simple conscious effort is crucial in helping you save energy.

Change to energy efficient Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL).

Another important way to save on electricity is by replacing incandescent bulbs with energy-saving fluorescent lights. Energy consumption of incandescent lights is much higher than regular fluorescent lights because they need to heat up a filament inside the bulb in order to produce light. In fact, 90% of energy consumed by incandescent lights is geared into heating up this filament. Just by merely replacing your incandescent bulbs with energy-saving fluorescent bulbs, you are saving about 66%.

Energy-saving fluorescent bulbs, particularly the compact fluorescent lights, aside from using only 25% of the energy consumption of traditional incandescent light bulbs, are also longer lasting. In fact, they are estimated to last as much as ten times more than traditional bulbs. Although they are much more expensive than traditional light bulbs, you will end up saving more over the long run.

You can still keep incandescent light bulbs for ambient lighting, but be sure to use fluorescent bulbs in areas where lights are used at least two hours a day.

Aside from replacing incandescent light bulbs with CFLs, you should also be mindful of the wattage of your bulbs. Make sure that your overhead fittings use lights with a lower wattage. Since there are many energy lamps available, it would also be more energy efficient to use desk or floor lamps if you are reading or doing close-up jobs.

Light Fittings

Unclean light fittings increase their energy consumption by 25%. Thus, even if you put energy-saving lights, but don't clean the fittings regularly, you will end up consuming more electricity .

Aside from replacing traditional light bulbs with new energy-saving lights, you should also replace outdated or old light fittings because the effectiveness of your light bulbs are greatly affected by your lighting fittings. When you buy new lighting fittings, be sure to look for the ones that have the highest ratings in energy efficiency. Manufacturers of the fittings always publish their fittings' efficiency rating so you won't find it difficult to get this data from retail shops.

Install lighting controls

You can maximize saving by installing light controls that will turn off the lights when not in use. Many light controls work by turning lights on and off automatically, thereby saving electricity.

Some of the popular types of lighting controls are dimmers, timers, motion sensors, photosensors and occupancy sensors. However, before you install such lighting controls, you need to have some knowledge of electrical fittings and principles. If you are unsure, consult a qualified electrician and get them to install it for you.

Solar lights can help as well

Make use of the sun to save on electricity by replacing your outdoor lighting with solar lighting. Since solar lights aren't as bright as regular electric lights, you need to shop around for solar lights that will satisfy your lighting requirements. There are many manufacturers of solar lights already so you wouldn't have any problems in finding one that will suit your needs.

Paying attention to these details will help in saving electricity and result in lower electricity bills.

Electricity Saving Tips – Lighting is a post from: Loadshedding Survival Guide

Have you ever wondered how you can do your part to help combat the trend? If you have then you are in the right place. Conservation isn’t just about big business. Au contraire’ conservation begins at home. We can all do our part. “Turn Your House Green” is just what you need to consider all the areas you can address in your own home! It’s all about becoming aware of the small things we can all do to make our homes more ecologically friendly and energy efficient as well – and survive the load shedding blues this winter. There is no such thing as too much information when it comes to creating our own environmental plan at home. Plus, we can teach our kids how to help preserve the planet as well.

Look at the different ways you will learn how to become more environmentally friendly:

Does Your Thermostat Measure Up – discover the different types of thermostats and how one small change can make a difference in the electricity consumption of your geyser and other electrical appliances
Geyser Woes – find out all about how your geyser works and what you can do to improve performance
Have You Been Audited – no, it’s not what you think – not by SARS but an energy audit
Drip-Drip-Drip - not only can a dripping tap keep you awake it’s throwing money down the drain - literally
Do You Need a Blanket – learn how just a little bit of insulation can go a long way in insulating your geyser and conserving energy
How's Your Head er Throne – we don’t talk about it but this is a huge water gobbler
Keeping Your Cool – do we really need to reach for the aircon switch every time it’s a bit warm
Appliance know-how – just what do those labels mean and how can you shop wisely and save energy
Water, Water Every Where – how to conserve on showers, baths and yes, even flushing - South Africa is classified as an arid country and if we continue to waste water we will face a similar water crisis in the near future
Let the Sun Shine – nope, it’s not a 60’s song lyric its all about solar power and how you can harness the power of the sun

Again there is no such thing as too much conservation and turning green is no longer the exclusive domain of Hollywood A-listers like Leonardo and Brangelina – you too must play a role. Something has to be done and done fast! Don’t leave this problem for our children and grandchildren to solve. Starting right now, today, take the step. Do it now! Don’t wait until it’s too late - Turn Your House Green.

Turn Your House Green is a post from: Loadshedding Survival Guide