Opinion / Columnist
Energy saving tips for Zimbabweans households - zesa version
23 Sep 2012 at 05:40hrs | Views
A couple of months back I promised that I would share some info concerning energy saving and that was in the wake of ZESA awarding a contract to a South African Company to supply the country with CFL lights. Last December I did a project for the company I am working for after learning that electricity had risen by R5 million Rands (per financial period). I also did another project for ESKOM and they recognised my efforts and hence I was nominated for the ETA awards finals
Such high electricity bills raised my consciousness and I noted that family members and friends complained that their electricity bills have also risen from about R600 to about R2 300 and most did not have swimming pools. They attributed this to the recent hike by ESKOM, I somehow doubted.
My research helped the company a lot and they did not delay in implementing the energy saving measures. I am a junior employee (security officer [mentioned this at one point]), but the important thing was how it was going to help the company save a lot of money (experts estimated between 2 and 5 million Rands per financial year). I am happy they acknowledged my efforts. I saw it necessary (my duty) to share such info with ESKOM senior management (Energy Saving Tips) hence the benefit I had in mind was and is that the information be used for the benefit of electricity users in South Africa and outside. ESKOM does remind us every day to switch off some electric appliances when not in use and I wanted to correct by reminding them what they can do better to ensure their efforts are noted in the long run. I am happy they acknowledged this better that I had imagined. I had no ETA awards idea when I compiled this, but it is a bonus for me that my efforts earned me this nomination (compiled long before the awards).
My research is to make consumers aware (most who are unaware) and to focus on the energy big saving behaviours. It is divided into two parts and that is investing as well as controlling our electric appliances to save electricity.
A study in the United States of America (2011) showed that consumers are clueless on saving electricity and power giants telling people to switch off some appliances somehow confuses them. It is in our interests that at least we focus on the big energy saving behaviours. When it comes to saving electricity, we can invest in electric appliances as well as controlling what we have in order to save; therefore I will shed some light on these two energy saving measures.
1. Investing in Electric Appliances
LED LIGHT
- Most of us in South Africa and Zimbabwe are still using the traditional lighting, while a portion have resorted to CFL lighting and probably little if not none are using LED lighting (Light Emitting Diode).
- LED is long lasting and up to ten times than CFL and far longer than incandescent lighting.
- Durability means they are not damaged under certain circumstances and hold up well to jarring and bumping.
- Very efficient in that they use only 2 to 17 watts of electricity (1/3rd to 1/30th of CFL or incandescent bulbs respectively.
- Worth repeating that they are ultra – energy efficient, stay reasonably cool when turned on, 4 to 10 times more energy efficient than CFL and above all, 50 000 hours to 100 000 hours of service (5 to 10 years before replacing).
- Because of low power requirements, means ideal for use with generators and backup in power emergencies. LED is far more energy efficient that solar energy in the long run and the latest version can be adjusted to suit lumens required and less lumens means only 40% of current flows (VFDs technology).
- Though more expensive, there are no replacements costs in the long run, reduce air and water pollution and above all do not flicker or hum.
- A choice of warm and cool light is available. Below is a comparison of the LED vs CFL vs Incandescent lights. To compare these different light bulbs, we check their lumens which tell us how bright a light bulb is.
Watts CFL Watts LED Watts Lumens (Brightness)
40 8 – 12 4 – 5 450
60 13 – 18 6 – 8 890
75 – 100 18 – 22 9 – 13 1290
100 23 – 30 16 – 20 1750
150 30 – 35 25 – 28 2780
-The United States of America is phasing out CFL and incandescent lighting for LED in 2012.
- One of my favourites things in saving electricity (If households cannot measure their electricity usage, then it is very difficult to save energy).This is the answer (HA102 energy saving monitor).
- It helps households to change the energy usage habits which helps save energy, money and to do something for the environment protection.
- Display real time cost, GHG emission, power consumption (also in graphs).
- It is unique in that it views data of the past 7 hours, 7 days, 7 weeks and 24 months hence even if there is an error on the part of ESKOM or ZESA, it can help families rectify such (ESKOM made an error in some part of Tembisa and Johannesburg by charging high bills ). Provide time and calendar function as well as an audible alarm for excessive electricity consumption.
- Available for single, two phase and three phase system and transmission range exceeds 30 metres.
- Geyser Timers, Geyser Blankets and Rubber Foam Heat Insulation Pipe
- - Most households have resorted to switching off their geysers when not in use; electricians do argue that it is not a good idea especially when one considers the time it will take the water to heat up. It has worked for me and my family as we switch off early morning around 4 (for 2 hours) and again on for 2 hours from 4 pm. One's timing is very important.
- - The geyser timers are a good solution to this in that it helps with manual and the auto On/Off can make settings required easily (for 7 days etc.).
- - Insulation of hot water pipes which results in heat not lost as thermo starts are reduced down to 60 degrees Celsius.
- Features of Electric Saving Appliances
- - Energy Star label, all electric appliances with such label meet the energy efficient requirements set for the energy STAR product specifications. Though they cost more than conventional (less efficient counterpart), they recover their investment in increased energy efficiency through utility bills savings. Toshiba Satellite PCs and a wide range of appliances boast such.
- - Intelligence presence sensor on the Sony Television (face detection) automatically turns it to picture off mode, switching it off completely when it does not detect anyone watching for a pre-determined period.
- - Vacation energy saving (LG and Samsung Refrigerators) function puts such appliances in the power saving mode when families are on holiday etc.
- - Made for Africa Samsung's Eco bubble Scout and Dura Cool Refrigerator boasts features of a deep foam washing machine that is 70% energy efficient, saving up to 30% of water usage. The refrigerator has a cool pack which allows it to stay cool for 3 hours after a power cut.
- Pressure cookers; LED light display, mechanical control free to decide time consumption of cooking by knob, inner pot with super non – stick double coating, heating more evenly , fully sealed constructer, overheat safety protection and energy saving. Most suitable for stewing, cooking maguru/mala mogudi (intestine/stripe meat) and beans. Slow cookers are similar as they guarantees a steady and reliable pressure good for warm keeping, high pressure as well as low pressure boiling and frying.
- - Kitchen Pot with transparency lid and shallow stone pot are environmental friendly; they help to avoid peaking every time a person is cooking (wastes a lot energy) and keeps the food warm for long time.
- - Night Vision CCTV helps in that households limit unnecessary flood lighting and some are equipped with an alarm which alert in case of an intruder. They give clear video and still images in the dark (distance of between 50 to 120 meters and offer High Definition or 3D resolution). They are also very energy efficient (LED technology), far much better than the ordinary CCTV camera (upgraded version).
- - Light sensors save a lot of energy in lighting. They identify day and night automatically (adjust to house hold light control desire). Households can consider such in areas such as toilets, garages, and study rooms, pantry etc. Outside they do have a very good deterrent effect e.g. when an intruder enters the house hold yard and all of a sudden the flood light (or other lights) switches on, this creates a lot of panic on his/her part.
- Other Important Products on Energy Saving Products
- - Car Cigarette lighter does help us to save energy. We can make use of laptop, camcorder, digital cameras, cell phone charges, electric pump and spanners, electric jack, car vacuum cleaners and cigarette lighter/USB cooling fridge. Imagine if a million people in Zimbabweans make use of such products, how much energy would be saved? New Honda models boast ac electric laptop sockets.
- - In addition the following can also help save a lot of energy given the success of the solar water heater: solar cell phone charger (laptop, camcorders, video cameras etc.) , solar lanterns (12 to 35 hours of continued light), solar torches, solar fans, solar refrigerator/cooler box, solar generators, solar swimming pool heaters and solar irrigation system.
-
- 2. Controlling Electric Appliances
- - This part it is all about controlling what we are having as households in order to save energy and there are no monies involved.
- PCs
- - A research once done by John Swartz of USA today showed that leaving a PC overnight costs companies in the US about $2.8 billion and such emitting about 20 million tons of carbon dioxide which is roughly equivalent to 4 million cars ( it is worse if we include households). Because most PCs are not properly shut down, the wastefulness does not just affect companies or households' bottom line but it creates environmental concerns. Some analysts show that if the world's 1 billion PCs were powered down overnight, this would save up energy to lit up the US State Empire Building inside out for over 30 years. IE software is used to efficiently manage DELL PCs globally and this has save them $1.8 million a year.
- - I once did an analysis with regards to shutting down of PCs at my work place.
- - Almost all staff logged off when the computer was not in use. Logging off is the same as leaving the PC on hence does not save power; only helpful to log off when using a password.
- - Leaving the PC in the standby mode means it uses a lot less energy (down to a few watts).
- - Putting in the sleep mode after every use means the PC is in a power saving state which keeps enough voltage across its RAM to retain the memory when one wakes it up again.
- - Hibernating let one save much more energy as it stores the contents of the RAM (services, clipboard to the hard drive [hiberfile.sys]) which on reboot is read back into the RAM, though taking almost a minute to be completed – upside it saves a lot of energy.
- - Shutting down rather is the best answer as this saves a lot of energy as the average computer and monitor use about the same energy as a 250 watts flood light (latest PCS do well with shutting down [do not crush]).
- - Sshutting down a PC occasionally gives the operating system a chance to re-write the registry and make other adjustments to allow for program changes such as updates, uninstallations and reinstallations.
- Washing Machine
- - It is important to use a full balanced load to wash clothes as this helps save energy, save water and reduce utility bills.
- - 90% of the energy our washer uses goes towards actual heating the water. In the water hence in this case electricity can be conserved by using hot water from the geyser.
- - Where hot water is necessary for our washing, clothes can be rinsed in cold water since the temperature of the water used during the rinse cycle does not make the clothes any cleaner.
- - It is also important that we do not use too much detergent as this will make the washer work hard and use more energy.
- - In addition, it is also very important to pre-soak or use a soak cycle when using heavy soiled garments as this helps to avoid two washings and save money as a lot of energy is conserved.
- - It is also wise to remove clothes that will need ironing from the dryer while they are still slightly damp. There is no point in wasting energy to dry them thoroughly if they have to be dampened again (Scientific America).
- Air Conditioning (Fans, Heaters…)
- - It is one of the biggest consumers of energy.
- - Putting temperatures between 23 to 25 degrees Celsius (cool) and 26 to 27 degrees Celsius (warm) is ideal (18 and 30 degrees Celsius is just a waste).
- - It is important to not to heat or cool when nobody is in the house (my statistics tells me that sometimes we leave such overnight etc.
- - Timing one's opening and closing of windows and drapes helps to reduce heating and cooling costs.
- - Rooms must be properly sealed by ensuring by ensuring the doors and windows properly fit and that there are no visible spaces or leaks on the seals.
- - Shades and drapes shield windows from the hot sun, which keeps the house cool.
- - Also reflective films can be used on window to screen out rays of the hot sun without reducing the light we receive.
- - An upside benefit, when doors and windows are shut, the air conditioner will operate more efficiently.
- - Right size of the air-conditioned matters for the area to be cooled as well as proper positioning (shade area in the house) as well as regular maintenance for it to stay efficient (LED light and Shutting down a PC after use also helps reduce workload of the air-conditioned). For companies, IBM and Dell have resorted to routing air conditioning directly into server racks.
- Other Energy Saving Methods
- - To ensure a habit of putting lids when cooking as this lowers temperature settings and shorter cooking times.
- - Transparent lids of our pot as well as transparency oven doors are crucial as they help one to avoid "peeking" thus by constantly opening; each "peak" can lower the oven temperature as much as 25 degrees Celsius.
- - It is wise to put boiling water from the tap or kettle into cooking pots as it consumes a lot of energy to boil cold water.
- - A timer for all cooking operations would be ideal as this prevents loss heat through repeated openings of oven doors.
- - It is worth noting to get in the habit of turning off burners several minutes before the allotted cooking time.
- - It is important to keep elements and oven clean and this saves energy. Where only small portions of food are to be cooked, microwave ovens and electric frying pans are way more efficient and will sure conserve energy.
- - Important to avoid allowing food to spill on dip pans and when this happens, clean as soon as element cool off. Water would be boiled faster in an electric kettle and never in an open pot hence for households without an electric kettle, do so with a pot cover with a lid (and considering an electric kettle when replacing).
- - Door gaskets on refrigerators should seal tightly against frames to prevent infiltration of warm air. By opening a freezer door for a moment, it loses cold air and cooling it down again take a lot of electricity so it is in the interest of households to do so with a sense of urgency.
- - It is very important not to place uncovered liquids in refrigerators/freezers as vapour emitted adds to compressor workload. In addition hot foods and liquids must be cooled off before placing them in a refrigerator/freezer (no lost in taste).
- - It is not necessary to lit all rooms in the house or leave some areas (toilets, unoccupied rooms etc.) lit except only for those areas important. Households waste unnecessary energy on lighting especially. Some experts' states that 30% to 40% of energy is wasted as some items (including lighting) are left on at night and on holidays when families are on vacation. There was a day when households were requested to switch on their lights for 30 minutes some couple of months back, I did so but watched helplessly as most houses in the neighbourhood were lit.
- - A tip from SAMSUNG is that when their refrigerators are full with food staff etc., this means less temperature it fluctuates therefore it pays to stock up.
- - It is good to take advantage of technology by sharing files, voice mail and email instead of creating paper memos etc. as these wastes a lot of energy.
- - We tend to ignore when hot taps are dripping. We must do more to minimise this. It is worth repeating that it is important to note that a steady drip of hot water can waste many gallons of water per months plus energy needed to heat the water.
It is worth repeating that you do not need to be an expert to save energy (no rocket science involved); I am a security officer (love my profession) and my chosen profession helps me to express my opinions (I am channelled when criticised).
- - Last but not least, energy conserving refers to efforts made to reduce energy consumption and can be achieved in Zimbabwe through increased efficient energy use, in conjunction with decrease energy consumption and/or reduced consumption from conventional energy sources.
I think ZESA must also do more to educate the consumers and also copy what ESKOM is doing (attracting ideas from citizens and rewarding where applicable).
--------------------
Justice Maphosa can be contacted at justicemaphosa@rocketmail.com
Such high electricity bills raised my consciousness and I noted that family members and friends complained that their electricity bills have also risen from about R600 to about R2 300 and most did not have swimming pools. They attributed this to the recent hike by ESKOM, I somehow doubted.
My research helped the company a lot and they did not delay in implementing the energy saving measures. I am a junior employee (security officer [mentioned this at one point]), but the important thing was how it was going to help the company save a lot of money (experts estimated between 2 and 5 million Rands per financial year). I am happy they acknowledged my efforts. I saw it necessary (my duty) to share such info with ESKOM senior management (Energy Saving Tips) hence the benefit I had in mind was and is that the information be used for the benefit of electricity users in South Africa and outside. ESKOM does remind us every day to switch off some electric appliances when not in use and I wanted to correct by reminding them what they can do better to ensure their efforts are noted in the long run. I am happy they acknowledged this better that I had imagined. I had no ETA awards idea when I compiled this, but it is a bonus for me that my efforts earned me this nomination (compiled long before the awards).
My research is to make consumers aware (most who are unaware) and to focus on the energy big saving behaviours. It is divided into two parts and that is investing as well as controlling our electric appliances to save electricity.
A study in the United States of America (2011) showed that consumers are clueless on saving electricity and power giants telling people to switch off some appliances somehow confuses them. It is in our interests that at least we focus on the big energy saving behaviours. When it comes to saving electricity, we can invest in electric appliances as well as controlling what we have in order to save; therefore I will shed some light on these two energy saving measures.
1. Investing in Electric Appliances
LED LIGHT
- Most of us in South Africa and Zimbabwe are still using the traditional lighting, while a portion have resorted to CFL lighting and probably little if not none are using LED lighting (Light Emitting Diode).
- LED is long lasting and up to ten times than CFL and far longer than incandescent lighting.
- Durability means they are not damaged under certain circumstances and hold up well to jarring and bumping.
- Very efficient in that they use only 2 to 17 watts of electricity (1/3rd to 1/30th of CFL or incandescent bulbs respectively.
- Worth repeating that they are ultra – energy efficient, stay reasonably cool when turned on, 4 to 10 times more energy efficient than CFL and above all, 50 000 hours to 100 000 hours of service (5 to 10 years before replacing).
- Because of low power requirements, means ideal for use with generators and backup in power emergencies. LED is far more energy efficient that solar energy in the long run and the latest version can be adjusted to suit lumens required and less lumens means only 40% of current flows (VFDs technology).
- Though more expensive, there are no replacements costs in the long run, reduce air and water pollution and above all do not flicker or hum.
- A choice of warm and cool light is available. Below is a comparison of the LED vs CFL vs Incandescent lights. To compare these different light bulbs, we check their lumens which tell us how bright a light bulb is.
Watts CFL Watts LED Watts Lumens (Brightness)
40 8 – 12 4 – 5 450
60 13 – 18 6 – 8 890
75 – 100 18 – 22 9 – 13 1290
100 23 – 30 16 – 20 1750
150 30 – 35 25 – 28 2780
-The United States of America is phasing out CFL and incandescent lighting for LED in 2012.
- One of my favourites things in saving electricity (If households cannot measure their electricity usage, then it is very difficult to save energy).This is the answer (HA102 energy saving monitor).
- It helps households to change the energy usage habits which helps save energy, money and to do something for the environment protection.
- Display real time cost, GHG emission, power consumption (also in graphs).
- It is unique in that it views data of the past 7 hours, 7 days, 7 weeks and 24 months hence even if there is an error on the part of ESKOM or ZESA, it can help families rectify such (ESKOM made an error in some part of Tembisa and Johannesburg by charging high bills ). Provide time and calendar function as well as an audible alarm for excessive electricity consumption.
- Available for single, two phase and three phase system and transmission range exceeds 30 metres.
- Geyser Timers, Geyser Blankets and Rubber Foam Heat Insulation Pipe
- - Most households have resorted to switching off their geysers when not in use; electricians do argue that it is not a good idea especially when one considers the time it will take the water to heat up. It has worked for me and my family as we switch off early morning around 4 (for 2 hours) and again on for 2 hours from 4 pm. One's timing is very important.
- - The geyser timers are a good solution to this in that it helps with manual and the auto On/Off can make settings required easily (for 7 days etc.).
- - Insulation of hot water pipes which results in heat not lost as thermo starts are reduced down to 60 degrees Celsius.
- Features of Electric Saving Appliances
- - Energy Star label, all electric appliances with such label meet the energy efficient requirements set for the energy STAR product specifications. Though they cost more than conventional (less efficient counterpart), they recover their investment in increased energy efficiency through utility bills savings. Toshiba Satellite PCs and a wide range of appliances boast such.
- - Intelligence presence sensor on the Sony Television (face detection) automatically turns it to picture off mode, switching it off completely when it does not detect anyone watching for a pre-determined period.
- - Vacation energy saving (LG and Samsung Refrigerators) function puts such appliances in the power saving mode when families are on holiday etc.
- - Made for Africa Samsung's Eco bubble Scout and Dura Cool Refrigerator boasts features of a deep foam washing machine that is 70% energy efficient, saving up to 30% of water usage. The refrigerator has a cool pack which allows it to stay cool for 3 hours after a power cut.
- Pressure cookers; LED light display, mechanical control free to decide time consumption of cooking by knob, inner pot with super non – stick double coating, heating more evenly , fully sealed constructer, overheat safety protection and energy saving. Most suitable for stewing, cooking maguru/mala mogudi (intestine/stripe meat) and beans. Slow cookers are similar as they guarantees a steady and reliable pressure good for warm keeping, high pressure as well as low pressure boiling and frying.
- - Kitchen Pot with transparency lid and shallow stone pot are environmental friendly; they help to avoid peaking every time a person is cooking (wastes a lot energy) and keeps the food warm for long time.
- - Night Vision CCTV helps in that households limit unnecessary flood lighting and some are equipped with an alarm which alert in case of an intruder. They give clear video and still images in the dark (distance of between 50 to 120 meters and offer High Definition or 3D resolution). They are also very energy efficient (LED technology), far much better than the ordinary CCTV camera (upgraded version).
- - Light sensors save a lot of energy in lighting. They identify day and night automatically (adjust to house hold light control desire). Households can consider such in areas such as toilets, garages, and study rooms, pantry etc. Outside they do have a very good deterrent effect e.g. when an intruder enters the house hold yard and all of a sudden the flood light (or other lights) switches on, this creates a lot of panic on his/her part.
- Other Important Products on Energy Saving Products
- - Car Cigarette lighter does help us to save energy. We can make use of laptop, camcorder, digital cameras, cell phone charges, electric pump and spanners, electric jack, car vacuum cleaners and cigarette lighter/USB cooling fridge. Imagine if a million people in Zimbabweans make use of such products, how much energy would be saved? New Honda models boast ac electric laptop sockets.
- - In addition the following can also help save a lot of energy given the success of the solar water heater: solar cell phone charger (laptop, camcorders, video cameras etc.) , solar lanterns (12 to 35 hours of continued light), solar torches, solar fans, solar refrigerator/cooler box, solar generators, solar swimming pool heaters and solar irrigation system.
-
- 2. Controlling Electric Appliances
- - This part it is all about controlling what we are having as households in order to save energy and there are no monies involved.
- PCs
- - A research once done by John Swartz of USA today showed that leaving a PC overnight costs companies in the US about $2.8 billion and such emitting about 20 million tons of carbon dioxide which is roughly equivalent to 4 million cars ( it is worse if we include households). Because most PCs are not properly shut down, the wastefulness does not just affect companies or households' bottom line but it creates environmental concerns. Some analysts show that if the world's 1 billion PCs were powered down overnight, this would save up energy to lit up the US State Empire Building inside out for over 30 years. IE software is used to efficiently manage DELL PCs globally and this has save them $1.8 million a year.
- - I once did an analysis with regards to shutting down of PCs at my work place.
- - Almost all staff logged off when the computer was not in use. Logging off is the same as leaving the PC on hence does not save power; only helpful to log off when using a password.
- - Leaving the PC in the standby mode means it uses a lot less energy (down to a few watts).
- - Putting in the sleep mode after every use means the PC is in a power saving state which keeps enough voltage across its RAM to retain the memory when one wakes it up again.
- - Hibernating let one save much more energy as it stores the contents of the RAM (services, clipboard to the hard drive [hiberfile.sys]) which on reboot is read back into the RAM, though taking almost a minute to be completed – upside it saves a lot of energy.
- - Shutting down rather is the best answer as this saves a lot of energy as the average computer and monitor use about the same energy as a 250 watts flood light (latest PCS do well with shutting down [do not crush]).
- - Sshutting down a PC occasionally gives the operating system a chance to re-write the registry and make other adjustments to allow for program changes such as updates, uninstallations and reinstallations.
- Washing Machine
- - It is important to use a full balanced load to wash clothes as this helps save energy, save water and reduce utility bills.
- - 90% of the energy our washer uses goes towards actual heating the water. In the water hence in this case electricity can be conserved by using hot water from the geyser.
- - Where hot water is necessary for our washing, clothes can be rinsed in cold water since the temperature of the water used during the rinse cycle does not make the clothes any cleaner.
- - It is also important that we do not use too much detergent as this will make the washer work hard and use more energy.
- - In addition, it is also very important to pre-soak or use a soak cycle when using heavy soiled garments as this helps to avoid two washings and save money as a lot of energy is conserved.
- - It is also wise to remove clothes that will need ironing from the dryer while they are still slightly damp. There is no point in wasting energy to dry them thoroughly if they have to be dampened again (Scientific America).
- Air Conditioning (Fans, Heaters…)
- - It is one of the biggest consumers of energy.
- - Putting temperatures between 23 to 25 degrees Celsius (cool) and 26 to 27 degrees Celsius (warm) is ideal (18 and 30 degrees Celsius is just a waste).
- - It is important to not to heat or cool when nobody is in the house (my statistics tells me that sometimes we leave such overnight etc.
- - Timing one's opening and closing of windows and drapes helps to reduce heating and cooling costs.
- - Rooms must be properly sealed by ensuring by ensuring the doors and windows properly fit and that there are no visible spaces or leaks on the seals.
- - Shades and drapes shield windows from the hot sun, which keeps the house cool.
- - Also reflective films can be used on window to screen out rays of the hot sun without reducing the light we receive.
- - An upside benefit, when doors and windows are shut, the air conditioner will operate more efficiently.
- - Right size of the air-conditioned matters for the area to be cooled as well as proper positioning (shade area in the house) as well as regular maintenance for it to stay efficient (LED light and Shutting down a PC after use also helps reduce workload of the air-conditioned). For companies, IBM and Dell have resorted to routing air conditioning directly into server racks.
- Other Energy Saving Methods
- - To ensure a habit of putting lids when cooking as this lowers temperature settings and shorter cooking times.
- - Transparent lids of our pot as well as transparency oven doors are crucial as they help one to avoid "peeking" thus by constantly opening; each "peak" can lower the oven temperature as much as 25 degrees Celsius.
- - It is wise to put boiling water from the tap or kettle into cooking pots as it consumes a lot of energy to boil cold water.
- - A timer for all cooking operations would be ideal as this prevents loss heat through repeated openings of oven doors.
- - It is worth noting to get in the habit of turning off burners several minutes before the allotted cooking time.
- - It is important to keep elements and oven clean and this saves energy. Where only small portions of food are to be cooked, microwave ovens and electric frying pans are way more efficient and will sure conserve energy.
- - Important to avoid allowing food to spill on dip pans and when this happens, clean as soon as element cool off. Water would be boiled faster in an electric kettle and never in an open pot hence for households without an electric kettle, do so with a pot cover with a lid (and considering an electric kettle when replacing).
- - Door gaskets on refrigerators should seal tightly against frames to prevent infiltration of warm air. By opening a freezer door for a moment, it loses cold air and cooling it down again take a lot of electricity so it is in the interest of households to do so with a sense of urgency.
- - It is very important not to place uncovered liquids in refrigerators/freezers as vapour emitted adds to compressor workload. In addition hot foods and liquids must be cooled off before placing them in a refrigerator/freezer (no lost in taste).
- - It is not necessary to lit all rooms in the house or leave some areas (toilets, unoccupied rooms etc.) lit except only for those areas important. Households waste unnecessary energy on lighting especially. Some experts' states that 30% to 40% of energy is wasted as some items (including lighting) are left on at night and on holidays when families are on vacation. There was a day when households were requested to switch on their lights for 30 minutes some couple of months back, I did so but watched helplessly as most houses in the neighbourhood were lit.
- - A tip from SAMSUNG is that when their refrigerators are full with food staff etc., this means less temperature it fluctuates therefore it pays to stock up.
- - It is good to take advantage of technology by sharing files, voice mail and email instead of creating paper memos etc. as these wastes a lot of energy.
- - We tend to ignore when hot taps are dripping. We must do more to minimise this. It is worth repeating that it is important to note that a steady drip of hot water can waste many gallons of water per months plus energy needed to heat the water.
It is worth repeating that you do not need to be an expert to save energy (no rocket science involved); I am a security officer (love my profession) and my chosen profession helps me to express my opinions (I am channelled when criticised).
- - Last but not least, energy conserving refers to efforts made to reduce energy consumption and can be achieved in Zimbabwe through increased efficient energy use, in conjunction with decrease energy consumption and/or reduced consumption from conventional energy sources.
I think ZESA must also do more to educate the consumers and also copy what ESKOM is doing (attracting ideas from citizens and rewarding where applicable).
--------------------
Justice Maphosa can be contacted at justicemaphosa@rocketmail.com
Source - Justice Maphosa
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