The day will come for us all… whether you like it or not, scared or excited, prepared or unprepared, 18 years old, 24 years old or 41 years old… You have to move out of your parent’s home.
With this move comes freedom along with great responsibility… and an electricity bill. This was one of my major challenges; figuring out where all of my electricity is going. To me, a non-electrical engineer, “MWh” for many years only missed one letter “a”. It’s sad but it’s true. This all changed when I had to start paying my own bills.
So, I started a DIY energy audit;
•1 x piece of paper
•1 x basic formula *thank you Google
Watt
x cost per unit
1000
Below is the result.
So, I started a DIY energy audit;
•1 x piece of paper
•1 x basic formula *thank you Google
Watt
x cost per unit
1000
Below is the result.
Vianca is from South Africa. Her native language is Afrikaans.
This very basic exercise made me conscious of not only my usage but also the amount of energy wasted in what we call “everyday life”. Here are a few basic tips and tricks to reduce before you produce, a value that I’ve come to live by since becoming part of a team that is currently working on the largest energy efficiency project in the world, The Minimise Global. www.minimiseglobal.com
Basic TIPS and TRICKS for SAVING energy in your home.
Use natural light when possible.
Clean or replace all filters in your home regularly. Dirty filters make your system work harder and run longer than necessary.
To ensure your appliances are running efficiently, defrost your refrigerator and freezer before ice buildup becomes 1/4-inch thick.
Turn off the lights when they’re not in use. Lighting accounts for about 12% of a typical residential utility bill.
Install energy timers to control operating times. Electric water heating takes about 18% of your energy bill and on average it only takes 1.5 hours to heat up
Use your microwave instead of your stove when cooking.
Don’t peek in the oven while baking! Every time you peek, the temperature can drop 25 F, making your oven use more energy to bring the temperature back up.
Avoid placing appliances that give off heat, such as lamps or TVs, near a thermostat.
Basic TIPS and TRICKS for SAVING energy in your home.
Use natural light when possible.
Install energy timers to control operating times. Electric water heating takes about 18% of your energy bill and on average it only takes 1.5 hours to heat up
Clean or replace all filters in your home regularly. Dirty filters make your system work harder and run longer than necessary.
Use your microwave instead of your stove when cooking.
To ensure your appliances are running efficiently, defrost your refrigerator and freezer before ice buildup becomes 1/4-inch thick.
Don’t peek in the oven while baking! Every time you peek, the temperature can drop 25 F, making your oven use more energy to bring the temperature back up.
Turn off the lights when they’re not in use. Lighting accounts for about 12% of a typical residential utility bill.
Avoid placing appliances that give off heat, such as lamps or TVs, near a thermostat.
During this current crisis that we are all facing together and it is not possible to go out and lend a helping hand, you can still do your part by reducing your energy bill. I like to call it #helplightentheload
Want more tips and tricks? Feel free to read through the Energy Saver Guide
https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/10/f37/Energy_Saver_Guide-2017-en.pdf
Stay safe and be excited to get your next energy bill!
Regards,
Vianca van Aswegen
