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I don’t think that there is a single South African who has not experienced the recent spate of aptly nicknamed ‘load shedding’ blackouts. Personally, I’ve managed to get myself, and my office, into a semblance of a routine:
08:00 have a cup of tea ready for when the power goes off!
10:00 have a cup of tea ready for when the power goes off!
12:00 have a cup of tea and a sandwich ready for when the power goes off!
14:00 have a cup of tea and go for a nap!
16:00 make sure supper is defrosted and par-cooked. Oh, and have a cup of tea ready for when the power goes off!
The situation is so ridiculous it’s almost hilarious!
On a more serious note, it’s time that we all wised up to the fact that this is not something that is going to go away overnight. Load shedding is here to stay and there’s damn little that the average South African can do about it, except suffer in silence.
However, there are a few changes that you could make to your lifestyle and home habits, and if we all make an effort, will make a difference.
1. Before you leave for work in the morning, switch off everything not necessary at the wall outlet. So many household appliances have standby mode, which means that although you switched them off, they are still drawing power ready for you to switch them on again. By switching off the power at the wall outlet, these appliances no longer draw power.
2. Have a shower or bath in the morning. The geyser uses the highest amount of electricity in any home. Switch it off when you leave for work in the morning and switch if back on when you get home. Alternatively, this is a good time for romance – shower with a friend!
3. If, like me, you work from home, or perhaps you’re a home executive, get yourself a flask and brew up a thermos of tea or coffee every morning. It’s also handy to have in advance for when the power goes off unexpectedly.
4. Replace all the lights in the house with energy-saving bulbs. While they may be expensive at the onset, I’ve still got lights in the house that were fitted with energy-saving globes almost five years ago, and haven’t yet changed the globes!
5. Put the Dishwasher and Tumble Dryer out of action for the time being, or only run these after 20:00 every night. Both appliances use a substantial amount of power. And as for the washing machine, don’t run half loads, use the cold wash cycle, and try to do all your washing after 20:00 in the evening.
With a little common sense, every household can make energy saving contributions.
Janice
Comments
post a commentI agree we should all do our bit.
And luckily its not so bad down here in Cape Town as up there in Joburg.
Capetonian on 07/05/2008
I am presently saving about 50 %. I first put my geysers on time switches and they are only on 4 times about 35 minutes each.
The I lowered the temperature to just above 50 degrees.
Last month I changed all my bulbs to low energy bulbs.
Doing only time switches saved 44,4 %. Since I did the last 2 it is about 50 %.
It is also nice on my pocket. Nearly R550/month less to pay, that is the best of it all.
Carl Muller on 08/05/2008