IN OTHER NEWS BY SINAZO MKOKO
6 tips for saving electricity (and money) in your household A
s of 1 July 2022, South Africans and businesses at large are digging deeper into their pockets. This comes after the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) approved the electricity tariff increase. In a media statement released in March this year, NERSA stated: “The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) confirmed that at its meeting held on 9 March 2022, the Energy Regulator made a determination on Eskom’s Retail Tariff and Structural Adjustment (ERTSA) application and approved an average tariff increase of 9.61% for Eskom’s standard tariff customers and an increase of 8.61% for municipalities. The increase for Eskom’s standard tariff customers will be effective from 1 April 2022 and for municipalities from 1 July 2022.” As a result, many South Africans are looking for ways to save electricity and the little money they may have after other price hikes (petrol prices, food prices and repo rates). However, it’s not all gloom and doom and if one looks harder, there are ways to deal with some problems. Public Sector Leaders spoke to the former CEO at Saving Energy, Craig Berman, about ways in which you can save electricity in your household. GEYSER: SWITCH IT ON OR OFF? DO GEYSER TIMERS AND BLANKETS WORK? Berman says the geyser is the single largest consumer of electricity for the average home and having installed thousands of timers and blankets over the last 12 years, he confidently states that they work, however, there are some secrets to maximising their efficiency. •
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36 | Public Sector Leaders | July 2022
Set the timer to come on 60 - 90 minutes before you need hot water in winter and 45 - 60 minutes in summer. This is because the geyser will lose less heat in summer than in winter and will require less electricity to reach the set temperature. Use a ‘maintenance’ setting to improve efficiency. While most people set their timers to come on before the hot water is needed during the morning and evening, having the timer come on for about 45 minutes in the afternoon around 1pm/2pm will maintain the temperature and when the geyser does come on, it will use less power. Get a geyser blanket – but get a proper insulation certified one with an R rating of 1.25 or better – don’t buy cheap blankets which won't give you the insulation you need, as this is simply a waste of money. They are very effective at preventing the
