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Reducing
electricity bills
In the current climate of rising power
rates, a review of some basic settings can give you savings. Heating
is the biggest consumer of domestic power. One way to reduce your
electricity bills is to fit devices that regulate the heating in
your home to suit your life style, maintaining comfortable but
economic temperatures.
Fitting
thermostats
Most modern heating
has some form of thermostatic control - a device that will switch
power off when surroundings reach a certain temperature. Many
thermostats are marked out simple to increase or decrease the
temperature, in which case you have to experiment with various
settings to find the one that suits you best. If the thermostat
settings are more precise , try 18 degrees (C) for every day use,
although elderly people are more comfortable at about 21 degrees.
Time
switches
Even when it's
thermostatically controlled, heating is expensive if run
continuously - but you can install an automatic time switch to turn
it on and off at preset times, so you getup in the morning and
arrive home in the evening to a warm house. Set it to turn off the
heating about half an hour before you leave home got o bed, as the
house will take time to cold down.
Monitoring consumption
Keep a record of your
energy saving by taking weekly readings. Note the dates of any
measures taken to cut power consumption, ad compare the
corresponding drop in meter readings.
A check on the rates
can point to faulty appliances, like water heaters or fridges which
are using power excessively.
| Appliance |
Typical Usage |
No units* |
| Cooker |
Cooks 1 day's meal for 4 people |
2.5 |
| Microwave |
Cooks 2 joints of meat |
1 |
| Slow cooker |
Cooks for 8 hours |
1 |
| Storage heater |
Provides 1 days heating |
11 |
| Fan heater |
Provides heat for 1 hour |
2 |
| Immersion heater |
Supplies 1 days hot water for a family of
four` |
9 |
| Instant water heater |
Heats 2 or 3 bowls of washing up water |
1 |
| Instant shower |
Gives 1 or 2 showers |
1 |
| Dishwasher |
Washes one full load |
2 |
| Washing Machine |
Washes 1 full load |
2.5 |
| Tumble dryer |
Dries 1 full load |
2.5 |
| Refrigerator |
Keeps food fresh for 1 weeks |
12 |
| Freezer |
Maintains required temperature for a weeks |
9 |
| Heater towel rail |
Maintains temperature for a week |
1 |
| Electric kettle |
boils 40 cups of tea |
1 |
| Coffee percolator |
Makes 75 cups of coffee |
1 |
| Toaster |
Toasts 70 slices of bread |
1 |
| Iron |
In use for 2 hours |
1 |
| Vacuum cleaner |
Works for 1.5 to 2 hours |
1 |
| Cooker hood |
Runs for 24 hours |
1 |
| Extractor fan |
Runs for 24 hours |
1 |
| Hairdryer |
Runs for 2 hours |
1 |
| Shaver |
Gives 1800 shaves |
1 |
| Power drill |
Works for 4 hours |
1 |
| Hedge trimmer |
Runs for 2 hours |
1 |
| Lawn mower |
Cuts grass for 3 hours |
1 |
| Stereo system |
Plays for 8 hours |
1 |
| Colour TV |
On for 6 hours |
1 |
| VCR |
Records for 10 hours |
1 |
| 100W bulb |
Gives 10 hours lighting |
1 |
| 40W fluorescent |
Provides 20 hours of light |
1 |
| PC |
On from 9am to 5pm |
3.5 |
| Dehumidifier |
Dehumidifies for a week |
8 |
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