Greenworks - Reduce - Reuse - Recycle

Electricity is a secondary source of energy. Primary sources of energy are oil, coal, uranium or the forces of nature.

By using our electricity resources more effectively, or by using renewable energy sources like solar, we can reduce greenhouse
gas emissions and also reduce our electricity bills.

Every kilowatt-hour of electricity saved means one less kilogram of carbon dioxide generated by the power station and released into the atmosphere.

Notwithstanding the issues Eskom has with the lack of power, as our population grows and the demand for electricity grows, so will there be a need for more power. More power stations, which do not provide sustainable energy, will need to be built.

Also the cost of building power stations is immense and this cost will be carried by us, the consumer.

• Saving electricity means saving money.

• Saving electricity means reducing our
    consumption of non-renewable,
    not sustainable resources.

• Saving electricity means reducing
    emissions and water consumption at
    power stations thus taking steps to save
    our environment.

• Keep track of your electricity bill. See if you can bring it down!

• Appliances with elements use the most electricity. When purchasing
    appliances for your home, select the most energy efficient appliances.

• Replace your globes with energy efficient globes.

• Use solar powered garden lights, calculators and torches.

Unplugged

When an appliance is plugged into a socket,
even if you are not using the appliance - whether
it's the kettle, cell phone, TV, radio - the item is
still drawing power that you are paying for!
Unplug your appliances when you are not using
them.

If you're not using it - UNPLUG IT

Unplug or turn off the plug switch of your lamps,
your computer, your cellphone, your dustbuster,
your sewing machine, your hairdryer, your kettle, your toaster or any other appliance that you normally leave plugged in.

• Plug-in air-fresheners use electricity. Instead use aromatic oils. Place a
    few drops in a small dish of water, or a little jug. This will keep your
    room smelling great.

• Plug TVs, VCRs, DVD, video games and other entertainment equipment
    into a powerstrip and then you only have one switch to unplug or turn
    off.

• Turn off your computer when you won't be using it for 20 minutes or
    more.

• Switch off you computer at your office when you leave for the day.

• Turn off all stand-by modes every time you leave the house and before
    going to bed.

Standby modes consume electricity.

• Switch off lights, fans, computers and other energy consuming appliances
    when you leave the room.

• Switch off your heater, fan or air conditioner while ventilating the room.

Lights

Our home and office use of lights leads to heat-trapping pollution, and
tons of carbon dioxide being let off into our atmosphere each year.

Our use of lights is one of the many electricity uses that lead to global
warming pollution.

• Turn off the lights when you walk out a room.

• Turn off unnecessary lights.

• We leave lights on for security reasons - turn off those that are not
    essential.

• Turn off one light that you would normally leave on.

• Don't install too many lights on a single switch.
    You can then limit the number of lights you want to turn on.

• Unplug lamps that aren't being used. Leaving the lights on
    unnecessarily is like your boss asking you to work but not being
    willing to pay you.

Incandescent Lightbulbs vs Energy Efficient
Lightbulbs

Lighten the Load. Start with changing just one light bulb

What we typically refer to as light bulbs are in fact small heaters that produce light!

If you've touched a bulb that's been on for a while you'll know how hot it gets.
A lot of energy is wasted in creating the heat - which isn't needed. These are known as incandescent lightbulbs. There is a move internationally to ban these lightbulbs because of the amount of energy they waste in creating light.

• Replace your energy inefficient incandescent lightbulbs with energy
    efficient lightbulbs. (CFLs)

• Although CFLs may be five or six times more expensive than incan-
    descent light bulbs:
    • They last much longer.
    • They save up to 80% more energy!
    • They reduce your electricity bill.
    • They emit tons less global warming pollution.

The wattage of CFLs is different to incandescent bulbs:
Depending on the make a 100 watt incandescent bulb is equal to 18 or 20 watts in CFLs.

The boxes are marked with the conversions.

• Prior to changing all the bulbs your home, try one to make sure it gives
    the kind of light you want. (Include the buying errand when you do your
    other errands so you don't create extra emissions by making several
    trips). Also ensure that your light fixtures are able to house the new
    bulbs.

• If you are still using incandescent bulbs then select lower voltage lights
    (60watts vs 100watts) if you don't mind less light.

• Use natural light during the day instead of turning on lights.
    Open your curtains and let the sunlight light your rooms.

• Install motion-sensors which allow lights to automatically turn on
    when someone is in the room and turn off when the room is empty.

Appliances

Kitchen and Laundry

Fridges and freezer are generally your home's biggest energy consumers, after your geysers and heaters, followed by other appliances. Together, they emit tons of heat-trapping emissions per household per year.

• Select the size of appliance that meets your needs. If an item is too
    large or too small it wastes electricity and your money.

• When purchasing new appliances, select appliance which offer the best
    energy savings. (Many appliances have the Energy Star label.)

    Energy Efficiency Ratings

    Energy efficiency labels indicate a product's energy perfor-
    mance.

    The energy label ranks the appliance's efficiency from "A"
     to "G" - with A and A+ being the most efficient and G being the
     lease efficient.

    The more efficient a product is the less energy it requires to
     operate
    • saving you on electricity bills and
    • saving our environment as there are less CO2 emissions .

    Even if A products cost more initially it will save you in the
    long run.

Washing Machine

• Wash your clothes in warm or cold water, not hot water.

• Wash your bed linen at 60C instead of 90 C - it will still
    be clean!

• Only switch the machine on when you have a full load.
    (Don't overload the machine as your load won't clean
    properly and you'll need to do it again - wasting water
    and electricity)

• Skip the pre-wash cycle unless absolutely necessary.
    This will save up to 20% electricity consumption.

• Rather soak the dirty laundry first.

• A front loader costs less to operate than a top loader
    (and uses less water)

• Use a clean, low-phosphate or phosphate-free detergent in your laundry.
    Look out for environmentally friendly laundry detergents. Phosphates
    can damage streams and rivers. (See water savings)

• If you've worn something and it doesnt need to be washed you can
    freshen it up by hanging it outside in the wind and sun, or hanging it
    outside your window overnight.

• Do this before putting it back in your cupboard then it will be ready the
    next time you need it.

Tumbledryer

• Tumbledryers use a large amount of electricity, so
    minimise the use of the dryer.

• Whenever possible dry your laundry outside so that
    the sun and wind do the work.

• Do the washing as early as possible to get the benefit
    of the day sun especially in winter.

• A portable drying rack is a great investment.
   •   Laundry can be hung up outside and the entire rack
        can be moved inside for the night if the clothes
        aren't dry (and moved out again the next day).
   • In winter clothes can be dried in front of the fire or
       heater if you're using one.
   • If it's raining your clothes can dry on a clothes rack
       inside.

• There are small over-the-bath washing lines too.

• Remember to hang washing properly so that less ironing is required.

• Use the tumbledryer only once the laundry is dry or almost dry to
    soften towels and linen.

• Fold the linen neatly corner to corner as soon as it comes out the
    dryer and while still warm to minimise or avoid ironing.

• Wring excess water from your laundry before putting it into the dryer.
   • The wetter the clothes the longer the dryer needs to operate.

• In addition to wasting power, over drying also can cause a build up
    of static electricity and cause wrinkles on your clothes.

• Separate light weight and heavy weight articles for drying, as drying
    times vary. As light weight dry quicker, some of your loads can use
    less electricity.

• A clean dry towel placed into the dryer with your washing should absorb
    some of the moisture and clothes should dry faster.

• When there is the option select the correct temperature settings to
    minimise the amount of electricity used.

• Clean out the lint filter after every drying cycle.
    • Cleaning the filter will reduce the drying time and the energy
        consumption, and lengthens the dryer's life.
    • To reduce the amount of lint in a particular load of laundry, dry
        more lint producing fabrics (like towels) separately from clothes that
        attract lint.
    • Add the lint to your compost.

• When purchasing a new tumbledryer:
    • Select one with an electronic humidity control as these are the most
        efficient.
    • Select one that automatically shuts off the drying cycle when the
        laundry is dry.

Dishwasher

• Scrape your plates clean before loading into the dishwasher. This saves
    you having to do a pre-rinse cycle.

• Avoid using the pre-rinse cycle. It uses more water and electricity.

• If you prefer to rinse your crockery and cutlery prior to loading the
   dishwasher, then put a small amount of water into your basin and rinse
   the tableware in this water.

• Use the energy saver mode or cycle if your dishwasher has one.

• Ensure your dishwasher is full before running it, but don't overload it.
   • Most models use as much water for smaller loads as for larger ones.
   • Overloading may result in some of the load not being cleaned
       properly. A second wash would defeat the water and electricity
       savings of a dishwasher, so make sure that the machine is packed
       properly.
   • Overloading may also result in crockery or glassware breaking.
       Having to purchase new products also goes against the reduce, reuse,
       recycle principles.
   • Overloading of the cutlery basket may prevent the cutlery from being
       cleaned properly. Try mixing the cutlery instead of grouping the same
       type of instruments as this allows more space and therefore a better
       wash.

• Use the recommended amount of dishwasher detergent, as too little may
    mean that your dishes don't get washed properly and a second wash is
    required.

• Only use detergents that are specially formulated for dishwashers.
    These create no foam during the cycle.
   • If you put regular dishwashing liquid in your dishwasher this will
       impede the wash cycle. The excessive soap bubbles formed will fill
       your dishwasher and may overflow from the appliance to the floor.
   • Also you may need to run the wash or rinse cycle a second time,
       without detergent, to rinse your dishes and clear the foam - a waste of
       water and electricity.
   • Also don't use cooking salt as it contains ingredients that could damage
       your dishwasher.

• Connect the dishwasher to the cold water supply.

• Ensure that the filters are cleaned so it runs at its most efficient status.

• Turn off the machine before the drying cycle. Open the door after the
    final rinse. The hot water in most dishwashers is hot enough to evapo-
    rate quickly if the door is left open.

• This is usually sufficient to dry the dishes.

• Use a cloth to dry off any damp spots on the items.

Several studies have found that using the dishwasher uses less energy, water and soap than hand washing the same amount of dishes. This is if the dishwasher is full.

• When buying a new dishwasher be sure to look for the most energy
    efficient and water efficient machine.

Fridge/Freezer

When you have a power outage, the amount of time that the freezer will stay cold varies. Keep your fridge/freezer door shut to preserve the cold temperature for as long as possible. If it's a long outage, you can use newspaper around products in your freezer to insulate it. But remember to remove the paper when the power comes back on.

Some brands of refrigerators have the newest technology known as silver technology. Silver particles are in the lining of the fridge. Silver technology kills bacteria and food lasts longer in silver technology fridges.

• When shopping for a new fridge, check the appliance's energy usage.

• Select one with silver technology. Although these may be more
    expensive, the energy savings and the food savings will cover the costs
    over time.

• Older fridges and freezers generally use substantially more electricity
    than newer models. Although a new fridge or freezer is a considerable
    expense, the electricity savings (financially and environmentally) are
    substantial.

• The new fridges have thicker sealing rubbers.

• Keep the fridge closed. (Not a diet rule but rather an energy rule!)
    (A tough one for those of us who keep thinking something new and
    exciting has found its way into the fridge.)

• Close the door properly every time you take things out of the fridge.

• Don't leave the door standing open because the cold air runs out and the
    warm air rushes in. The warm air forces the appliance to run longer to
    produce more cold air.

• Close the door properly.

• Check that it seals properly.

• Replace worn out or damaged rubber seals.
    • Worn out sealing rubbers let the cold air out of the fridge and warm
        air in.

• Close the door with a piece of paper between the sealing grubber and
    the fridge/freezer. If you can remove the paper you have a problem.

• Or place a torch inside and close the door. If you can see light with the
    door closed, the seal needs replacing.
   • Bacteria trapped in the sealing rubbers eat away at them. Clean the
       sealing rubbers with warm water and a mild detergent regularly and
       dry them properly.

• Keep your appliance in good working condition
    • Check and clean the cooling coils at least twice a year.

• Dirt on the coils can result in higher operating costs. The coil is either on
    the back or bottom front of your appliance. Check the instructions in
    your manual.

• Defrost your refrigerator regularly.

• Allow for air circulation around the fridge/freezer. Don't place bags,
    brooms, trays, etc between the refrigerator and its surrounding walls.
    Blocking the airflow will cause the compressor to overheat, and possibly
    burn out.

• Keep containers of liquids like water or juice sealed. Open liquid
    containers increase the amount of moisture deposited onto the cooling
    coil. This means the compressor needs to run longer, using more power.

• Keep your temperature at the correct level.
   • Food spoils faster if the temperature is either too cold (fridge burn) or
       not cold enough.
   • Your refrigerator's temperature should be set between 3 to 4°C. Food
      will deteriorate more quickly after 7°C
   • Your freezer should be set at about -16°C.
   • Don't use your fridge as an air conditioner i.e leaving it open to cool
       the room or standing in front of it with the door open to cool down.

• Turn off the icemaker.
    • Icemakers produce a batch of ice every four to six hours. If this is
       more ice than you need, turn it off until you need more.

• Ensure that your door isn't warped or out of alignment, and that it seals
    along its full length. If not call in the repairperson. Close the door firmly
    (not slam) to temporarily align the door.

• Keep the fridge level. If your refrigerator or freezer isn't level, the door
    may not seal because the alignment is affected, allowing cold air to leak
    out.
    • Set a glass of water on top of your appliance to check the balance.
    • Adjust the legs until the water is level.

• Avoid overloading door shelves. If the weight is too heavy it can pull the
    door away from the fridge.

• Avoid overloading your fridge or freezer.
    • Eg. Don't put a case of beer or colddrinks in the fridge. Put in only
        what you need for that day.

• Let hot food cool down before packing it in the fridge. Less energy is
    required to cool down the food.

• Cold air must circulate so store foods apart on the shelves.

• If you are going away don't leave food in your fridge that is likely to go
    off.
    • There's no point in refrigerating something you're going to throw away
        anyway.
    • If you're going away for longer than a month, and there is nothing in
        your fridge then turn it off at the plug.

Freezer

• Don't put hot food into a freezer as it has to use more power and work
   harder to remove the heat.

• Defrost regularly.

• Manual defrost units are cheaper to run than automatic defrost units
    provided that you defrost regularly and keep the frost build-up to a
    minimum. Otherwise, they may actually cost you more to run.
    • There are two types of stand-alone freezers: chest and upright
    • Chest models tend to lose less cold air when opening the door than an
        upright model of the same capacity, but upright models offer easier
        access and require less floor space.

Stove

• Toasters, electric grills, slow cookers and electric pots
    usually use less energy than the stove. So use them
    whenever possible instead of your stove.

• Try not to open the oven door while the food is cooking.
    Keep the heat in so that more power isn't needed to
    reheat the oven.

• Once you've got your food boiling on a high setting, then turn the
    temperature down to simmer until your food is cooked.

• Keep your stove plates clean.

• Use the right size plate for the size pot - ensuring that the pot or pan
    completely cover the stove plate.

• Use flat bottomed pots and pans.

• Keeping the lid on the pot when you cook conserves heat and energy.

• To save energy, time, money and hours of cooking, soak beans, samp
    and other such dry food over night.

• When purchasing a new stove consider buying a gas stove, as it is more
    efficient for cooking and heating.

• If you are going to buy an electric stove and oven select the most energy
    efficient appliance.
    • It may be more expensive, but over time it will be more cost effective,
       as stoves are heavy on electricity use.

Microwave

• Look for the most energy efficient appliance when purchasing a
    microwave.

• Defrosting food in the microwave should be second choice to allowing
    food to defrost in the fridge or on the counter for a short time (depending
    on temperature of day).

Iron

• Hang washing, whether clothes or sheets - properly
    so that less ironing is required.

• Shake out the garment and use hangers to hang
    shirts and T-shirts.

• Hang pants from the bottom using a skirt hanger.
    Smooth out any wrinkles.

• Do all your ironing at one time.

• While the iron is warming up iron low temperature
    fabrics. This will avoid wasting energy while the
    iron is warming up.

• Turn the iron off when it has reached the desired
    temperature.

• When you are not using the iron turn it off.

• Don't answer the phone when you are ironing!

• Remove clothes from the dryer before they get over dried and
    straighten or fold them to avoid having to iron them.

• Use a thermostatically controlled iron.

Kettle

This is an easy one that everyone knows!

• Don't fill up the kettle every time you want a cup of
    tea/coffee or instant soup.
    • Only boil enough to meet your immediate need.

• Use an electric kettle to boil water (see first point),
    not a pot on the stove or the microwave oven. This will
    save you loads of electricity.
    (Enough to warrant buying a kettle if you don't have one yet.)

• Only use an electric urn if you need water for lots of people at once.

• Boil the kettle once and pour the water into a flask to keep hot instead
    of boiling the kettle constantly.
    • With all the power outages this is also tip to have a hot water when
        there is no power.

Toaster

• Use the toaster instead of the oven to make toast.
    It uses less electricity.

General Household

Temperature Control

Heating

•   Only use a heater if you have to.

• Put on an extra jersey or blanket to avoid using a heater.

• Wear socks, gloves, a hat and extra layers of clothing to keep warm.

• Keep a blanket on the couch snuggle up and use it to keep warm
    instead of turning on the heater.

• Sock It To The Cold! Avoid getting cold feet. Wear socks even double
    socks if you need to.

• Sleeping in socks keeps your feet warm and means not having to
    turn on the electric blanket.

• Put socks or slippers on straight after your shower so your feet dont
    cool down.

• Keep your slippers next to your bed so that if you do need to get up
    in the night you can keep your feet warm. Its so hard to warm them
    up again!

• Put a small blanket by your feet in the bed.

• Use a hotwater bottle to warm your bed - or yourself - and when you're
    finished pour the cold water into your plants.

• During the day make the most of the winter sun.

• Keep curtains and blinds open during the day.

• Rearrange furniture so you can get the benefit of the sun. (Especially
    on weekends when you have a chance to soak up the rays.)

• Close the curtains before it gets dark so the warm air is trapped inside.

•   Fill a thermos and drink warm drinks.

• Select the most energy efficient heater when purchasing a new heater.

Cooling

• In summer, keep your curtains closed during the day to keep the cool
    air in.

• Open the doors or windows to let fresh air into a hot room.

• Plant trees around your house to provide shade. (This is also a must to
    offset carbon emissions).

• If you are going to install an airconditioner ensure that it is the most
    energy efficient aircon available.

• Turn off the aircon when you leave the house. Keep the door closed so
    that warm air doesn't come into the room.

• Keep the doors and windows closed so energy isn't wasted when the
    cool air escapes or warm external air comes into the room. The air in
    the room will stay cooler for longer.

• Insulate your ceiling and walls (especially if you are building a new
    home).

• Seal air gaps - especially gaps under doors, and between the door and
    its frame.

• Install rubber seals to close the gap between the door and the floor.

• Put a towel or newspaper against the gap under the door if you don't
    have rubber seals.

• Regularly clean the air filter on your air conditioner. Replace it if needs
    be.

• Instead of using the aircon, use a fan.

• Use a handheld fan.

• Use a wet cloth to cool yourself down.

• A heat barrier coating applied to a roof (in place of paint) saves
    electricity that would be used for aircon.

Sometimes we turn on the heater or aircon out of habit.
Only use them if you have to.

Geysers

Water heating using an electric geyser uses 30% - 50%
of your household electricity.

• Turn off your geyser during the day. It takes a 150l
    geyser around 2 -2½ hours to warm up.

• A geyser temperature is generally set to 60-65°C.
    If it's set to over 65°C it reduces the life of your
    geyser.

• Reduce the temperature by 5°C so that you need
    to add less cold water
    when you shower or wash the dishes.
    • As there is less hot water, you may run out of hot water if you
        continue using the same amount of water as you normally do, so
        lessen your shower time or put in water saving devices, like flow
        restrictors or water conserving shower heads. (This will enable you to
        save on your water consumption too).

• In summer set your geyser to 55°C and in winter to 60°C

• Install a timer on your geyser.

• Insulate your geyser and pipes to stop heat losses.
    • Keep your geyser warm by covering it with a geyser blanket, old
        blankets, wrapping newspaper or other insulating material around it.

• Install a solar water heater.

Electronic Appliances

• Unplug when you aren't using them.

• Standby modes uses electricity.

• Plug TVs, VCRs, DVDs, video games and other
    entertainment equipment into a powerstrip and then you only have one
    switch to unplug.

Hairdryer

• Unplug your hairdryer when you aren't using it.

• Let the sun and air dry your hair.

• Dry your hair with a hairdryer one time less per week than you normally
    do. (Put it in a pony or clip instead of blowdrying).

• Wash your hair and let it dry while you sleep. This way you'll need less
    blowing time as your hair will be almost dry.

• When buying a hairdryer purchase the most energy efficient hairdryer.

• This applies to heated curlers or straightening appliances.

Sewing Machine

• Unplug it when you aren't using it

Dustbuster

• Charge it and then unplug it.

Vacuum cleaner

• Sweep first to remove as much dust and fluff as possible.

• Then use the vacuum cleaner. Your vacuuming will take less time using
    less electrical power.

Lamps

• Unplug them when you aren't using them.

• Change the bulbs to energy efficient light bulbs.

Pool Pump

• Turn the pump off for most of the day - particularly during peak
    consumption times.

• Most medium size pools only need the pump on for two - three hours
    a day.

• Install a timer.

• Sweep the pool and use a net, so the creepy crawly has less work to do.

Electric doorbell

• Avoid over ringing the bell.

Solar Power

Solar is the Latin word for sun.
Solar power is power from the sun. Solar power transforms the Sun's light energy into electrical energy (electricity).

Solar power (or active solar energy) involves the conversion of sunlight (the Sun's radiation) to thermal or electrical energy using technology.

The process of using solar energy to make electricity is called photovoltaics.
A solar-powered calculator uses photovoltaics.

Using a magnifying glass to burn something uses solar power.

By positioning windows strategically during construction of a building, architectural design can make use of passive solar energy to allow sunlight in to assist with heating an indoor area.

Solar power can be used as

• a heat source

• an energy source.

Solar energy is often referred to as

• a sustainable energy force or

• as an "alternative energy" to fossil fuel energy sources like coal or oil..
    A solar cell or photovoltaic cell is a device composed of various
    semiconducting materials that converts light energy into electrical
    energy.

To generate useful power a number of cells are connect together to form a solar panel.

Solar Water Heating

• Using a solar water heater instead of an electric geyser is an
    environmentally friendly practice.

• Solar energy is a clean, renewable energy source, not a polluting energy
    source.

•   You can either install a stand-alone solar water geyser, with the tank
     being placed on your roof; or you can have panels installed that can
     be used with your traditional electrical geyser.

• A 150l solar water heater saves about 4.5kWh of electricity per day
    which can stop about 2 tons of carbon emissions per year!

• Solar water heating offers major savings on your electricity bill.

• You will make back the cost of purchasing and installing a solar water
    heater by the savings on your electricity bill.

• With the power shortage, installing a hot water geyser will also ensure
    that you have hotwater.

• It also means that you are not drawing on the scarce power resources
    to heat your geyser.

• Geysers use the most power in your home - between 30 and 50 percent.
    If you are building a new home or renovating a bathroom install solar
    water heaters instead of electric geysers.

• Install aerated shower heads to minimise your hot water consumption,
    and save on water and energy.

• Insulate the hot water piping as this will minimise any heat losses, as
    well as reduce the need for electrical back-up.

• See the tips on water savings.

• When purchasing a solar water heater ensure that there is antifreeze to
    avoid damage from frost.

Solar Lights

• Put solar lights in your garden instead of
    using electrical lights.

• Bring your solar powered lights indoors
    when there are power outages
    or just to save electricity.