How To Lower Your Electricity Bill This Winter

If you're serious about ways to lower your electricity bill, read our top tips below.

Cover tiled or wooden floors with rugs

Those blessed with underfloor heating in their homes are lucky. But sadly, it does increase your electricity bill the more you use it. So, give the underfloor heating a break and keep your feet warm by covering bare floors with rugs. Also, why not invest in a fuzzy pair of slippers to wear in the evenings? Be sure to visit Mr Price Home to get a few affordable options, and while you're at it, check out their selection of slippers in the clothing section.

Replace heaters with jerseys and blankets

Just like underfloor heating, heaters use quite a bit of electricity, especially if you are using them for prolonged periods of time. Not to mention that heaters can be a fire hazard if they're faulty. To keep warm and to lower your electricity costs, stock up on blankets and wear extra layers of clothing instead. Visit Edgars and Edgars Home to stock up on some snug stuff. And, if you have to have a heater to fight off the cold, invest in gas heater. Just make sure you use it properly and don’t leave it on if you aren’t in the room. Check out the selection of gas heaters available at Builders. Also, there are a few offers to suss out!

Switch to a gas stove

Tea, coffee, hot chocolate and refilling water bottles makes your kettle one of the most important appliances during winter. But turning it on and off every hour can be pricey. Choose to either store hot water in flasks to use later or install a gas stove to lower your electricity costs. There are many benefits of doing this – you will pay less buying gas than using electricity, it speeds up your cooking time as you don’t have to wait for the conventional stove plates to warm up and you won't have to worry about load shedding. Gas is definitely something to invest in that will benefit you in the long run. Visit Builders to check out their selection of gas appliances.

Switch off lights and appliances you’re not using

We have all seen the ads on TV and know that this one is a no-brainer. So, if you aren’t watching TV or using your computer, turn it off. And don't leave the light on when you leave a room. Also, be sure to unplug the appliances that you aren’t using from the wall socket as they use a small amount of electricity even when switched off.

Take showers instead of baths

Showers use less water than filling up the bath tub, if you have a quick shower that is. Yes, it will be a little less pleasurable than sitting in a tub filled with hot water but it will save you money in the long run. When it comes to saving electricity on your geyser, set a timer that will switch your geyser on and off at certain times during the day. You can also lower the thermostat on your geyser and cover it with a geyser blanket to keep in the heat. If you wrap the water pipes in insulation tape it can also help. You can also fit a low-flow shower head to further reduce the amount of water you’re using.

Replace your normal light bulbs with energy efficient ones

Change all of your incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). They will last as much as 10 times longer than normal light bulbs. They are a little more expensive, but will end up saving you more energy and money over their lifetime. During the day, make the most of the natural light coming in from outside. Open your curtains to let the sun in, and if you're looking to keep warm without the use of heaters or electric blankets during the day, find a nice sunny spot right by a window and soak up some rays. Again, Builders will sort you out with this one. 

Keep the heat in at night

With the sun beaming into your place throughout the day, it should be warm if you have kept all the windows closed. To keep the heat in throughout the evening, make sure you close all windows, curtains and doors. Also, if you have noticed any cracks or holes throughout your home that lets a breeze into the house, seal them up. You can prevent cold air creeping in under doors by placing a ‘door worm’ or ‘sausage’ at the bottom of your doors.

Replace old appliances with new ‘energy efficient’ appliances

Appliances can only last for so long and when it’s time to replace them, be sure to check out their labels and energy ratings. You want appliances that will use less energy in order to save electricity, so buy appliances that have an ‘energy efficient’ label or rating on them. An ‘A’ rating is the most energy efficient and a ‘G’ rating is the least efficient. You can get new appliances from a number of retailers - @Home, Game and Dion Wired, among others.

Turn off or put a timer on your swimming pool pump

Since algae growth decreases during the colder months, you don’t need to keep the pool filter pump going all day. You can reduce the running time interval by up to two hours and save some electricity. Check to see how long your pump needs to clean your pool and work off of that. Also, invest in a pool cover — it will keep the pool cleaner, which means fewer backwashes and less use of the pump. Hopefully, this helps you lower your electricity bill this winter and keep load shedding at bay. Fingers crossed!