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As of July 2009 everyone in South Africa is paying more per Kilowatt
Hour for electricity. This is because Eskom increased tariffs by 31.3% and
municipal service providers have had to do the same.
Cheap electricity is a thing of the past. While the increase is
obviously not welcomed by consumers, there is an easy way to go about
making home or business more energy efficient in order to reduce
electricity bills.
The solution is simple and enabled by a revolutionary energy monitoring device
that makes it possible to monitor and so manage energy consumption.
The Electricity
Monitor makes it is possible for people to systematically monitor,
test and go about reducing the amount of electricity they consume in order
to realize significant savings.
For most home and business owners the biggest problem with electricity
bills is that you never know how much you have consumed before the bill
arrives. By that time it is too late to reduce consumption. Moreover, it
is very difficult to guess exactly how much electricity is consumed by
each device in the household.
When you start looking into energy efficiency measures, you need to
start measuring each device and monitor electricity consumption. Though
one could safely guess that switching from regular light bulbs to energy
saving light bulbs could save quite a bit, this does not calculate how
much electricity your kettle, iron, television set and other devices in
the house consume.
What's more, many appliances such as play stations, battery chargers,
digital radios with LCD monitors, cellphone chargers and more, all have a
standby mode. While these devices are in standby mode they continue to
draw a small amount of power. These are called “ghost loads”. Individually
these power loads don't seem like much, but collectively they do amount to
a reasonably large and constant draw of power.
In a family household, people politics makes it even more difficult to
save on energy. To conserve energy one needs to engage and educate all
family members. However, remembering to do simple things like switching
lights and devices off can prove problematic. People simply don't remember
and need to be reminded from time-to-time.
The Electricity
Monitor does exactly that. It has a large, clear LCD screen that
communicates using wireless technology with a transmitter installed in the
electrical distribution board. Because the LCD is wireless, it can be
placed anywhere in the home or office where everyone can see it. When the
device is constantly visible, energy conservation is brought to the
forefront of each family members mind each time they see the device. It's
a gentle, yet very real reminder to switch-off unnecessary lights and
generally be more aware of what devices are on that do not need to be
on.
For some households just the awareness of energy consumption is enough
to bring about changes in how people use electricity. For others, a
clearer more visible reminder of how much electricity is being consumed is
needed. Enforcing responsible usage habits from the start can save you the
amount you are now paying with the 31% tariff increase.
This could mean that the electricity price increase should not affect
you or have very little affect on your budget.
Though not everyone can save 31.3% on their monthly bill, even a 10% to
20% saving on a bill of R500 per month could mean R600 to R1,200 savings
per year. Some households, especially on freehold property, spend in
excess R2,000 per month on electricity alone. Considering the security
lights and other devices are often on all night, a saving of even 10% in
this case is R2,400 savings per year.
Using a simple Electricity Monitor
device, you don’t need to make any massive investments, you don't need
life-style changes, nor learn to use a complicated device. With an Electricity Monitor any
household member can just check how much electricity a device is using.
The OWL even tells you how much electricity you have used over a period.
Our point is that this is a really simple household device that makes
measuring and so managing energy easier.
Many home owners want to opt for municipal prepaid meters for their
homes. The common misconception is that prepaid electricity is cheaper.
This is not the case. Prepaid Electricity costs the same as non-prepaid
electricity. The reason why people think that Prepaid Electricity is
cheaper is because they can see how much electricity they are using and so
become more aware of their consumption habits.
Installing a Wireless
Electricity Monitor has the same effect on people. It's a proven fact
that when people see how much electricity they are using, that they take
steps to reduce the load.
The Electricity Monitor can be used in any home or business,
single phase or 3-phase, whether the property obtains prepaid post paid
electricity.
Whether a property obtains electricity in prepaid or post paid mode,
the fact remains that one can still become more energy efficient. To do
this one still needs to know which devices are consuming the largest
amount of electricity so that you can choose to use them less often or
replace them with more energy and cost effective devices.
In summary, even though electricity prices have increased, it is
important to understand that your electricity bills can be significantly
reduced and you can continue saving on your electricity bills. With
electricity prices looking to go up every two years and government
confirming that cheap electricity prices are a way of the past in South
Africa, it is important to start conserving electricity.
For more information on Energy Saving Monitors please visit: www.ElectricityMonitor.co.za
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