Ed’s note: This is a guest blog post from Sustainable.co.za.
We all complain about the Eskom price hikes: while facing mass retrenchments and skyrocketing food prices we are also faced with the exorbitant price of electricity and the future threat of 30-40% price hikes. But what are we, as individuals, really doing about the cost of energy and I’m not just talking about the financial cost. America and Europe are already educating citizens about reducing their carbon footprints and introducing incentives and laws to encourage the use of alternative energy. Perhaps it’s time we stopped complaining and started looking to alternative energy sources for our homes, such as solar panels and LED lights.
Here are some ways that you, as a South African, can do your bit to reduce your carbon footprint at home and save on that rapidly escalating electricity bill by tapping into alternative energy supplies:
What many South Africans forget is how lucky we are to spend so many days in the bright sunlight. The sun is one of our greatest alternative energy resources and one of its greatest advantages is that it’s not going anywhere at least for the next five billion years.
The initial installation cost of solar panels can be in the tens of thousands but the return on your investment starts almost immediately and you become immune to inconvenient power cuts and Eskom price increases. You can run your home fully from solar energy but, because the set-up required can easily run into the hundreds of thousands of Rands, you can start small and add sustainable products to your home as the money comes in. Solar water heaters, for example, cost little more than a regular geyser unit. And if you don’t want to overhaul your entire geyser system, invest in a geyser blanket or geyser timer to limit unnecessary heat loss and energy wastage. Geyer blankets and timers range from R200 to R500.
Zeke Murphy, owner of Sustainable.co.za, a Cape Town-based alternative energy company, says that it is possible for every average household to get involved in energy saving with alternative energy. “Realistically, the average household should be able to start considering alternative power for their lighting systems and running one or two low wattage appliances off a renewable energy system. These systems, if considered in the building of new homes, can be integrated without hugely impacting on the overall building cost”, he said.
If you’re considering making a positive change at home for the good of your country, your planet and your pocket, why not start now even if the finances aren’t readily available? Write down a list of what electrical appliances in your home are pushing up your energy bill the most. Usually the most energy heavy items include air conditioners, tumble dryers, geysers and ovens. Then look around for local alternative energy solutions that can do the job at a fraction of the price, like solar cookers and solar powered air conditioners.
Similar Posts:
- The First Article Of Its Kind
Popularity: 5% [?]
November 4th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
We should concentrate more on Alternative Energy sources like hydrogen and solar because fossil fuels are already depleted and they are polluting the environment.
November 4th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
http://www.eu2hell.blogspot.com
A thinly veiled sale’s pitch for some impractical and delusional alternatives to Eslom’s inferior service. It fits neatly into the long string of postings here looking at South Africa and her future through rosy glasses.
November 10th, 2009 at 2:08 am
“…Perhaps it’s time we stopped complaining and started looking to alternative energy sources for our homes, such as solar panels and LED lights…” great post! alternative energy sources are safer and cheaper in my opinion. Thanks very much for sharing!
November 30th, 2009 at 3:49 am
Its a perfect solution to years of debate that isn’t working. Solar has to be part of it now.
December 21st, 2009 at 4:43 pm
nice blog i’m driving a car powered on water fuel instead of normal fuel to drive its good against global warming and it saves me loads of money too you check it out here: link
May 17th, 2010 at 11:29 am
I’ve read some good stuff here. Definitely worth bookmarking for revisiting.
May 18th, 2010 at 6:01 am
Thank you for the sensible critique. Me & my neighbour were preparing to do some research about that. We got a good book on that matter from our local library and most books where not as influensive as your information.
September 28th, 2010 at 7:20 am
solar water heater is a great alternative to conventional electric heaters which costs much*;”
October 17th, 2010 at 8:23 pm
alternative energy is the best option that we can choose if we really want clean sources of power.”.
October 19th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
LED Lights last much longer than incandescent bulbs and yet they consume less power~,:
October 25th, 2010 at 11:45 am
solar water heaters are also energy savers, they help me save electricity bills from each month’.`
December 22nd, 2010 at 10:53 pm
the good thing about solar water heaters is that they can help you conserve energy ,`;
June 21st, 2011 at 3:07 pm
Been searching everywhere on news about this. Really thanks a ton.
August 31st, 2011 at 11:02 am
Your blog is one of a sort, i enjoy like you would organize the topics.Inches
September 7th, 2011 at 8:24 pm
very nice set up, i really really like this website, continue this
September 8th, 2011 at 12:24 am
speemsNeive
April 14th, 2012 at 12:30 am
I truly wanted to develop a simple remark in order to appreciate you for those wonderful concepts you are writing at this site. My considerable internet investigation has finally been honored with good quality insight to exchange with my contacts. I would point out that most of us readers are truly endowed to live in a good community with so many outstanding individuals with valuable strategies. I feel truly happy to have seen your entire web site and look forward to some more fabulous minutes reading here. Thanks once more for a lot of things.
April 14th, 2012 at 10:41 am
As you may Mote person could have figured out from the net (sadly this specific matter is actually coping with very little print), 03 1 will be used the first Day without having Immigration, a sort of reach in which foreign nationals who reside in the country knowning that every single day all of us aid doing simple work opportunities since domestic helpers, caregivers, nursing staff, bakers, drivers or anything else try to help to make us appreciate how his or her existence inside our cities is just not a thing to battle. We all offer the reason for migrants and also to do it jimmy choo shoes put on yellowish and we compel you to definitely accomplish that, with that grants or loans the most famous.Yellow-colored may be the recognized colour of the morning with no migrants, the very first strike from the very first unusual marzo will see a lot more than sixty French cities help make manifestations in opposition to bigotry and many types of forms of intolerance toward non-nationals, to attempt to view the Italians that Immigration are not a problem however a resource that usually, also with out realizing it, all of us have confidence in.