How to make your kilowatts last longer with prepaid

The cost of electricity is high in South Africa and it seems it’s not about to go down anytime soon.  Depending on how many kilowatts you use in your household, you can look at budgeting at least R500 to R3,000 just for electricity.

In 2016, Eskom announced that citizens can expect to see an increase in the cost of electricity. “Electricity cost for the average South African household will increase from R13,509 per annum to R15,696 in one year’s time‚ R25,206 in 5 years’ time and R30,360 in 8 years’ time,” Eskom said in a forecast released by Energy Partners.

With many households already struggling to make ends meet, this increase will add to the financial burden already experienced.

However, there are things that you can do to ensure that your kilowatts last longer with prepaid. This will not only save you money, but also the resources used to generate electricity from the supplier.

Let’s take a look at how you can make your kilowatts last longer.

- Switch off your geyser after use
Most of the kilowatts consumed in a home are used up by heating your geyser. This is why it’s advisable to switch off your geyser as soon as you have hot water. You can even install a timer on your geyser, just to ensure that you don’t suffer if you forget to switch it off manually. The other solution could be to install a solar geyser or gas geyser. This will save your electricity.

- Switch off lights
Most people have their lights on in all rooms even if nobody is in that room. To save your kilowatts, rather switch off lights in rooms that are not in use. Another way you can save your kilowatts is to use LED equivalent light bulbs. These bulbs use less electricity than normal bulbs and they also last longer.

- Set your pool pump to run for a shorter period
Your pool pump doesn’t have to run the whole day. Making it run for a shorter period will go a long way in saving your kilowatts.

- Switch off your appliances at the wall
Don’t leave your phone charger, television or any other appliance plugged in if not in use. This uses electricity and will make your kilowatts rapidly deplete. Rather switch off all appliances that aren’t in use.

- Run full loads in the washing machine and dishwasher
Although it can be tempting to do your laundry or use your dishwasher with any amount of load, rather save the washing for days when you will have enough dirty clothes and dishes to make a full load. This will mean you do less washing a week and can save your electricity and make your watts last longer.

- Be savvy
Remember to just be electricity savvy. Simple things like choosing to cook in bulk rather than on a daily basis, using a coffee maker instead of always using the kettle whenever you feel like making coffee, and even doing all your ironing on the same day, will go a long way in saving your kilowatts. So use your electricity wisely by making small changes!

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