/ 6 December 2013

Energy saving in households

Rod McGregor Mann and Alta Classen have reduced their average monthly electricity bill to R55 at their Kleinemonde home.
Rod McGregor Mann and Alta Classen have reduced their average monthly electricity bill to R55 at their Kleinemonde home.

Winner: Don Boroughs
For Don Boroughs, saving energy at home is motivated by an overwhelming concern for the environment and global climate change, the impact of which will be most acute in Africa.

Over a period of 16 years, Don has managed to reduce the electricity consumption in his house by 75%, with a saving of about R20 000 a year.

This achievement is not the result of one magic silver bullet, but of hundreds of small changes.

There are a few major changes that have had the biggest impact, relating to hot water, heating, lighting, the pool and appliances.

These include installing a solar geyser in conjunction with a Geyserwise timer, which sets different temperatures for different hours of the day, and using a wood-fired closed-combustion fireplace and gas heating.

LED lighting is used throughout the house, and a variable speed pool pump uses a fraction of the power of ordinary pumps.

Not yet content, Don is determined to reach his goal of consuming 10kWh or less a day in the next couple of years.

Runner-up: Braam Dalgleish
Energy engineer Braam Dalgleish decided to take practical action to reduce electricity consumption and wastage in his home.

The first step was to install a meter and establish a baseline to determine his energy consumption and to monitor consumption moving forward.

Following ISO 50001, the international standard for energy management systems, Dalgleish compiled an inventory of the biggest energy consumers in his home.

He then systematically reduced consumption by switching off one of the two geysers, reducing the geyser temperature to 55?C, installing low-flow showerheads, adjusting the timer on the heat pump so that it is off at peak hours, adjusting the temperature gauge on his aquarium and the refrigerator, and retrofitting all the lights in the house.

Dalgleish’s main driver is to reduce energy consumption, and secondly to save costs. His philosophy is to do more with less and to look at ways of becoming energy efficient first, before opting for renewable energy resources.

Runner-up: Rod McGregor Mann: Hornbills Home Build Project
When Rod McGregor Mann and Alta Classen retired and moved to the Kleinemonde area in the Eastern Cape two years ago, they decided to build an energy efficient house to cut down on the cost of living.

Their electricity bill was one of their biggest household expenses and amid rising costs they decided to move off the grid gradually and naturally.

They live in a wooden house, carefully designed to stay cool in summer and warm in winter. They have installed a 300W wind turbine, a rain water storage system and a solar powered geyser.

The couple has consciously moved their electricity consumption out of peak hours and their electricity bill now averages R55 a month.

They use a large solar cooker, but for more complex meal preparation they also have a gas stove.

They cook solely with black pots and have acquired solar jars for lighting purposes.

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