I AM not a winter person and spend much of it wrapped up to the nose in blankets, jackets, thermal vests, hot water bottles, electric blankets and enjoying a steady stream of piping-hot tea.
At least half of these winter warmers require electricity. Multiply that by the millions of people and you have a lot of kilowatts of power being used.
Eskom and City Power are driving an ongoing campaign to "save electricity", which I think most South African homeowners haven't taken seriously despite the load shedding experience of a couple of years ago.
Small steps have been taken, but this is not enough. If every family participates, it would make a huge difference.
Here are some simple tips to keep you warm and comfortable, while savingelectricity:
Warm the room you're in. There's no need to keep heaters going in each room. Heat the room that you spend most of your time in. If possible, use a gas heater, eco wall panel heater or small-bar heater.
Wrap up. There is an incredible range of thermal clothing available, which utilises your own body heat to keep it in. There are also thermal blankets and linen available. Use these instead of heaters.
Insulate. Insulating your home is one of the best ways to keep warm. Double-glazed windows keep heat in for longer as does sealing your roof with cellulose fibre. Walls and floors can also be insulated to retain heat.
Beds and bottles. I love my electric blanket and find it works far better to warm up a bed than a hot water bottle. These need quite a bit of electricity, so switch it off as soon as you get into bed and buy a power-sensitive electric blanket.
Hot water bottles are marvellous, but require heating an entire kettle of water. Try an electric hot water bottle, which uses minimal electricity and only 15 minutes to warm up.
Kettles. Boil only the amount of water you need. Kettles use a lot of electricity to boil.
Implement these and start reaping the benefits of comfort, as well as your monthly electricity bill.
And share a hug! There's nothing like giving your beloved spouse or little one a cuddly hug to warm you and your heart.
Hayes is the editor of SA Home Owner, a sister publication of Sowetan
Wrap up well to keep cold at bay
I AM not a winter person and spend much of it wrapped up to the nose in blankets, jackets, thermal vests, hot water bottles, electric blankets and enjoying a steady stream of piping-hot tea.
At least half of these winter warmers require electricity. Multiply that by the millions of people and you have a lot of kilowatts of power being used.
Eskom and City Power are driving an ongoing campaign to "save electricity", which I think most South African homeowners haven't taken seriously despite the load shedding experience of a couple of years ago.
Small steps have been taken, but this is not enough. If every family participates, it would make a huge difference.
Here are some simple tips to keep you warm and comfortable, while savingelectricity:
Warm the room you're in. There's no need to keep heaters going in each room. Heat the room that you spend most of your time in. If possible, use a gas heater, eco wall panel heater or small-bar heater.
Wrap up. There is an incredible range of thermal clothing available, which utilises your own body heat to keep it in. There are also thermal blankets and linen available. Use these instead of heaters.
Insulate. Insulating your home is one of the best ways to keep warm. Double-glazed windows keep heat in for longer as does sealing your roof with cellulose fibre. Walls and floors can also be insulated to retain heat.
Beds and bottles. I love my electric blanket and find it works far better to warm up a bed than a hot water bottle. These need quite a bit of electricity, so switch it off as soon as you get into bed and buy a power-sensitive electric blanket.
Hot water bottles are marvellous, but require heating an entire kettle of water. Try an electric hot water bottle, which uses minimal electricity and only 15 minutes to warm up.
Kettles. Boil only the amount of water you need. Kettles use a lot of electricity to boil.
Implement these and start reaping the benefits of comfort, as well as your monthly electricity bill.
And share a hug! There's nothing like giving your beloved spouse or little one a cuddly hug to warm you and your heart.
Hayes is the editor of SA Home Owner, a sister publication of Sowetan
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