Cut your power bills by half

Dec 02, 2002

THE reduction of electricity tariffs by the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company(UEDC) is barely significant and the fact that electricity is costly still remains

By John Bigyemano

THE reduction of electricity tariffs by the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company(UEDC) is barely significant and the fact that electricity is costly still remains.

We curse UEDC when the power goes off in the middle of cooking or our favourite soap opera, because we cannot do without them. The following tips will help you cut your electricity bills by half.

It is worth noting that the cooker, kettle and electric iron are some of the biggest consumers of domestic power. These are closely followed by ovens, dishwashers and washing machines. At the bottom of the list comes radios, hi-fi systems, televisions and lighting.

The cost of electricity is charged in units and it is fairly easy to calculate the consumption of the appliances we use in our homes accurately.

Domestic helpers may do all the ironing and cooking, but they do not pay the electricity bills, so do not let them decide how much power your household uses. Look at the meter regularly to help you monitor how much power you use before the bill comes, most likely with a disconnection order.

It is cheaper to do all the family ironing once a week, for example, than to iron one or two items daily.

If you use a water heater, switch it on for one hour as close to bathing time as possible, so that the family bathes soon after. This eliminates the effect of cold water entering the heater and individual family members switching on the heater, whenever they please.

Do no fill the bathtub with hot water, it is cheaper to take a shower instead.

It is also cheaper to heat water in an electric kettle than in a saucepan on the cooker or hotplate.

If you need only one cup of coffee, don’t fill up the whole kettle, but do put some of the hot water in a flask in case you want another cup of coffee later on.

Although domestic lighting does not use up a lot of power, it is usually a significant source of wastage. Fluorescent bulbs may cost up 10 times more than ordinary bulbs, but they last about five times longer and reduce your power consumption by about 90%. Use sensor lights for security lighting outside the house, as these come on automatically when there is any motion in the compound.

Ensure that fridge and freezer door seals are in good condition and do not keep the doors open longer than is necessary, or put in anything hot.

Use pressure cookers to cook things that take long to get ready such as dry beans and peas.

Microwave ovens are far cheaper to use than the cooker ovens.

These energy saving measures if adhered to will help reduce your monthly bill by a significant amount.

The writer works for the Uganda Consumer Protection Association.

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