How to keep your electricity bill low this winter

Winter is coming, bringing new challenges for South Africans who are trying to keep their electricity bill low.

This is because colder weather leads to behaviour that can significantly raise your electricity usage -including increased heating and lighting, and electricity-intensive cooking of “comfort” food.

This will be compounded for many households which are still coming to terms with Eskom tariff increases or are facing municipal electricity hikes in July 2024.

Thankfully, LookSee – a Standard Bank initiative that helps South African households live more affordably and efficiently – has identified several opportunities to minimise the impact of increased electricity usage this winter.

We unpack these opportunities, below.

Insulation

Due to South Africa’s warm climate, which lasts most of the year, many local homes have sub-par insulation.

This is a problem because the less insulation your home has, the longer and harder your heater will need to work to keep your home warm.

Roof insulation is a particular issue in South Africa, as research shows that on average, 35% of a South African home’s heat enters and exits through the top of your house.

To solve this issue, you can install professional insulation measures in your roof and ceiling for long-term efficiency, says Marc du Plessis, executive head of LookSee.

It is important that the materials used in your roof or ceiling abide by the appropriate SANS regulations – both for safety reasons, and to ensure you are getting a product that will do the job properly.

Another way to increase your home’s insulation is by targeting your doors and windows, which account for 10-15% of heat loss. This can be done by adding sealer strips to your doors and windows, investing in double-glazing glass and using heavy curtains to prevent the cold from entering your home and the heat from escaping through your windows.

Geyser

The focus on insulation should also extend to your geyser, says Du Plessis, as a geyser wrapped in a specialist geyser blanket uses less electricity to warm up your water and keep it hot.

On average, water heating comprises approximately 40% of the average home’s electricity bill, which means any reductions to the amount of electricity your geyser uses can significantly affect your monthly electricity bill.

Of course, the best way to save money on water heating is to power your geyser with solar energy.

LookSee offers a geyser conversion that allows you to keep your existing electric geyser, but power it with three of four dedicated solar PV panels.

Because you get to keep your electric geyser, a geyser conversion has a much lower capital cost and longer lifespan than installing a new solar geyser, making it attractive to South African households.

LookSee’s data shows that, in almost every standard scenario, buying a geyser conversion kit through a LookSee loan will start saving you money from day one.

This is because the savings you will experience on your electricity bill will almost always be higher than the monthly cost of the loan.

For example, a 3-panel system for a 4-person home in Cape Town that is currently using post-paid electricity billing would, on average, experience the following:

• Monthly loan repayment (5-year loan) – R524
• Estimated electricity savings per month in year one – R901
• Difference in year one (per month) – R378 savings

In the same example, the estimated savings over 10 years based on predicted electricity price increases would be approximately R135,810.

It is clear, therefore, that installing a geyser conversion kit in South Africa a no-brainer.

Solar power

A solar conversion for your electric geyser is a great starting point, but a full solar system should be your end goal.

This is because removing your entire reliance on the Eskom power grid is the best way to protect your home from the impact of rising electricity tariffs.

When installing this system, there are several things you should consider relating particularly to winter.

Firstly, there will be periods of the winter season with less hours of sunshine.

You should account for this with more solar panels if your goal is to be able to power your home completely off the grid.

The impact of less sunshine during winter is also important when investing in a battery.

If your panels generate less electricity, you must have enough storage capacity in your battery to navigate these periods.

While a large battery may feel like overkill during the summer season, you will be grateful for this investment during winter.

Even with a solar system installed with a large battery and enough solar panels, you should still take steps to make your home more energy-efficient during winter.

This will reduce the load on your system and its components, thereby maximising your investment in solar.

LookSee’s Solar Loan is a great way to buy a solar system with low interest rates ensuring an affordable monthly payment.

Click here to learn more about LookSee’s Solar Loan.