Making ends meet: Clean your fridge plus other household tricks to save electricity

The coils at the back of your fridge cool the air down, but they can’t do so efficiently if they’re coated with grime. Picture:RawPixel/Freepik

The coils at the back of your fridge cool the air down, but they can’t do so efficiently if they’re coated with grime. Picture:RawPixel/Freepik

Published Jun 30, 2022

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People are constantly looking for ways to save money or to make their money stretch over a longer period of time.

Did you know that by making small changes to how you work with your appliances can save you money and electricity.

Here is how you can make those changes:

Clean your fridge

Did you know that a dirty fridge uses extra power? The coils at the back of your fridge cool the air down, but they can’t do so efficiently if they’re coated with grime. To reach the coils, unplug your fridge, pull it away from the wall and gently brush off any dirt and dust on the coils.

By cleaning the exterior coils, people can reduce energy use by up to 30%. It is important that the coils are cleaned at least once a year.

Washing machine

When doing laundry, choose cold-water cycles and air dry clothes instead of using an energy-sapping tumble-dryer. Only wash when you have a full load, a principle that can also be applied to dishwashers.

Avoid these energy guzzlers

With electricity prices on the rise, people are looking at other ways of reducing the amount of electricity you use and your geyser is a good place to look, says Matthew Cruise of Hohm Energy.

You can switch to LED bulbs or change the timer on your geyser so it only heats up when you expect to need warm water, he said.

“A geyser can account for 40% to 60% of your electricity bill each month. By installing a geyser timer, you can regulate that the geyser is off during peak times,” Cruise says.

A geyser blanket will maintain the heat in your geyser, so that it does not need to be switched on as often.

Unplug appliances and electronics, and on chilly nights opt for an electric blanket rather than using a heater in your bedroom.

“A heater uses four times as much electricity as an electric blanket,” he says.

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