Tip One: Monitor your energy consumption

In order to identify opportunities for saving, you need to know the amount of energy you are using and which of your appliances are using that energy. Monitoring your energy consumption is therefore key and can be done by taking an electricity meter reading at the same time daily or at intervals of 12 hours. For a more effective solution, you can also subscribe to the free energy audit conducted by Energy Savers Nigeria.

Tip Two: Identify energy saving opportunities in your base load

The energy consumed in a building when it is not in use is known as the base load. The amount of energy used at home or in the office at night or whilst everyone is away is the base load. The base load represents a great opportunity for savings that can be achieved simply by identifying a list of appliances that can be switched off by the last person to leave the premises.

Tip Three: Target your biggest energy users

It is important to identify what your main energy users are so that you can effectively focus your energy efficiency efforts in areas which you are likely to achieve the greatest savings. Once you have identified your main energy users, consider the various options available to improve energy efficiency in that area. In some cases it might be as easy as replacing less efficient incandescent light bulbs with LED’s or deciding to manually switch air conditioners and water heaters off when it is not needed. Once you have looked at the various options and considered the gains associated with the costs, you are in a position to decide which intervention to select.

Tip Four: Watch out for vampire appliances

Many appliances such as microwaves, chargers, TVs, decoders and music systems use power even when they are not in use. According to Eskom, appliances on standby mode use up to 50% of the electricity that the appliance would normally use when turned on. The so-called “vampire power”, also sometimes referred to as “phantom load” or “standby power” can have an impact not only on the amount of electricity a home or business uses, but also on its electricity bills.

Tip Five: Nominate an energy efficiency champion

It is important to institutionalize energy efficiency in your organization or home so that it becomes a part of your company ethos and lifestyle. The best way to ensure that there is an ongoing commitment to efficiency is to nominate a staff or family member to be your energy efficiency champion. This person will be assigned the responsibility of implementing and managing your programme to become and stay energy efficient. Their tasks will include recording periodic readings from the energy meter, setting energy monitoring targets, overseeing energy efficiency interventions and communicating with the rest of your staff or family members.

Tip Six: Involve everyone in the process of becoming energy efficient

Human behavior can have a significant impact on your energy use. Whilst some people are energy conscience, always switching off appliances which aren’t in use, others may happily leave for work on a Monday morning with all the lights and air conditioners on. It is therefore important to communicate your energy efficiency targets to everyone so that they understand the role they can play in helping to achieve these targets. Give them regular feedback on energy use as recorded from the energy meter and let everyone know when targets are or aren’t being achieved.

Tip Seven: Favour energy efficient products in procurement

While it may not be affordable to implement a complete energy efficiency replacement of all your lights and appliances, it is important to include energy efficiency as a procurement consideration so that over time you are able to slowly phase out inefficient equipment.

Tip Eight: Keep checking your energy use

It is important to continuously monitor your energy use, even if you aren’t planning any future interventions or have already achieved energy savings. Continual monitoring is the only way to pick up on unexpected increases in energy use. Such increases may be indicative of faulty equipment which has started drawing high amounts of energy or could highlight the need for a household training session on energy efficiency. Continual monitoring will help you identify when these problems arise so that you are always on top of your energy efficiency performance.