{"id":151618,"date":"2017-05-16T10:07:12","date_gmt":"2017-05-16T08:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/?p=151618"},"modified":"2017-05-16T15:37:13","modified_gmt":"2017-05-16T13:37:13","slug":"six-ways-stretch-electricity-budget-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2017\/05\/16\/six-ways-stretch-electricity-budget-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"Six ways to stretch your electricity budget this winter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Many cost conscious consumers who have converted to prepaid electricity to cut their energy bills, are still spending excessively in winter.<\/p>\n<p>Shadrack Palmer, chief commercial officer at FNB Service Provider said FNB customers spent on average 12 per cent more on prepaid electricity purchases during the 2016 winter period than the period after.<\/p><div class=\"stream-item stream-item-in-post stream-item-inline-post aligncenter\"><\/div>\n<p>This was subsequent to a 9.4 per cent average price increase in April 2016.<\/p>\n<p>This year, the national energy regulator has approved a 2.2 per cent average price increase which was implemented on April 1 for Eskom direct customers and will be effective from July 1 for municipalities.<\/p><div class=\"stream-item stream-item-in-post stream-item-inline-post aligncenter\"><\/div>\n<p>Following on the increased usage trend during winter and the increased tariffs, Eunice Sibiya, head of consumer education shares six tips on how consumers can lower their electricity bills this winter.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Lighting<\/strong> \u2013 always use energy efficient lights and avoid switching on lights in rooms that you aren\u2019t using at night.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gas <\/strong>\u2013 consumers that use gas heaters and stoves can reduce their electricity bills substantially in winter. Although converting to gas may require a large investment initially, consumers will save in the long term.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Geyser <\/strong>\u2013 the bulk of electricity in most households is consumed by geysers, especially in winter when it is much colder. Installing a geyser timer to manage consumption during peak times can help consumers to save.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Refrigerator <\/strong>\u2013 old freezers generally use more electricity than new ones as they work harder to maintain cool temperature. Consider servicing or replacing your old fridge to save on electricity costs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Appliances on standby mode <\/strong>\u2013 appliances that are not completely switched off and remain on standby mode such as your TV, hi-fi, decoder and microwave, collectively consume a lot of electricity at the end of the month.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pool <\/strong>\u2013 cover your pool in winter when you are not using it as pool pumps and filters use a lot of electricity to keep it clean.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cWith electricity costs continuing to increase, it has become imperative for consumers to continuously look for practical ways to reduce their consumption. Any form of saving can go a long a way\u00a0 in helping everyone cope in these tough times,\u201d said Sibiya.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Other articles you may be interested in:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/feat\/winter-beauty-tips\/\">Winter beauty tips<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/149284\/nine-must-know-tips-secure-home\/\">Nine must know tips to secure your home<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Have a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor)<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/wp-admin\/germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za\">germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za<\/a><\/strong>, Leigh Hodgson (journalist)<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"mailto:leighh@caxton.co.za\">leighh@caxton.co.za<\/a><\/strong><span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>or Puleng Sekabate<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"mailto:pulengs@caxton.co.za\">pulengs@caxton.co.za<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Remember to visit the Germiston City News on the following social media platforms:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/germistoncitynews\/\">Facebook<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GCNnews\">Twitter<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/germistoncitynews\/\">Instagram<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCblgxW6BRXTLGLQvpcumLqA\">YouTube\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Or add the GCN on<span class=\"apple-converted-space\"><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/span><strong>WhatsApp 079 406 1181<\/strong><span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>or\u00a0<strong>BBM (BBM Pin: 7F102137)<\/strong><span class=\"apple-converted-space\"><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/span>today, to get all the latest news.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Catch-up on more local news with our sister newspapers<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/bedfordviewedenvalenews.co.za\/\">Bedfordview Edenvale News<\/a><\/strong>,<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/albertonrecord.co.za\/\">Alberton Record<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/kemptonexpress.co.za\/\">Kempton Express<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"stream-item stream-item-below-post-content\">\n<div class='tenancy_slot tenancy_slot_1 jannah_ad' style='display: none;' data-query-id='fa43c45c58cbfa01625cd5968572d2f3'><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Use electricity wisely in winter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":151619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"hasGravity":false,"cxt_article_byline":"Germiston City News","cxt_disable_google_ads":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,2],"tags":[1373,14599,6207,979,969,2734,2395,3519],"class_list":["post-151618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","category-news-headlines","tag-electricity","tag-electricity-saving-tips","tag-fnb","tag-germiston","tag-germiston-city-news","tag-melissa-hart","tag-tips","tag-winter"],"amp_enabled":true,"category_labels":{"Category":"News","SubCategory":"Local news"},"tag_labels":["electricity","electricity saving tips","fnb","germiston","germiston city news","melissa 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