Don Boroughs, of Victory Park has managed to reduce electricity consumption in his house by 75% with a saving of about R20 000 per year.
According to him, this achievement was not the result of one magic silver bullet, but of hundred small changes in your home or business. Speaking to Sowetolife Mag Online, Boroughs said, he was driven by the concern about the impact of coal burned to make electricity, air pollution and climate change.
“There are a few major changes that have had the biggest impact, relating to hot water, heating, lighting, pool and appliances. These include a solar geyser in conjunction with a Geyserwise timer, which sets different temperatures for different hours of the day, and a reliance on a wood-fired closed-combustion fireplace and gas heating. LED lighting is used throughout, and a variable speed pool pump which uses a fraction of the power of ordinary pumps.”
Explaining how he achieved this feat, he said: “The changes included installing a solar geyser, reliance on a wood-fired closed combustion fireplace and gas heating.
“These changes in our home included the extensive use of LED lighting throughout the house and a variable speed pool pump which uses a fraction of the power consumed by ordinary pumps.”
Boroughs further revealed that he also liked saving money. “I mostly made investments in energy efficiency that I knew would pay for themselves and save me money on electricity.”
He advised people planning to follow in his footsteps to find more information on www.mygreenhome.org.za and www.greenerhouse.co.za.
Did you know?
The winner was the finalists in the Eskom eta Awards which since 1985 have honoured and rewarded individuals and corporates who came up with innovative projects aimed at reducing energy consumption.
The history of the Eskom eta Awards.
The Eskom eta Awards were established by Professor Dieter Holm and Johann Basson, whom both had been running a successful energy efficiency competition prior to the Eskom eta Awards.
They started the competition because they knew that South Africa was habitually very energy inefficient.
Who can enter?
Anyone is eligible to enter, except for Eskom staff and previous winners.
Prizes:
Winners pocket R30 000 and runners up R5 000.
