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How Much Electricity Do I Use?

Why should you want to know how much electricity you use every day?

  • You will become energy conscious.

  • If you know that your building consumes 30 units per day, you might want to ask: Where is it going? This question will give an invaluable opportunity to evaluate how you are currently consuming power.

  • The next question might be: What can I do to reduce this number? Energy conservation will certainly help. Is it possible to maintain your standard of living and conserve energy at the same time?

  • Efficient use of energy will help to lower your consumption. The use of LED lights, class A fridges, solar geysers etc. will make a big difference!

  • Make an effort to learn more about energy and how to use it wisely and efficiently. Ultimately it will not only benefit your pocket but also our Planet!

  • See How to Save Electricity for more detailed information.

WHEN YOU REDUCE YOUR POWER REQUIREMENTS YOU WILL BE REWARDED WITH A LOWER ENERGY BILL EVERY MONTH!

How to determine your daily energy consumption?

If you are currently using energy that is provided by Eskom or your municipality, there will be an electricity meter installed somewhere. Whether a prepaid meter or an older revolving disc meter, do the following to establish your daily energy usage:

  • Write down the number on your meter at a convenient time, say in the evening after work.

  • At the same time the next day (24 hours later), write down the number again.

  • Subtract the two figures from each other.

  • The number you are left with is the amount of units or more correctly, kilowatt-hours (kWh) that your household has consumed in a 24 hour period.

  • This number is the amount of kWh that an independent solar electric system would need to generate every day.

  • If you keep a daily record, you will be able to see the effect of energy conservation techniques. You will even be able to measure the consumption of specific appliances. For instance, switch off the pool pump for 24 hours and see how much lower the number will be!

  • The lower you can get your daily consumption, the lower your electricity bill , the lower the initial investment cost of a solar electric system to suit your requirements.

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What number to expect? What number to aim for?

The national average daily consumption for a typical household according to Eskom is over 30 kWh. Way too high in my humble opinion! My personal house consumes less than 3 kWh per day! We have many clients who are happily living with solar systems producing anything between 3 – 36 kWh per day. Of course larger systems are possible for specific applications.

 

You can download the spreadsheet below if you want to calculate your daily energy requirement. Download and complete the form below and email it to us for analysis and further feedback:

Energy analysis DIY spreadsheet

THE COST OF A SOLAR ELECTRIC SYSTEM IS DIRECTLY DEPENDENT ON YOUR DAILY ENERGY REQUIREMENTS!

THE LESS ENERGY YOU REQUIRE, THE LOWER THE COST OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM YOU NEED

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