Electricity Saving & Loadshedding Friendly Appliances

As South Africans we all fit into some sort of electricity category, are you suffering through load shedding being totally switched off for a few hours a day, are you one of the few who have managed to get some kind of battery system going or are you one of the very lucky ones who is totally off the grid?

Which ever one you are you will be keen to know how appliances can help you and make your life just that much easier and save electricity as well.

Starting with the house that gets turned off.

Of course the first thing to get would be the gas hob, make sure it can be started with a match, most hobs can but there are a few that can’t. I also like to recommend looking at the kilowatts of the burners. If you like to fry things then you would want a hob that has a 6kw burner like the Siemens ER9A6SD70Z – https://metelerkamps.co.za/product/siemens-5-burner-gas-hob-90cm-er9a6sd70/

People often think that gas is hot but in fact the opposite it true. Typically you have four burners and they can equal as little 5700watts total or be as much as 8000watts. Ask your sales person to help with what is best for your style of cooking.

We are being asked to quote on gas ovens but if you can’t have it connected to the electricity then it is not a good idea. All ovens are made in Europe where the idea of no electricity is absurd. They all have cooling fans and if the fans can’t run then don’t use it.

Never forget that most modern ovens will have a start and end time function which makes it easy to have a meal ready when you get home. Assuming that the electricity isn’t off during the day. Eish.

Lastly a cordless vacuum means you can vacuum whenever you want, with or without electricity. We love the Bosch BCS611P4A  https://metelerkamps.co.za/product/bosch-cordless-vacuum-cleaner-bcs611p4a/

Semi off grid? You have batteries but limited. Here you will start really looking at the power consumption of your appliances. A lazy way to do it is to assume that German products are all very much about their consumption. I always say to clients when explaining programs on laundry items, think ‘electricity is your biggest expense’ in Germany. The programs then become easy to understand. I always like to look at the consumption on an eco program, while it takes a long time it uses just about nothing and either saves you money or uses the sun so is free. The Siemens WM16XKH0ZA uses as little as 0,98kwh on a 10kg load washing at 60degrees on eco – https://metelerkamps.co.za/product/siemens-10kg-washing-machine-wm16xkh0za/.

The Bosch WAL28PHVZA uses 1.2kwh on a 10kg 60 degree load on eco – https://metelerkamps.co.za/product/bosch-washing-machine-wal28phvza/. Yes it takes time but time is free. I am semi off the grid and tend to use my delay timer for my machines to make the best use of the sun.

For quick cooking before the electricity is off or the batteries are flat then another win is a pressure cooker, stove top or electric, you can come home and whip something yummy and voila 40 minutes later you have a beautiful stew, cooked as if it was on the stove for hours and hours. Check out the Instant pot. An Airfryer can also cook your meal in a very short time using a small amount of electricity, the Philips is lovely as is the Instant Vortex.

Then a few pointers picked up, know how long your freezer keeps food safe in the event of a black out. All freezers will give that spec, can you believe that the Bosch KGN86CI306 will store your food safely for as long as 30hours, although keep your door closed of course – https://metelerkamps.co.za/product/bosch-fridge-freezer-kgn86ci30z-inox/

Appliances don’t like the spikes in the voltage when the current is switched back on so a pre box voltage regulator is a brilliant idea, not even expensive, ask your electrician for a quote. I had a customer experience a 400+ volt explosion after load shedding, flames actually few out his USB sockets, true story.

Then I simply have to finish off the blog with the best buy of all, a warm, cosy, carbon neutral, romantic closed combustion fireplace. Metelerkamps sell a wonderful range and better yet we also have our own installation team. Ask us for a quote today, happy load shedding.

Barbara Mabin, Head of Sales