The petrol price is slowly easing its way lower and, in time, food inflation will fade. But one cost that is not going away is the cost of energy. Yes — we’re looking at you Eskom. But there are ways we can manage that bill lower.
Another saving is when washing clothes; most machines default to washing at 40° and unless you have kids getting really dirty that is overkill. Reducing to 30° or even just using the water as it comes out of the tap is a saving. One hack that seems counterintuitive is to make sure your freezer is full . But a half empty freezer is cooling a lot of air whereas a full freezer means less air and more already frozen goods, requiring less energy all round.
Another hack that seems odd is if you have a ceiling fan in the room. They are naturally great for cooling in summer, but they can also be used in reverse during winter. The fan is usually run clockwise, pulling air towards the ceiling and pulling in cooler air to the lower part of the room. But if it also runs “backwards” or anticlockwise, as many do, you’ll send the warmer air near the ceiling downwards, helping to warm the people below. Keep the speed low so as not to create a breeze.