Vampire appliances are called vampires as they still use power even when they are switched off at the wall socket. When some appliances are switched off and go into standby mode, they still can consume power and could contribute to quite a substantial portion of power bills. 

It is important to remove your appliances altogether once they have been switched off – in other words, pull the plug out of the wall when you switch off your television set, your computer and if you have a charger for your laptop or for your cell phone, remove these from the power as they still consume energy even when not plugged into the device. 

Did You Know… 

• As much as 20% of your entire monthly electricity bill could account for vampire appliances 
• Vampire power is also referred to as standby power 

This Is How Vampire Power Works 

• Every electrical cord that is plugged into a plug socket consumes energy and pulls the electricity out 
• Many modern electrical devices are equipped with sleep and standby modes – your computer is a good example 
• When appliances are in sleep or standby mode, they are using power 
• Power is used to connect remotely, record data and to update information One of the chief causes of energy leaking is as a direct result of advanced technology and modern technologically advanced devices 
• Did you know that your device can still receive signals from remotes to power your device on at any given time even when your device is in sleep or standby mode? 
• The power that is regularly available has been designed to respond instantly when needed 
• Technology is great but it can cost you dearly  
• Most offices and homes have devices that consume vampire power as they come equipped with standby options 

This List Will Tell You Which Appliances Are the Biggest Vampires 

• Your computer equipment such as your charger, modem, router and all PC’s including your desktop and laptop 
• Satellite and other TV-related boxes 
• TV’s that are in “instant on” mode. The bigger the screen of your TV, the energy it will consume 
• Sound systems  
• Your microwave, clock, and other electrical household appliances 

It Is Easy to Spot an Energy Vampire 

• When an electrical appliance has a continuous display such as a clock or it includes LED then this will be in all probability be a vampire appliance  
• If an appliance has a remote control it will continue to consume energy even when it is unplugged from the wall 
• When an appliance charges batteries, it will consume energy when it is switched off at the wall 

The best way to save power and avoid appliances and devices from consuming energy when you are not using them is to unplug them from the wall and remove the plug entirely. This is especially pertinent to chargers, video games, and cell phone chargers. A smart idea is to use power strips that will turn off numerous appliances including TVs, garage door openers, microwaves and computers as well as other electronics. Turn off printers, computer equipment, and routers in the home office or the office when not in use. Some electrical devices that have an on and off button are almost identical in the use of power. Printers are a very good example as they use almost the same amount of power when switched on or if in standby mode. 

Many of us are working from home due to the lockdown situation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and it seems as though many of us will continue to do. Even when the lockdown is a distant memory when life eases back to being as normal as possible, the lure of experiencing no traffic and hours spent commuting, plus no expensive rentals will keep many businesses working remotely. 

The problem with working online is that many of us tend to open numerous files, documents, save things that we don’t need or use plus we tend to download apps that seem exciting at the time but soon become redundant. 

Do you receive so many emails every day that you feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start? You are not alone if this is the case. 

When the lights go out… 

The reality is that the lights, too, will go off as soon as we go back to work and begin with the running of our businesses. Once the lockdown eases off the utility will start to feel the strain as Eskom has not resolved the issues and challenges that they experienced before lockdown. 

Clean out your phone and your PC at the end of each day to ensure your tech does not bog you down when the lights go out. This way you won’t lose valuable information or work that you need to access at a later stage. Save everything you can on the cloud to make your life easier when we once again experience unpleasant load–shedding. 

For those of you who work in a chaotic environment, it is high time to take the initiative to clean out your tech and declutter your office space. It’s not only your environment that could do with a thorough cleaning out of unused items – your tech is just as guilty! Furthermore, cleaning out your cache regularly will speed up your systems. 

Cleantech, a tidy office and an organised space result in a clear mind which will lead to being more productive. Make clutter and chaos a thing of the past regardless of where you set up office and ensure you are armed and ready for the first load–shedding rollouts. 

PHD Powerhouse supplies generators, power supplies, voltage stabilisers and more that will ensure you continue working.

Many of us have been forced to work remotely from home as the lockdown continues, and even as the lockdown starts easing off, businesses from many sectors are continuing in this vein. Working remotely although challenging at first, is great for saving time, money and encourages staff members to be self-disciplined. 

It does, however, cost money to run a home office and could make an impact on utility bills if you continue to do so. There are, however, numerous ways to ensure you save money on your power bills and living a green lifestyle at the same time. 

Here Are Ten Smart Things to Do When Working from Your Home Office 

• Use a power strip. Some devices continue to consume energy even when they are switched off – switch off the power strip and everything will switch off automatically 
• A laptop uses far less energy than desktop computers plus they are portable which is convenient 
• Replacing your standard lightbulbs will improve your energy efficiency and they will last up to 25 times longer. Energy–efficient light bulbs use up to 80 percent less energy than ordinary bulbs 
• Use as much natural light as possible as this will cut your lighting in half 
• Task lighting is a great idea should you need more than natural light. Desktop lamps and track lights are a great idea 
• Only use energy-efficient heating during the winter months or find a sunny spot to work from 
• When leaving the home office always put your computer on sleep mode as this will conserve energy, and if you are leaving for longer, switch your modem and computer off entirely 
• Boil the kettle once a day and use a flask for your tea and coffee – it works wonders and saves a fortune on your energy bill 
• If you are in the process of upgrading any electrical devices, now is the best time to invest in Energy Star Devices as they use less energy than your standard models and will increase the productivity and efficiency of your home office 
• Printing should only be done when it is essential. Wherever you can, use paperless and file all your files in the cloud. It is efficient, neat and will save the environment on many levels 

It’s the little things that make the biggest difference in the office when it comes to saving energy. Grow shrubs around the windows of your home office to shield your windows from the harsh summer sun and invest in awnings or window treatments that will cut back on air conditioning systems, fans, and other heating and cooling devices wherever needed. 

It is not difficult to improve efficiency in the home office. If you follow the above tips you will be able to maximise the energy efficiency when working remotely from home. PHD supplies generators, power supplies, voltage stabilisers and more that will ensure your home Office is more energy efficient

Keeping your lights on is what matters exponentially. This is perhaps what will matter most once normality resumes after the lockdown period has ceased and life goes back to being normal in a sense. Although most of us realise that “normal” will not be quite what it used to be, especially for many small to medium–sized enterprises, it is still important to keep doors open and revenue flowing. 

Our power utility is not under pressure at present, but before we know it everyone will be back at work and power usage will go up, especially with the cold winter months staring us in the eye. And yes – the dreaded load shedding will be part of our lives once again. 

Get prepared and arm your business with smart devices that will keep the power on and protect all delicate equipment from brownouts, black–outs, surges and dips. These can all play havoc on data, delicate devices and other equipment or electrical machines that you have in the home office or the office, factory, retail outlet, restaurant or any other place you call your work environment. 

Additionally, summer will soon be left behind, but before long the summer storms will be back in full force and intense lightning strikes can be expected that will wreak havoc on your electrical equipment, ranging from computers to land lines. 

You Have a Couple of Options to Keep those Lights Burning Regardless – Here’s How 

UPS Systems 

PHD offers the widest range of UPS Systems in South Africa which include Line UPS Systems, Online Double Conversion UPS Systems and Rack Mounted UPS Systems 

Surge and Lightning Protectors 

PHD offers a range of Surge and Lightning Protectors including Household Surge Protection (perfect for home offices and those working online), DB Board protection and Office Surge Protection 

Inverters 

Inverters from PHD include Pure Sine Wave Inverters and Modified Sine Wave Inverters 

Batteries and Battery Backup Systems 

PHD supplies UPS Battery Cabinets, Battery Backup Power and Battery Backup Systems 

Solar Panels 

These include Solar Panels, Solar Connection Boxes, Solar Regulators and Home Solar Systems that are perfect for the home office or for those that work remotely from home. 

Your small or medium enterprise needs to keep the doors open when the power goes out. PHD supplies generators, power supplies, voltage stabilisers and more that will ensure you continue operating no matter what the grid decides to do. The only challenge is choosing the right one for your business. 

Electricity prices are continuously going up. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that many wine farms of all sizes are turning to other ways of getting power for their farms, Renewable power generation, especially the power generated from solar photovoltaic is becoming increasingly popular. 

The whole of the continent of Africa enjoys plenty of sunshine throughout the year – this is according to the SA Department of Energy. Solar radiation globally is in the region of 220W/m2 for South Africa compared to other places that have only in the region of 150 W/m2 (the USA) and in the region of 100W/m2 for the UK and Europe. As the stats indicate – South Africa is one of the spots with the most sunshine in the world. 

The wine industry in South Africa boasts a long history of making as little impact as possible on the environment. 

It should come as no surprise that many wine farms throughout South Africa are installing Solar PV technology on their estates to create sustainable energy resources and to become less dependent on the power grid whilst reducing their carbon footprint.  

Many wine farms and wine farmers are keen on implementing conservation in their farming methods – solar power is one step further and makes sense. Winemaking consumes plenty of electricity and if this can be controlled with savings made in this area of wine production, then this money could be put to other, better use. 

As prices for electricity from the grid spiral out of control, it has become a matter of urgency for wine farms to turn to renewable power generation – particularly where solar photovoltaic is used to reduce the costs of power from the grid. 

Until quite recently, exorbitant costs of PV panels made it an expensive exercise to install solar PV – this was the case with most industries including the wine industry. Over the past couple of years, there has been a marked reduction in the cost of solar modules and are now more affordable to implement. 

The potential savings of solar plants will generate substantial amounts for wine farms – this applies to all winemakers, including the smaller farms.  

As with all businesses, wine farms need to save money, and with the right energy solutions for farms of all sizes, solar will hedge the costs against any future electricity increases. 

H2 – Why should wine farms switch to and embrace solar? 

• With solar energy, you will be able to protect your wine farm from any increases in the foreseeable future when it comes to increases in utility prices 
• Installing solar on your wine farm will allow you the opportunity to make a difference  

• Installing solar means that you can reduce your energy costs for running your farm 
• Solar enables you, the wine farmer, to reduce your carbon footprint 
• Become independent and powerful by not relying on an unstable power grid 
• Become a beacon of environmental responsibility by installing clean power to use on your farm 
• By implementing an environmentally friendly brand consumers will have confidence in your brand 

• There are definite tax benefits with installing solar 
• Solar is used for borehole pumps 
• Quality is maintained as power is not compromised 

Tax benefits for installing solar on your wine farm 

To qualify for tax benefits from installing solar – all machinery, implements and utensils need to be owned by the taxpayer claiming for deductions. These can also be under credit arrangements 

These machines or implements are brought to the taxpayer for the first time 

These machines or implements are being used by the taxpayer in the generation of electricity from renewable energy resources 

A taxpayer is permitted a deduction of costs of the asset producing electricity at 50% of deduction costs in the first year of use, 30% in the second year and the rest in the 3rd year of use. If the system produces less than a megawatt then the taxpayer will be permitted a 100% deduction in the first year of use. 

Renewable energy is the obvious way moving forward with consumers driving the market for sustainable wines. It is only a question of time before the wine industry is driven entirely by the sun.