Five ways to keep your tech swag despite high electricity tariffs

By Laju Iren 

The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress have been kicking against it all week, but many Nigerians who are already feeling the bite of hike in electricity  charges imposed by the ministry  of power, works and housing. You’re most likely too busy hustling for your daily bread to embark on any protests, but here are some ways  to make this new development easier on your pocket: 

Energy saving bulbs Some might argue that Light Emitting Diodes, LED, bulbs are the next best thing since instant noodles. And they would probably  be right. LEDs are extremely  cost effective and consume 90 percent less power than incandescent bulbs. 

Rechargeable, rechargeables Except you’re a millionaire in dollars, you have absolutely  no reason not to own a few rechargeable lamps and fans. Save yourself tones of money by investing in rechargeable devices, especially those that don’t require much power to recharge in the first place. For bigger organisations, it might pay you in the long run to go solar, although this might require a bulk of initial investment 

Stalk your meter Despite talk about metres being given aware for free, many distribution  companies are charging as much as N5,000 per house for metre installation. Since your metre is costing you so much, you might as well get the best out of it. Study your meter. Find out which appliances take up more units and use them sparingly. It goes without saying that you should put off appliances when they are not in use.

 Opportunity cost There was a time when it paid to cook with your electric stove so that you could save cooking gas or kerosene. That era just might be over now. Figure out what should be the foregone alternative when it comes to choosing a power source for specific tasks. Know your limits Desperate times call for desperate measures. Discipline yourself to know when it’s time to put off the air conditioner, or when you’ve had enough television time.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/02/five-ways-to-keep-your-tech-swag-despite-high-electricity-tariffs/