Nigerians have been dealing with consistently rising energy costs in the past two years, and homes and businesses need to become very creative to keep these costs low, especially in this economy where inflation is widespread.
For starters, how much do you think you get charged per kWh from your DisCo?
For those dealing directly with PHCN, we are seeing rates between NGN 56 – NGN 85, depending on your consumption band and what city you are in. The best way to keep track of this is to purchase standard amounts every time and take note of how many units you get each time. You may notice that the units you get for every subsequent NGN 10,000 purchase are reducing steadily. The DisCo’s are quietly increasing their prices, and not informing anybody again. In Oba Solomon’s voice, Ma di ra! Keep your eyes peeled on these PHCN bills.
The images below are a comparison of Eko Disco & Abuja Disco’s approved rates based on NERC’s Multi-Year Tariff Order.
Is this what you pay today? **crickets**
For those in serviced estates, we are seeing rates between NGN 110 – NGN 190 per kWhr. To these folks, we can only say “Oluwa a wa pelu ee”.
Let’s get a bit serious.
The question here is – how do you keep these costs low?
1. Install solar panels
Making good use of our hot climate by utilizing the free sun has become one of the surest ways to keep your costs low. Power directly generated from solar panels and consumed during daytime hours can be as low as NGN 43/kWhr. For APS customers that have integrated solar, and are placed on solar priority (depending on your inverter type), we have seen their monthly PHCN bills drop between 40-60% without any big effort on their part.
If you look at the image below, you will notice that the solar power covered all their consumption needs from like 9:30 am to 6:05 pm, though solar had been available as early as 7:00 am.
(Source: Data from our solar monitoring tool)
Rumours abound that petrol may go up to as much as NGN 750/litre when subsidy is removed completely. We cannot say for real what it will be, but you do not want to take chances. It is very likely that it will land at a minimum of NGN 300/litre.
If you can, purchase solar panels now. When you are looking for a place, ask the agent or landlord if you are allowed to install solar panels.
2. Plan your consumption
If you have solar panels installed, it would help to have heavy consumption activities carried out during peak sun hours (10:00 am to 3:00 pm). Depending on the overall size of your system, washing machines, air-conditioners, light baking should be done during these hours.
If you are using the sun for these activities, you are using the lowest energy cost in the stack and also offsetting future consumption for these specific activities from the grid or your batteries.
3. Don’t over-work your inverter batteries
Batteries are the most expensive component in the inverter-solar-battery stack, and as such you want to treat them as “fragile”. They also have the shortest life span, except if you have upgraded to Lithium-Ion – which can last you for 10–15 years if used well.
For instance, if you are using Flooded Lead Acid batteries, you should ensure to have a 25-litre gallon of distilled water on standby at all times. Also have a calendar for when to specifically check your batteries and top them up.
4. Purchase energy-efficient appliances
One of the most optimal ways to keep your energy costs low is by using energy-efficient appliances. When you move into that new home, ensure that you attack those spot lights in the PoP. You can get very bright 6W spot light. Do not settle for 40W. Imagine the differenced between 20 units of 40W spot lights and 20 units of 6W equivalent. More watts do not always mean brighter.
Your refrigerator is another area to tackle. Ensure to settle for refrigerators with inverter-V compressors. When they get really cold, they can ramp down to as little as 0 Watts. If you are still saddled with the old freezers, you can install a smart switch that can auto-regulate turning off the fridge or freezers at specific hours.
You can tell this switch to turn off your freezer and 9:00 pm and turn it back on at 4:00 am, especially if you are trying to save on battery power. And it can do this multiple times within every 24-hour cycle. Shop quality smart plugs that work.
In summary, it is important that you monitor your energy consumption and look for ways to become more efficient, if you ever intend to be one step ahead of the ridiculous increase in energy costs, especially for Nigerians.
All of these tips listed here are practical things you can start to act on today, but if you need more insights, as it relates to your use case, then you can email us at [email protected] or call 09085187351
To get a quote for a power solution, please fill this form, and we will get back to you within 24 hours.
Aspire Power Solutions is here to help you navigate the complexities of energy management with our wide range of solutions, from the solar-inverter-battery stack to energy-efficient appliances.
Don’t let rising energy costs get you down – take control of your energy usage today. A Better Experience Starts Here
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