This article by Simon Gear first appeared on the MoneySmart website (www.moneysmart.co.za) in Jan 2012.

One of the most illuminating things you will ever do in the management of your home is to take the time to fill out an energy calculator. Give it a bash. For South Africa, the best option is likely the one on Eskom’s website: http://www.eskomidm.co.za/calculators. It isn’t rocket science, but it does require you to have a wander around and look at what it is you actually have in your house. Such is the abundance of the lives that we live that just being forced to take stock every now and then can lead to startling realisations.

We took our house through one of these online audits and realised that we had an external geyser that used to feed an outside room. Without anyone living there, this little geyser had been gainfully heating water for no purpose for two years. Further rummaging turned up outside lights that could use a change to more efficient bulbs (and, to be honest, a bit of a clean) and a gutter that needed a lick of paint and a well-placed nail. The last had nothing to do with the energy audit, but it is amazing what you see when you’re forced to look.

Get your kids involved. Once you have peeled them away from the Wii, I’m pretty sure they would rather enjoy the challenge of counting how many light bulbs you have. This last reduced a wealthy mate of mine to near tears. He discovered that his smart new mansion contained 174 light sockets, which meant that every three days, somewhere in his house, a bulb needed changing. He would lie awake at night imagining his multi million rand palace decaying around him.

Once you have completed the audit, you suddenly have a blueprint for how to start greening your house. And by greening, I really mean, making it more efficient and cheaper to run. The first thing you will notice is how ignored and un-regarded your geysers are. Set at the wrong temperature (anything other than 55) and left un-insulated, they are the most energy hungry parts of your home. Compared to your water heating requirements, getting the kids to switch off lights when they leave the room looks futile. Together with the geyser, heating your home in winter and running your pool pump probably account for three quarters of your energy use. And all of these aspects can be radically improved with little or no investment.

So harness up the kids, issue clipboards and get on with a thorough audit of your house. You will be identifying areas to save money on your biggest investment and you’ll be teaching your children more about the real world than they will learn from any number of hours watching Hannah Montana this December.