Broadcasting
10 Ways to Slash Rising Electricity Costs
Across Africa, the cost of electricity is on the rise. Compounded by inflation and other economic pressures, this puts additional strain on consumers
“With households already feeling the pinch, proactive measures to manage energy usage are essential to not only save money, but electricity too,” says Dr Andrew Dickson, Engineering Executive at CBI-electric: low voltage.
Below, he shares 10 ways that people can do this by using smart home technologies to monitor, control and automate electrical appliances:
- Knowledge is power: Understanding how much electricity your most commonly used appliances consume is the first step towards more efficient energy use. Many smart home technologies can track energy consumption, helping to pinpoint areas where you might be able to save.
- Keep loads low: The load management capabilities of some home automation systems can help users ensure that only one heavy load-consuming appliance is switched on at any given moment, thereby ensuring optimal energy distribution.
- Set limits: Users can specify the operating duration of appliances, like running the geyser for two hours to save electricity while also ensuring a hot bath.
- Schedule appliance switch-on: Many regions have peak and off-peak hours when electricity costs more. Smart tech can help consumers schedule appliances to run during off-peak times whenever possible to save money. This can be done at specific times and on particular days.
- Curb consumption in colder months: Electricity is more expensive during winter due to the high demand that results from using heaters, electric blankets and underfloor heating to keep cosy. Smart home devices could be used to determine when these appliances switch on as well as for how long. And while it can be hard to get out of bed on those icy winter mornings, a timer could be set to switch on a heater so that your bedroom is warm even before you wake up.
- Environmental intelligence: Many of these technologies can react to environmental conditions such as weather or the setting and rising of the sun, enabling them to automatically switch specific loads on or off under these conditions. So, if a rainy day is detected for instance, your irrigation system can be preprogrammed to not switch on. This not only saves electricity, but water too, which can lower the total of your bill.
- Remote control: Worried you left a device switched on? Smart home technologies allow users to turn connected appliances off from their smartphone and/or tablet from anywhere in the world. You can also use this capability to switch items on. To illustrate, you could turn your lights on before you get home from work in the evening.
- Don’t just standby: When in standby mode, electronic goods like microwaves, computers, televisions, coffee machines, gaming consoles and even garage door openers can consume more electricity than when they are in use as they are only active for relatively short periods. While the obvious solution would be to unplug all non-essential appliances when inactive, smart home tech lets users switch off any items that are pulling power unnecessarily.
- Incorporate renewable energy sources: With the adoption of rooftop solar steadily increasing across the African continent, smart home technology enables the effortless integration of these alternative power sources. For instance, the tech could be used to connect and disconnect from the grid as well as to ensure that the power produced by solar PV systems is used effectively and efficiently.
- Avoid additional expenses: To protect appliances from voltage fluctuations that could result from power outages, users can set a minimum and maximum ‘safe operating voltage range’. If the voltage is unstable, the technology will monitor voltage levels and only allow power to the appliance once this is within a safe operating range.
“Contrary to popular belief, homeowners won’t need to rewire their homes to enjoy the benefits of smart home technologies. Devices like smart plugs, isolators and controllers can easily be installed by an electrician without the need for additional wiring or hubs,” points out Dr Dickson.
He concludes by saying, “With the cost of living set to increase over 2024, now is the time for Africans to put the power in their hands and save in areas that they can control.”
Broadcasting
Why your business needs unified data analytics for growth and success
By Kehinde Ogundare, Country Head, Zoho Nigeria
Most business leaders will agree that data analytics is a strategic necessity today. Without access to comprehensive data and effective ways to interpret it, organisational decision-makers may find themselves relying solely on intuition while navigating unfamiliar roads in the dark. Gut-based decisions can occasionally lead to success, however, those wins are often more coincidental than a reflection of true strategic insight.
More than 90% of the businesses derive benefits from data analytics strategies
A robust data analytics solution enables businesses to transform raw data into organised, actionable insights across numerous functions. They can span CX—helping personalise interactions based on an analysis of individual preferences and behaviours, growth strategies—allowing teams to identify distinct customer segments basis emerging deal patterns, post-sales support—enabling quick response times by analysing ticket allocation systems and discerning gaps, and so on. It’s no surprise, then, that nearly 92% of organisations reported measurable value from their data and analytics investments in 2023.
Unfortunately, many organisations fail to derive full value from their data analytics strategies. One of the reasons for that is analytics systems not having a full view of what’s happening across the company owing to data silos.
Information silos can affect the quality of data insights
There are numerous reasons why an organisation can end up with fragmented or siloed data, but a key factor is the existence of different tech platforms across various departments. Use of disparate tools for different functions can lead to decentralised management of data. For instance, while the sales team might know how many units of a product a customer has purchased, they may have no visibility into how quickly the customer pays their invoices or how many interactions they’ve had with marketing and communication collateral before making a purchase.
There are other data issues that businesses face too. Among them is poor data quality. This can be caused by manual data collection practices that often yield inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and redundancies. Poor data quality forces businesses to spend a lot of time and resources on cleaning up, which further prolongs the analysis process. The best approach to solve these issues is to digitalise and unify data sources with the right tech platform that interconnects all departments.
The right software matters
Fortunately, with the right software, achieving a unified view of data becomes much simpler. Effective data analytics software will bring disparate data points together and make analysis easier. To do this effectively, the software should provide native integrations with a diverse array of data sources, including local files, feeds, databases, and business applications.
Beyond that kind of integration and unified view, what should organisations look for in business analytics software?
First, it should be accessible to all users—whether they are business users, data analysts, data engineers, or BI specialists—ensuring ease of use and value for everyone. The software should also offer pipeline builders, be compatible with other forms of software, support streaming analytics, deliver real-time insights, and provide unified metrics.
In addition,the software must evolve with a business’ changing data analytics needs. This means supporting features like generative AI analytics, predictive AI, and machine learning capabilities. The ability to trigger actions based on alerts and pipelines, connect to niche business apps, and integrate multiple BI and data analytics tools will further enhance its benefits.
Ultimately, the software should demonstrate clear value by reducing manual effort and streamlining processes, handling large datasets efficiently, and delivering cost and time savings.
The data’s there; now bring it together
Given the clear benefits that good data analytics software offers businesses, embracing it should be a no-brainer. Most organisations already sit on a treasure trove of data; it’s simply not being put to effective use. A unified data analytics software can change that by bringing together disparate data points and providing a consolidated view with actionable insights. Implemented correctly, those insights can supercharge a business’s growth trajectory.
Broadcasting
King Shipping Felicitates with Aluo, NNL Chairman as He Bags Sports Administrator of the Year Award
A leading shipping company in the country, King Shipping Trading Maritime Services Limited has congratulated the Mr. George Aluo, chairman of Nigerian National League ( NNL), on his nomination for the Sports Administrator of the Year Award by the Imo State Chapter of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria ( SWAN).
In a congratulatory message he personally signed, the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of the company, Bob Chukwuma Hyacinth, the company described Aluo as a Sports administrator per excellence whose nomination for the award did not come as a surprise to anyone. ”
The award to Mr. George Aluo, is well deserved and did not come to us as a surprise considering the various transformation he has brought to the country’s second tier League within a short period of time of being n charge of the league. ”
As he receives this award, we urge him not to relent in his efforts at making the NNL a household league in the country but to see it as a call to more meritorious service to the country”, concludes the statement by the company whose operations covers Ship Chandelling, Ship handling and repairs, supply of Diesel, commodities , beverages , shipping logistics, clearing and forwarding. Meanwhile, the company has also congratulated the wife of the Managing Director Mrs.Loretta Bob-Chukwuma on her birthday.
In a congratulatory message, the CEO described her as his pillar of success and prayed that God Almighty will continue to clothe her with garment of blessing, and good health ” I also want to use this occasion to congratulate my wife who is a year older today.
She has been the pillar of my success and I pray that the Almighty God will continue to bless her, clothe her with garment of blessings and good health as well as give her long life and prosperity to celebrate many more years in good health.”
Broadcasting
Northern Broadcasters Sue Arewa 24, 7 Others over Licensing
Board of Trustees of the Northern Broadcast Media Owners Association (NBMOA) has filed a lawsuit against the broadcast company Arewa 24 Limited and seven other entities, alleging they are operating without proper licenses.
The case, set for hearing before Justice Omotosho at the Federal High Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), lists the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Council (FCCPC), MIPAN, MultiChoice, StarTimes, and ADVAN as defendants.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Alhaji (Dr.) Ahmed Tijjani Ramalan, chairman of the NBMOA Board of Trustees, highlighted concerns that the unlicensed operations of the defendants pose a threat to Nigeria’s established legal and competitive media landscape, impacting media owners and audiences nationwide.
Ramalan stated, “Our objective is to ensure a fair, regulated media environment in line with established broadcasting standards, while maintaining a commitment to the rule of law.”
The NBMOA affirmed its commitment to lawful broadcasting standards and noted that it would refrain from further public comments until the legal proceedings are concluded to respect the judicial process.
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s broadcasting industry are closely watching the case, as its outcome could have significant implications for media regulation and licensing across the country
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