Save electricity, we’ll show you how: Eskom
Eskom has again urged South Africans to save up to 10% of their electricity usage, especially during peak periods, from 5pm to 9pm.
The group ‘s plea was delivered in a System Bulletin on Monday (13 May) as the power utility intends on performing unavoidable maintenance on nine power generation units between April and August.
Eskom has guided the public to a brochure which provides tips on how to save electricity.
“Reducing your household electricity consumption by 10% may seem a bit overwhelming at first. But if you follow the steps in this brochure, you’ll find out just how easy it is to save electricity with very little effort,” it said.
Eskom electricity uses
Eskom’s system status bulletin is released twice a week in line with its commitment to regular and transparent communication on the power system, “which is expected to be constrained for at least the next two years,” it said.
Eskom said it continues to make progress with its programme of planned maintenance but the system remains tight.
“We urge all South Africans to partner with us to save 10% of their electricity usage
especially during peak periods, from 5pm to 9pm. This will make it significantly easier to
manage the power system during this challenging time, while also enabling us to do
planned maintenance to ensure the reliability of our plant,” it said.
Gas a game changer
Speaking at the African Utility Week conference in Cape Town on Tuesday, Eskom CEO Brian Dames said that gas can be a “game-changer” for South Africa in the power sector
He said Eskom was particularly aware of the deficit in access to electricity, and that there was a growing role for gas in the country and in the sub-Saharan region.
“It is a lot less carbon intensive than fossil fuels, and some of the cleanest fossil fuel,” he said.
“Gas infrastructure is also cost-effective and quick to construct, and so we see gas, both natural and unconventional gas, as a potential game-changer for South Africa and for the region, in terms of providing a cleaner energy mix going forward.”
Dames said energy efficiency was also an “important game-changer”.
“If looking at a more sustainable future, the investment in energy efficiency is much cheaper and more immediate than investment in new power generation.”
He said energy efficiency could be just as effective in ensuring power utilities balanced the supply and demand needs of an energy system.
According to Dames, Eskom had saved around 3000MW on the national grid since 2005, through special initiatives.
It had installed over 55 million compact fluorescent lightbulbs and more than 330,000 solar water geysers nationally.
(With Sapa)
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