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South Africa is faced with the threat of blackouts this winter as domestic electricity usage peaks - and the City of Cape Town has urged everyone to reduce energy consumption by between 25 and 40 percent.
On Wednesday the city launched an energy-saving campaign and said mid- to high-income energy consumers would be paying more when new electricity tariffs are introduced, if they were not reducing electricity consumption.
Eskom wants major cities to save up to 10 percent of energy this year, to avoid blackouts.
City director of electricity services Leslie Rencontre said households that use more energy would pay more when the electricity price hikes are implemented in July.
He said the campaign targeted households that use more than 450 kilowatts a month.
“If you use more, you will pay more,” Rencontre said.
Mayoral committee member for utility services Clive Justus said efficient use of electricity was important because of the steeply rising electricity tariffs and the medium-term shortage of South Africa’s electricity capacity
“The need to reduce operating costs, the cost of inefficient energy use to the economy, the risk of future load shedding and ever increasing carbon emissions all add up to the urgent need for a concerted effort to improve our electricity efficiency in Cape Town,” Justus said.
The first electricity tariffs are going up by about 20 percent in July. Head of energy and climate change, Sarah Ward said there were a number of reasons the city was calling on residents to save electricity.
“We have had cheap electricity in the past and people are not yet used to being energy efficient.
“A 25 to 40 percent reduction by mid- to high-income households would make a considerable difference as residential electricity consumption is responsible for a massive 43 percent of the total electricity consumption in Cape Town,” said Ward.
The city said it had spent considerable time researching what residents can do to save electricity.
There are no-cost actions, like turning the geyser thermostat down to 60°C.
That will enable residents to save at least 5 percent on their electricity bill.
Investing less than R1 000 on an energy efficient showerhead and a geyser blanket will save more and investing in options like solar water heating and ceiling insulation will save the most.
Doing all of these will save residents 50 percent or more on their electricity costs - and add value to the property.
Ward said the city had put a range of initiatives in place to encourage energy efficiency.
An energy efficiency forum was set up for large commercial and industrial electricity consumers to provide managers of offices, shopping centres and hotels with practical knowledge on energy-efficient solutions.
Public lighting and traffic lights were being retrofitted to be more energy efficient.
The city is undertaking energy efficiency retrofits on some of its largest buildings, namely Durbanville, Fezeka, Ottery and Plumstead Civic Centres, Ward said.
On Wednesday, the Energy Department said consumers were unlikely to face further electricity tariff hikes to recover an estimated R30-billion needed to upgrade distribution infrastructure.
The deputy director-general for electricity, nuclear and clean energy, Ompi Aphane, said the department had four potential ways to fund the desperately needed overhaul of outdated supply networks.
These were a national levy or municipal surcharges, private partnerships, development funding, potentially from the World Bank, and tariff adjustments.
“We are looking at all these options, and the World Bank is keen to facilitate any of them,” he said.
Reports following a briefing by Energy Minister Dipuo Peters to Parliament’s portfolio committee on Tuesday, that the department was considering imposing a levy that could send tariffs soaring beyond the annual 25 percent hike, were misleading
Aphane stressed that only the finance ministry had the power to impose a levy.
Any increase in tariffs to recover the money would be minimal, and would not affect the poorest.
They are shielded from the full effect of the yearly 25 percent increases over three years that came into effect last year. - Cape Times
xolani.koyana@inl.co.za
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Butterfly, wrote
I just want to know one thing!? Once they have got thier 30 Billion recovered will the electricity tarrifs come down as all these measures will be saving us half the electricity so will we then pay half the price again? NOT!!!!
Anonymous, wrote
What are the electricity increases for? To raise R 3 billion for the turbine and generator that Eksdom allowed to run into overspeed and eventual destruction in Witbank in February? A new turbine and generator will take 18 months to arrive in SA, so you had better stock up on candles and baked beans. More blackouts on the way, for sure.
Abdullah, wrote
I stay in Century City and a lot of the time it is very windy. There are many lampposts in the roads and even on the N1 highway, which also experiences heavy winds at times. Wouldn't it be efficient to attach wind turbines to these lamp posts. With all the wind in these areas the energy produced could be added to the electrical infrastructure.
Ringmaster, wrote
Only those who actually PAY for electricity will be directly affected. Also, unfair discrimination is to be implemented. If I live alone and use 449kW per month, it's OK, but if my neighbour has 4 children and house his parents and uses 500kW, he is penalized even though each person uses less.
Anonymous, wrote
Why do we only seem to here about this when its time for tarff increases? Are we stupid in Eskoms eyes? As soon as tariff increasses are approved they go quiet. Has anyone asked whether the tariffs will decrease once all the new power stations are built seeing that the increase are only there to fund thier construction?
RD, wrote
Leslie Rencontre is a moron (im the mildest of terms). EVERY HOUSEHOLD that has a geyser WILL be using more than 450KWh every month. So in other words they are saying that we are penalised for having hot water. I have already changed ALL the lighting inside and outside of my house to energy savers. I installed a gas hob 3 years ago. 2 years ago I changed my heaters to gas as well. I cannot afford to install solar geysers. How the hell am I supposed to save 25-40%??? To make matters worse the morons do not take into account how many people live in the house. My pensioner parents and youngest brother moved in last month so obviously my consumption has increased. How the hell can they expect a household of 4 to use the same amount of electricity and water as a household of 7? Or am I supposed to impose a limit on how many cups of tea my parents can drink? Or how often they should wash or do washing? Also all 7 of us shower instead of using a bath. This policy is incomprehensibly stupid. Here - take your stupid badge - you've earned it.
No Forward Planning, wrote
Ag don't worry!!!! We won't plan ahead we will just let the user (who by the way is paying for the service) have black outs. 3rd World country with 10th World country ideas.
Tammy, wrote
More electricity price hikes? What nonsense is this ESKOM.
Anonymous, wrote
when is there going to be competition for eskom
Anonymous, wrote
If only Mbeki and that silly woman Phumzile had listened to Eskom all these years they would not have stopped the spend on infrastructure. She was too busy using the taxpayers money flying her family to Dubai for a holiday, or sorry she went to see how the cranes work, the mampara. I wil say it once again, the ANC cannot even organise a piss-up in a brewery. Vote them out soon.
Fura, wrote
I urge all resident to fit geyser timers in their homes. This contributes a saving of 25% to 35% of energy. Since I fitted my house with this instrument, my electricity has reduced dramatically. It costs about R200 and about R300 to R500 to fit. In two months, you recover all the costs through savings.
james, wrote
So where all the companies get huge discounts for using lots of energy subsidised by us we are now going to be punished for using lots of power why arent they punished as usually when you use more you get bulk discounts
kenny, wrote
Whenever they want to justify increases they bring on scare tactics like rolling blackouts.A few years ago they did this. What has changed since then.Have they put up new power stations?? Maybe if they tighten their belts and stop wasting money on staff perks and fancy refurbishings they might have more money.They can also stop taking on excess staff to fill their 'Quotas"of PDP's who sit around and do nothing all day.
David, wrote
Eish!Kom is a state utility, of course they want an increase, this is how the ANC rips us off. As far as I'm concerned they should be disbanded and someone thats actually capable of supplying our demand needs to be appointed
Anonymous, wrote
Aah,hear we go again. Eskom wanting to rip us again. Will this be a topic for every year now. Surely no one like paying high tarrifs and we are really trying to cut costs by reducing the energy usage. It seems nothing is ever enough with this power hungry giant. Bomphenya shilo.
DVW, wrote
Why did you not set that image up so that people could click on it and read it.
Steven, wrote
If we disconnect all the illegle connections the people who pay will not have to reduce anything!!! Wake up Helen, I voted for you now show you not like the ANC. Get rid of all the leaches and support the people who actually pay for their services.
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