Rolling blackouts at higher stages could not have been implemented at a worse time.

Parts of the country is experiencing a drop in temperatures with some provinces, including KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, also getting some rainfall…and even snow!

One moment we were on stage 2 and the next thing power utility Eskom announces that due to the grid being under severe pressure, load-shedding would be moved to a higher level.

On Sunday, we woke up to stage 6 with Eskom chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer warning that high stages will continue throughout the week until sufficient generating units are returned to service.

Eskom announced on Monday that we would move to level 5 at midnight. Not much of a difference as some areas experience power outages lasting up to four hours at a time.

Despite this, the power utility wants customers to pay 30% more for electricity.

While we all feel helpless and wonder if the energy crisis in the country will ever be resolved, there are ways we can reduce our electricity consumption and save some money.

SA National Energy Development Institute (Sanedi) general manager for energy efficiency & corporate communications Barry Bredenkamp says: “Energy efficiency remains the easiest and least-cost way to assist and it has multiple other benefits. It will save households and businesses money…”

Insurer Dialdirect head Anneli Retief says: “By all indications, load-shedding is going to be with us for a while, but a proactive approach to home and road safety, as well as having comprehensive insurance cover in place, goes a long way in mitigating the risk and keeping you and your loved ones safe.”

Here some of the most effective low-cost solutions:

• Go for gas alternatives – Not only will you be able to take a hot shower during load-shedding but you will also be able to cook or warm up your food. Having cold dinner is not nice. A gas heater will also help keep the house warm;
• Cooking a lot of food could help save on electricity costs as you will be using less power to make more meals;
• Get a fireplaces for those cold winter days and nights;
• Insulation of roofs, windows and doors to keep houses cooler in summer and warmer in winter. This can be done by using the latest materials at relatively high cost or simply by using newspaper to seal gaps. Eskom estimates that an insulated room requires 51% less energy to heat up;
• Water heating. A geyser uses 39% of the electricity consumed in an average suburban home per month. Solutions to reducing the amount of electricity used range from switching off the geyser at times when hot water is not required to installing solar water heating at considerable cost but with long-term savings or simply being mindful about the amount of hot water you use;
• Switching off as much as possible without impeding your ability to do what you must do;
• A single 100 Watt incandescent bulb uses 90% of its electricity to produce heat and that you would need at least 50 watts of air conditioning to maintain the room temperature when this single light bulb is switched on. Move to energy efficient lighting such as LEDs to not only reduce your electricity bill, but also by switching them off when you don't need them, help the country towards avoiding load-shedding.

mashabas@sowetan.co.za