MICHAEL CURRIN | Energy saving initiatives will help us navigate through winter

We are in winter and the demand for electricity has increased. As a scarce resource it becomes even more precious, thus increasing the need to save energy to get us through this challenging period.

If everyone plays their part through energy saving initiatives, we can navigate smoothly through the cold dark winter days. Ultimately, we want everyone to adopt an energy saving lifestyle, as highlighted by National Energy month, which is observed annually in May to create awareness about energy efficiency and conserving energy to keep the lights on.

Government is supporting the country’s energy saving initiatives through a Demand Side Management programme that seeks to reduce energy consumption during peak periods, typically between 5pm-9pm. 

The programme has the potential to save 1,500MW, which is equivalent to one stage of loadshedding. This will help relieve pressure on the national grid and lessen the chances of higher stages of loadshedding.  

We can practice energy saving during high demand periods by switching off all non-essential lighting and non-essential appliances. These include geysers, air conditioners, space heaters and pool pumps, which place a high-energy demand on the grid.

One of the biggest energy users in our homes is the heating of water. In an average home water heating consumes the highest amount of electricity. One of the most effective measures is to reduce your geyser temperature to 60°C. By doing so, you can save between 3% to 5% in heating costs for every 10-degree reduction.  

You can also save water and electricity by taking a shower instead of a bath.  Replacing older shower heads with modern energy efficient ones, which use half as much water will save water . Heat pumps are also more energy-efficient than conventional electric element geysers.

Households are encouraged to cook using gas and switch to energy efficient light bulbs. Compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) use one-fifth to one-third of the electricity and last eight times longer. Businesses and commercial operations can also switch to energy efficient lighting as this accounts for 18% of the electricity consumption in the commercial sector and 26% in the industrial sector.

Further energy saving initiatives are reducing the use of air conditioners, heaters and electric blankets as they consume high amounts of electricity.

Instead of using heaters and electric blankets to keep warm, you can dress warmly. Also allow natural bursts of winter sun to warm your home during the day and keep the cold air out at night by ensuring curtains and windows are closed. Gaps around doors can also be sealed to prevent cold air from entering in and rugs can be used to keep the home warm.

Your actions will go a long way to assist the country in overcoming our energy challenges.

While we all play our part in saving energy, government is actively working to reduce the severity of loadshedding in the short term and achieve energy security in the long term through the implementation of the Energy Action Plan.

As part of the plan, government is also implementing wide-ranging reforms to enable private investment in electricity generation and accelerate the procurement of new generation capacity from solar, wind, gas and battery storage.

Beyond this immediate crisis, there are signs of progress with additional generation capacity through the Independent Power Producers and embedded generation is expected to exceed 9,000MW when it comes online over the next few years.

Our real power lies within every South African taking the necessary action today to save energy. Through a simple flip of a switch we can ensure more people have access to this precious commodity during the winter period.

Michael Currin, government spokesperson and GCIS acting director-general