By Kaya 959 News
Eskom has announced Stage 2 load shedding until Tuesday, 10pm.
Eskom said it was forced to implement load shedding due to the loss of 10 generating units at seven of its power stations at the weekend.
“Failure of three-generation units at Tutuka was due to loss of air compressors, a unit at Majuba was forced shutdown while another unit tripped,” Eskom said.
It said a generation unit at Kriel was taken down for a boiler tube leak. A unit was forced down due to a steam leak at a unit at Matla power station, while trips at a unit each at Medupi, Kusile and the Duvha power stations are being investigated.
“This represents a total loss of 6 044MW over this 24 hour period, bringing the total unplanned capacity lost to 16 118MW. Planned maintenance is 4 171MW,” Eskom said.
Reduce consumption
It urged the public to help us by reducing consumption while Eskom teams are working around the clock to restore as many of these units to service as soon as possible.
“We will communicate as soon as possible should there be any further significant changes to the power system. Eskom would like to apologise to the public for the inconvenience caused,” it said.
The South African National Energy Development Institute’s Barry Bredenkamp said South Africans need to look at ways to reduce power consumption and take pressure off the grid.
“As we head into winter, we tend to use more power. Now is the time to start thinking carefully about how we use electricity,” he said.
Bredenkamp said being cautious of consumer behaviour and implementing energy-efficient solutions are the main ways that power use can be minimised.
Bredenkamp has five key tips for saving energy in your home, and it all relates to appliance’s usage.
Rethink your lighting
While turning off lights when you leave a room is a great habit, what about changing the lights themselves? Newer lighting technology such as LEDs have proved to be vastly more energy efficient than older bulbs.
Be cautious of how you cook
Microwaves sometimes have a bad reputation, but in fact they cook food quickly and more efficiently than a traditional oven – especially if your oven is more than five years old. Consider using your microwave rather than your oven, whenever possible. You could also get a gas stove or bring out the braai.
Use your water appliances wisely
If you have a dishwasher, use it. Handwashing a 12-piece dinner service by hand requires 2.5 kWh of electricity and 103 litres of water. The same load in a dishwasher will use only 1.05 kWh of electricity and 12 litres of water, while taking a fraction of the time.
“When it comes to washing clothes, use a 40°C wash cycle rather than 60°C. “This offers a 30% electricity saving. Even better, you can save another 20% of power by skipping the pre-wash cycle,” says Barry. Furthermore, let clothes dry naturally rather than tumble drying,” he said.
Keep that fridge cold
There’s a lot you can do to ensure your fridge is running optimally, and reduce your household energy consumption. Importantly, the seals of fridges and freezers must work properly to ensure no warm air gets in and your appliance doesn’t have to work overtime to stay cool. Also remember to defrost your freezer regularly, as ice build-up prevents the freezer from operating efficiently and try to limit opening-and-closing the fridge too often.
Think before you buy
Home appliances are ever-improving, as manufacturers strive to play their part in reducing climate change. Added to that, minimum energy performance standards and associated labelling help consumers make better purchasing decisions.
Bredenkamp said when purchasing new appliances, ensure that they carry the Energy Efficiency label, preferably rated with an A-rating.
“That’s not to say you must rush out and replace everything in your house – just keep the label in mind, next time you need to replace a household appliance,” Bredenkamp said.
