CITY OF CAPE TOWN
24 JUNE 2020
MEDIA RELEASE
The City of Cape Town notes the Eskom power alert that was issued yesterday afternoon, 23 June 2020. Given this warning of Eskom energy supply being severely constrained due to power station breakdowns, it is important that households reduce energy usage immediately to reduce the risk of load-shedding. Read more below:
Traditionally, during the winter months, more electricity is used. Reducing household energy consumption not only helps with the pressure on Eskom’s supply, it is more climate-friendly and helps households cut electricity usage.
‘We don’t know what the remaining winter months hold in store for us. Energy supply is under pressure and we do not know if there will be load-shedding. Amid these uncertainties, we do have the power to reduce our usage, reduce the strain on the electricity grid and be more energy wise.
‘Being energy wise not only helps us in our fight to mitigate against climate change and avert a climate catastrophe, it also helps with household costs. Switch off the geyser, pool pumps and non-essential appliances and reduce your usage. Residents and businesses cannot afford an additional crisis on top of the COVID-19 crisis that we are already in. The City will communicate to residents about any potential or actual load-shedding as soon as possible, but often at short notice as the information is received from Eskom. The City is monitoring the situation closely,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy and Climate Change, Councillor Phindile Maxiti.
Adopt smarter energy use habits in the home:
Turn off the geyser and only turn it on an hour or two as required per day.
Turn the geyser down to 60°C. Turning your geyser down from 70˚C to 60˚C will see a 5% reduction in your hot water electricity bill.
Use less hot water.
Shower instead of bathing. You will save up to 80% in water and use five times less electricity than heating bath water if you take a short shower. Dry your laundry using sunshine where possible and try not to use the tumble dryer. For rainy days, use drying racks indoors. Replace regular bulbs with energy-saving ones such as LEDs that use six times less electricity. Seal gaps around windows and doors to keep heat from escaping and cold drafts from breezing in. When you switch off appliances at the wall, you could save up to 6% more electricity. Pull out the charger from the wall too, this adds to your savings. Use a stove plate that’s most similar to the size of your pot. An electric stove uses up to 40% of its heat when the pot is too small, which means you waste electricity. If you own an insulation cooker, bring your food to a boil then place it in there. The retained heat slow-cooks, saving up to 60% on energy. Use warm water bottles instead of electric blankets.
For more information on saving electricity and smarter living visit: https://savingelectricity.org.za
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Issued by: Media Office, City of Cape Town