Eskom plans ahead for winter

With the coming cold winter weather on its way and the resultant increase in electricity usage, Eskom kicked off their winter plan this month which will run until the end of August this year.

Eskom spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe said, “We have already started to ramp down planned maintenance and ramp up energy availability for the expected winter peak so that we will have sufficient capacity to meet demand whilst we still conduct the required maintenance on our power station units.

“Weekend opportunity maintenance [when demand for electricity is lower] will be maximised to ensure plant reliability and sustainability.”

Phasiwe also had a few tips for the public to cut down on electricity usage which included using electric heaters that are controlled by thermostats. He also said, “Electric blankets are the cheapest way of warming the bed but don’t keep them on throughout the night. Turn your electric blanket on for an hour or two just before bed to heat it up and switch it off.”

He advised to only heat rooms that were going to be used, and to insulate ceilings and make sure that there were no gaps that let cold air into the house to improve the efficiency of the heater.

Other ways of reducing electricity demand include:

•  Never leave appliances such as TVs, computers and radios on standby mode as this still uses up to 50 percent of the electricity that the appliance would normally use.
•  Switch off lights in unoccupied rooms and replace incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps.
•  Take a shower instead of a bath (a shower uses a lot less water) –consider installing an energy- and water-efficient shower head.
•  Also remember to unplug cellphone chargers when your phone is fully charged.