During the utility’s quarterly update on the state of the power system, Eskom’s acting CEO Colin Matjila said the utility was prepared for winter and had implemented plans to prevent load shedding.
Matjila said this winter was likely to be very similar to last year’s but the risk was always significantly increased during extreme cold fronts, especially when these occur during the week. He said the public would have to use electricity sparingly because the system remained strained.
“The system continues to remain tight and vulnerable this winter – meaning that any shift on the power system could result in a shortage of supply.”
Matjila said maintenance on its generating plants would continue during winter but this would decrease in June.
“There is expected to be sufficient plant [output] to meet the demand during the day, while the challenge exists over the short sharp evening peak,” he said.
The period from 5:30pm to 6:30pm faces the highest demand but the utility urged all its customers to achieve a 10 percent electricity savings between 5pm and 9pm daily.
The utility provided some tips for keeping warm while minimising electricity consumption:
- Dress warmly and opt for hot water bottles and gas heaters to avoid using electric heating.
- Install ceiling insulation to ensure that heat does not escape from the home. An insulated room requires 51 percent less energy to heat up.
- Draw all curtains in the home which helps retain heat.
- Close the doors of rooms that are not being used to minimise the living space that needs to be heated.
- Avoid using under floor heating which is costly and wastes electricity, as a lot of heat is lost under the home.
- Use heaters with a thermostat that regulates the temperature by automatically switching on and off, and doesn’t overheat the room.
- When using an electric blanket, preheat the bed and switch the blanket off when getting into bed. This reduces electricity consumption and the risk of electrocution. The heat created by the electric blanket will be maintained by a person’s body temperature once in bed.
