Municipal geyser project makes good progress

THE AbaQulusi Municipality and Eskom’s Geyser Control Project currently being implemented in Vryheid, Bhekuzulu, Lakeside and surrounding farms, to help manage electricity demand during evening peak time, is making good progress. The Municipality and Eskom have thanked residents who have already agreed to support the project and for the positive feedback and cooperation received from homeowners.

A total of 2,196 geyser control units has already been installed, and still approximately 867 units need to be installed to reach the intended target.

Home-owners were requested in February 2014 to join hands with the AbaQulusi Municipality and Eskom to help manage the electrical demand during evening peak periods – by participating in this programme aimed at installing geyser control devices (also called switches, receivers or relays) connected to their geysers, making it possible to switch them on and off remotely. The control units will be installed at no cost to the home-owners.

This Residential Load Management (RLM) project forms part of the AbaQulusi Municipality’s demand management initiative in the region.

The Municipality has to comply with national regulations that have been implemented since January 2012, which require municipalities to implement remote control technology controlling electrical loads, such as swimming pools and geysers.

Geysers account for between 30% and 50% of the electricity consumption in a household and this makes them an ideal starting point for electricity demand management in the residential sector. The main advantage of the load management system is that the relay system can switch the heating element off during peak demand periods.

The RLM project in AbaQulusi Municipality works as follows: a small control unit (relay) is installed next to or on the electrical distribution board (DB) in the home of the customer. This relay then switches off the power supply to the geyser between 6:00pm and 8:00pm on weekdays.

Nationwide Electrical, an Energy Services Company (ESCo), has been appointed by Eskom to implement the RLM programme in AbaQulusi Municipality. According to Nico Prinsloo, Project Manager from Nationwide Electrical, qualified technicians will visit homes until the end of March 2015 to install the remaining switches.

Home-owners are being assured that only approved, trained and competent technicians with ID cards from AbaQulusi Municipality, Eskom and Nationwide, will visit homes to install the relays.

Access should only be granted to contractors who display their identity cards.

Residents can contact the Call Centre on 086 122 8222 for more information, or at www.nationwideelectrical.co.za or www.eskom.co.za/idm.