‘Why do malls need full lighting at night?’ – Malls respond

DEAR Editor,-

I refer to the many articles and letters appearing in the SCH regarding Eskom’s load-shedding.

We recently made an arrangement to see a movie at Shelly Centre, but this was cancelled later on in the day because the centre was scheduled for load-shedding that evening; however, we decided to go anyway and try our luck. As it turned out, there was no load-shedding and so 3 couples in one cinema enjoyed an excellent film.

The point of this story is threefold: 1) The theatre lost nearly all its business that evening because those who phoned to check were told there would be scheduled load-shedding that evening and Eskom is so useless it can’t even follow its own scheduling;

2) when we left the cinema around 7.45pm, the whole centre was ablaze with lights and, though long since shut, every shop had enough lighting inside and in display windows to light up Durban for days. The Southcoast Mall was exactly the same and everything was closed except for three restaurants;

3) my suggestion would be that Eskom, in conjunction with HCM, set up a dedicated telephone number within our municipal area which anyone, including businesses, could call to get last-minute updates on scheduled load-shedding?

Homeowners are constantly being told to switch off this, that or the other, to save power and yet businesses and mall management at Shelly Centre, the Southcoast Mall and many others make absolutely zero effort to reduce power usage.

What possible explanation can there be for mall shops to need full lighting at night? Imagine how much power would be saved if they reduced lighting left on overnight.

CHLÖE DUTTON

Umtentweni

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SOUTHCOAST MALL RESPONDS:

DEAR Editor,-

Southcoast Mall is cognisant of the issues regarding the lack of electricity supply in South Africa and is doing everything possible to adhere to the requests put in place by Eskom. However its first priority is the safety and security of tenants and shoppers.

All common areas have energy-saving lights, saving in excess of 25 percent of consumption. All ablutions, geysers and air conditioners are turned off in the evenings, after restaurants close. We do ask our tenants to leave only enough light for security reasons in the evening. Similarly, with the car park, lighting is vital to keep patrons safe.

REDEFINE PROPERTIES

Southcoast Mall

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SHELLY CENTRE RESPONDS:

DEAR Editor,-

Shelly Centre management has discussed the concerns raised and has the following comments and historical background to shed some light on the current situation with regards to electricity usage in the Shelly Centre.

The Shelly Centre was built during a time when load-shedding was not an issue. Therefore the electrical wiring was installed in such a way that unfortunately lights cannot be switched off in certain sections of the building without negatively affecting crucial building equipment and machinery.

When load-shedding commenced in 2008, certain light bulbs were removed to save energy, however this attracted complaints from after-hour customers saying it was now too dark inside and the lights were duly reinstated.

In 2013, centre management consulted with Eskom regarding the centre’s power consumption and after a comprehensive assessment by them and at their advice, replaced the mall downlights with energy-efficient bulbs.

As part of the centre’s current refurbishment, we are, amongst other energy efficient equipment, installing low energy LEDs throughout the common areas, as well as rewiring the entire centre, so that going forward, we will be able to switch off sections of lights as required.

Lastly, just to touch on your reader’s comments regarding our tenants’ electricity usage overnight, only front display areas are lit at night, unless of course staff are working behind the scenes, after hours.

We would like to reassure both our shoppers and your readers that we are very aware of the severity of the situation in which we find ourselves with regard to national load-shedding and are making every effort to ensure we consume as little energy as possible.

SHELLY CENTRE MANAGEMENT