Be a superhero and save electricity

Winter is here and the municipality is worried that residents are going to push their electricity usage over Eskom’s Notified Maximum Demand (NMD).

“As the winter months are approaching, Emalahleni Local Municipality is concerned about the significant rise in consumption on the electrical network and consumer behaviour,” said the municipal spokesperson Mr Lebo Mofokeng.

The municipality urges residents to use electricity sparingly.

The utility giant is just waiting for the municipality to exceed the NMD, then they will slam them with additional charges.

Eskom said it is necessary to implement NMD because the impact of a sudden spike in demand on the electricity network, and Eskom’s ability to effectively deal with the increase in demand, can put the electricity supply at risk and result in supply interruptions.

This comes with the risk of power outages, which are not only inconvenient but could harm customers connected to that specific line of supply.

Mofokeng said energy demand increases during peak periods between 05:00 and 09:00 and again between 17:00 and 22:00.

“During this time the municipality is appealing to consumers to use electricity conservatively by switching off non-essential appliances as well as heaters and geysers to normalize the loads on the network and to prevent unnecessary power outages caused either by tripping or faults caused due to overloading on the network.”

Although the municipality clamped down on illegal connections, it still is a huge headache.

“The rising number of illegal activities in eMalahleni such as illegal connections either in kiosks or by-passing of pre-paid meters is causing the already-strained power grid to become unstable and lead to damages to equipment such as cables, transformers, bundle conductors and overhead pole conductors. Such instances would then transgress into extended power outages and compromise the electricity supply system integrity to the communities of eMalahleni,” Mofokeng said.

Several hotspots have been identified and Mofokeng said these activities could lead to load reduction of various areas where these activities are taking place to bring about electrical supply stability.

Mofokeng said with the Eskom bill skyrocketing into R5 billion it is now critical that the community work hand in hand with the municipality to use electricity sparingly.

Eskom shared a few tips on how to keep cosy without wasting energy this winter:

• Dress for the weather this winter. Try to wear more layers of clothing as the temperature starts to dip.
• Get cosy under a blanket, get a few throws for your living room, grab a hot water bottle, pull on some thick winter socks, and grab a cup of hot chocolate before turning on your heater.
• An electric blanket can melt even the iciest night and they are surprisingly energy efficient. You can make it even more energy efficient by turning it to its highest setting for a few minutes, then turning it off for the night, just before getting into bed.