Government has called on South Africans to use electricity sparingly, especially during periods of high energy consumption, typically from 5pm to 9pm, as part of demand-side management (DSM) initiatives.
The call comes after last week’s Cabinet meeting, which discussed, among other things, tools that can help the crisis-stricken power utility reduce power cuts.
Demand-side energy management measures have proved effective in reducing peak demand and promoting energy conservation.
Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the DSM target was to save about 1 000MW of power, approximately equivalent to one stage of load shedding.
She said the country had demonstrated this was possible during the 2010 World Cup. Lowering consumption reduced pressure on the electricity grid and saved households money, without affecting business productivity or quality of life.
“Cabinet calls on everyone to assist in saving electricity by using it sparingly while Eskom works with independent power producers to bring new capacity online,” Ntshavheni said.
“The aim is that collectively we must save electricity by switching off non-essential appliances, using gas to cook, installing energy efficient light bulbs and switching off appliances like geysers when not in use.
“Cabinet notes that a number of large customers are already participating in Eskom's demand-side management initiatives, and calls on all stakeholders from business, industry and residential customers to heed the call and join the demand-side management campaign.”
Last week, Eskom announced it would be ramping up its demand-side management initiatives in order to better manage the supply of and demand for electricity following the first national DSM Indaba.
The event saw collaborative proposals and solutions – around curbing electricity demand and ensuring consistent electricity supply in the short-, medium- and long-term – being presented and discussed.
Eskom unpacked its Demand Response and Distribution Demand Management Programme, which was launched earlier last month.
Eskom board chairperson Mpho Makwana said the DSM initiatives helped the power utility reduce pressure on the system during peak hours, giving consumers the opportunity to save on electricity bills.
“DSM is not a South African concept. It is a global phenomenon with the best-in-class countries already using technology to manage demand,” he said.
“The array of policy measures to incentivise demand-side participation, promote energy conservation and reduce peak demand can be replicated in our country.”
Makwana said some of Eskom’s larger customers had benefited from demand response programmes, which offer incentives to voluntarily reduce their energy consumption during peak demand periods.
He said this was a mechanism used by Eskom to minimise the stages of load shedding, or to avert the implementation of load shedding where possible.
“DSM programmes can be more effective through a collaborative approach. I’d like to acknowledge and thank our large customers who are participating in Eskom’s DSM initiatives,” Makwana said.
“We’d like to encourage and invite all stakeholders – from businesses, industries to residential customers – to come on board.”
Meanwhile, Eskom implemented various stages of load shedding between Stage 2 and Stage 4 over the past long weekend as some 16 283MW of capacity was unavailable due to breakdowns, coupled with a further 5 065MW unavailable due to planned maintenance.
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