Government declares war on power wastage

[Slooth]

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20080126091723506C947555

Stop supplying the ***** bruda's in Zim with free electricity. Always the tax paying citizens that are left to makes amends to the ***** goverments short commings.

[ToxicBunny]

Government has another damn thing coming if they think the average household is going to bend over and accept this without fighting. I think they've pushed the citizens too far this time.

[daveza]

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20080126091723506C947555

Very very disturbing.





By Louise Flanagan

Throw away your old high-energy light bulbs, get solar water heating and prepare for the municipality to cut off your geyser and washing machine in peak hours - the government has declared war on power wastage.

And it has a plan.

The government is rushing through new regulations so that emergency power rationing - a key part of its plan - can start within months.

Two weeks after widespread load shedding and a day after the national power grid hit critical strain and had to shed 4 000 megawatt (MW) in a hurry, ministers Alec Erwin and Buyelwa Sonjica announced a power conservation programme that includes voluntary and mandatory power savings.

"The unprecedented, unplanned power outages is a national electricity emergency that must be addressed with the urgent, vigorous and co-ordinated actions commensurate with such a situation," said Erwin.

The new incentives and penalties will be part of the Electricity Regulation Act.

"These regulations will be ready for public comments by Wednesday," said the ministers in a 20-page document outlining their crisis-management plan.

Quotas are being drafted to save total electricity demand by 10 percent.

To reach this, industry must cut use by 10 percent; residential users by 10 percent; agriculture by 5 percent; commercial business, large office buildings, government, municipal and electricity offices by 15 percent; and hotels, resorts, shopping malls and conference centres by 20 percent.

Hospitals, security installations, essential services and other "special cases" will be exempt.

Possible penalties for going over quotas include punitive tariffs and cut-offs for repeat offenders. Those who save will get incentives and large consumers can trade in their unused quotas.

Incandescent lights will be replaced by more efficient compact fluorescent lights. The government wants to get a million solar water heaters into homes, institutions and businesses, with subsidies of 20 percent to 30 percent depending on the cost of the units, which can be R7 000 to R20 000.

Housing laws will change so all new houses must have solar water heating with electric geysers as a back-up, and switches to stop geysers and stoves being on at the same time. Insulation for ceilings, geysers and windows will be required.

Smart meters will eventually be rolled out, allowing Eskom and municipalities to switch off remotely all geysers, laundry appliances, pool pumps and other appliances during peak demand. Government concessions will be issued to businesses to promote the sale and use of gas, mainly to domestic users for cooking.

The lights are expected to save 800MW, the solar water heating 650MW, the smart meters 3 265MW and the move to gas 500MW.

The government will also spend R400-million to convert all traffic lights and public lights to solar power with battery back up.

Motorway lights will be shut down. Small airports will be turned off at night. The entire hospitality industry will have to change water heating to solar power, with electric back-up.

The government intends carrying out energy audits of its buildings and shutting down what's not needed after hours.

The old diesel locomotive fleet is being hauled out of mothballs and rehabilitated, to reduce the railways' dependence on electricity.

The cuts are intended to reduce power use while Eskom builds power stations. By 2015, another 17 643MW in generating power is due to be added to the grid.

The plan includes 3 500MW expected to be added through co-generation by industry other than Eskom.

There's also a wind farm pilot project, to produce 100MW.

A "comprehensive" plan on renewable energy - which includes wind - is due to be handed to the cabinet within the next five months.

[Slooth]

The public still has a far way to go before they unite and do something about it.

[daveza]

and other "special cases" will be exempt.



Let me guess ......

[nocilah]

rofl - essentially what we are looking at is capped electricity. time for MyWater&Lights.com

[bekdik]

I hope that the incentives will include such things as grounding of the presidential plane, turning off the aircons in parliament.

I'm sure you can think of items to add to the list.

[Slooth]

Does the presidents electricity get turned off? Retorical question...

[ToxicBunny]

That is a good question.

Anybody who lives in that area should be able to inform us?

[Slooth]

That is a good question.

Anybody who lives in that area should be able to inform us?

Don't bother, we know the answer :D

[ToxicBunny]

Slooth : Yeah we do, but some confirmation would be good I reckon.

Its stuff like this that needs to be made public if you ask me. While the plebs suffer, the ruling elite have it good (and just by mistake, some plebs who live near the ruling elite benefit as well)

[nocilah]

That is a good question.

Anybody who lives in that area should be able to inform us?

those kinds of places fall under 'special considerations' or however the article phrased it.

atleast it will be easy to find there houses in the dark :D

[Syndyre]

Government has another damn thing coming if they think the average household is going to bend over and accept this without fighting. I think they've pushed the citizens too far this time.

This is ridiculous, we're supposed to live in a civilised country not some fifth world communist backwater. Why don't they just introduce peak and off peak pricing and make sure everyone actually pays FFS.

[ToxicBunny]

Syndyre : Unfortunately that means a large percentage of their voting population would get "screwed" and have to pay for electricity, they can't risk doing that because they'd alienate masses of voters overnight.

[kaspaas]

Solar - with electrical backup.

So we will have load shedding on rainy days ...

[Voodoo]

Does the presidents electricity get turned off? Retorical question...My brother lives very neat to the Union Buildings in PTA and they have never had a power cut. :mad:

[antowan]

Guys, steer clear of racial slurs. It is very easy to say what you mean without resorting to such things. Be smart.

[bekdik]

Syndyre : Unfortunately that means a large percentage of their voting population would get "screwed" and have to pay for electricity, they can't risk doing that because they'd alienate masses of voters overnight.

Doubt if they'd stop voting. It seems some people are masochists.

[Syndyre]

Syndyre : Unfortunately that means a large percentage of their voting population would get "screwed" and have to pay for electricity, they can't risk doing that because they'd alienate masses of voters overnight.

I know, that's just what irritates me, why would people save power if they're not paying for it. Yet those of us who pay get loadshedded constantly.

[Arko2]

Seems to me that "AA" "BEE" "CRIME" was not sufficient to get people leaving, so we add "Power Shedding"
If that is not helping we'll cut you off totally.
It might work finally

[VJB 449]

This is what happens when a bunch of criminals and retards are running the country.

[Cadavre777]

I have no objection to having solar panels installed in new houses. They're far more affordable now than they were before. As long as government helps with subsidies to pay for them. I was under the impression that our meters were so called "smart meteres" years ago.

Does anyone know if its possible to sell excess power back to Eskom for the national grid when its not needed?

[ToxicBunny]

Cadavre777 : The guavamint will give you a 20 or 30% subsidy on a system that from what I can see is average around R12000, and will give you an energy saving of maybe R200 pm, if you're REALLY lucky.

Does that sound like a viable option for you?

And no its not possible to sell excess power back to Eks-dom, as they have refused to even entertain that option, blerry short sighted morons.

[Robin Hood]

Wanna tell me the whole country is deteriating within not even a MONTH, and now SUDDENLY, the Government declares war on power wastage??

[PeterCH]

Rationing is not so bad as long as it's done fairly. Get people to use yellow flourescent light bulbs more, get people to turn off equipment when they're not using it, put
insulation around geysers, turn indoor lights off in unoccupied rooms. You only have
to drive through the more expensive suburbs to see that most houses are lit up
like Christmas trees on the inside and outside. Turn 90% of these lights off. How
difficult is that? 20W Halogen lamps - sometimes about 30 blazing away the whole night
(that doesn't count the power lost in the transformation process - the transformers heat up like kettles - you're probably loosing 50W or more per 20W bulb.

Force Refrigerator, TV and other appliance manufacturers to produce equipment with lower power consumption. Penalise THEM if they don't. They won't raise
prices too quickly as overall the cost of technology is dropping as are the sales anyway. Offer import duty rebates as incentives.

[Robin Hood]

Rationing is not so bad as long as it's done fairly. Get people to use yellow flourescent light bulbs more, get people to turn off equipment when they're not using it, put
insulation around geysers, turn indoor lights off in unoccupied rooms. You only have
to drive through the more expensive suburbs to see that most houses are lit up
like Christmas trees on the inside and outside. Turn 90% of these lights off. How
difficult is that? 20W Halogen lamps - sometimes about 30 blazing away the whole night
(that doesn't count the power lost in the transformation process - the transformers heat up like kettles - you're probably loosing 50W or more per 20W bulb.

Force Refrigerator, TV and other appliance manufacturers to produce equipment with lower power consumption. Penalise THEM if they don't. They won't raise
prices too quickly as overall the cost of technology is dropping as are the sales anyway.

I hear you, but look at all the s*it we have to go through because of an inadequate govt...:mad:

[PeterCH]

I hear you, but look at all the s*it we have to go through because of an inadequate govt...:mad:

Why? Because your electricity bill will go down for one. Which
means less profit for Eskom execs.
More importantly you're saving the environment too.

[ToxicBunny]

PeterCH : I completely agree with you on getting more efficient appliances, but since I've just spent a boat load on a new fridge, stove, oven, microwave. They will be in use for another 10 or so years before I replace them, whereupon efficiency will be one of the top things on my list of requirements.

[PeterCH]

PeterCH : I completely agree with you on getting more efficient appliances, but since I've just spent a boat load on a new fridge, stove, oven, microwave. They will be in use for another 10 or so years before I replace them, whereupon efficiency will be one of the top things on my list of requirements.

I'm not saying you should replace your equipment. However there are people
buying new appliances all the time either as first time buyers or to replace their old used up appliances. Those people would now be buying equipment
with maybe slightly reduced power consumption. That's all I'm saying. I don't believe anyone should have to repurchase anything, but as you know
things break down all the time and you will have to buy new things at sime time or another - when you do, it would be better if they were just a little
more enegry efficient.

[ToxicBunny]

Yeah I know...

Sorry in my usual un-roundabout way, I missed out a bit of my point....

If the government does start forcing manufacturers to produce more efficient appliances, there is a HUGE chance (esp in this corrupt country) that they will attempt to force home owners to purchase these new appliances, and for me, that is when I start to have a problem...

(hope that makes my stance a little bit more clear :) )

[bekdik]

If newer stuff is phased in, in a planned manner, then yes it will work. If we have the usual knee jerk panic decisions taken without proper thought as to the full repurcussions and alternatives, then it will not work.

Solutions must offer a win win scenario, where one side feels victimized the solution will fail

[Moederloos]

The old diesel locomotive fleet is being hauled out of mothballs and rehabilitated, to reduce the railways' dependence on electricity.

lol.

One - the trains barely function
Two - Sasol has been told to cut back, so where will the fuel come from?
Three - Gautrain anyone? Going to run that on diesel now?
Four - just what, if anything, is left of those trains?

[Ricard]

lol.

One - the trains barely function
Two - Sasol has been told to cut back, so where will the fuel come from?
Three - Gautrain anyone? Going to run that on diesel now?
Four - just what, if anything, is left of those trains?

They are most probably oxide-red coloured and have 'Suid Afrikaanse Spoorweg' logo's on them. :-D

Steam trains anyone? :D:D

[Moederloos]

They are most probably oxide-red coloured and have 'Suid Afrikaanse Spoorweg' logo's on them. :-D

Steam trains anyone? :D:D

Choo Choo!

[daveza]

Solutions must offer a win win scenario, where one side feels victimized the solution will fail

That seems the sensible response, but how do you not feel victimised when someone else screws up and you have to pay for the solution - while they just award themselves more bonuses ?

[Robin Hood]

Choo Choo!

HEY!!!!..You got a POINT there....Ill vote for Locomotives...Who's with me?? :D

[The_Librarian]

Steam locos :D

[bekdik]

That seems the sensible response, but how do you not feel victimised when someone else screws up and you have to pay for the solution - while they just award themselves more bonuses ?

Then the solution will fail