Eskom must come clean

While I do not necessarily agree with DJStealth - he is very much spot on with the "do not blame the consumer" bit.

"Planning" does not only include building stations - planning involves all aspects.
Had ALL new developments been required by law to have ripple switches, that would have helped - plenty. Or better yet, mandated that NEW houses over X hundred thousand have solar geysers. I can appreciate a cost adding of R20 000 on a R50 000 house is extreme, but it is peanuts for a R1.5 million house.
And, subsidisation of those geysers on older houses should have been introduced years ago.

And - power scheduling discounts - I am happy to agree to have my geyser only operate over night (and I realise this does not suit everyone - it suits me though), if I know I am paying less for power at that time.
 
ajax said:
I spoke to a plumber yesterday to ask him what it would roughly cost to convert my geyser to solar power. He said R15 000 but I would end up paying only R5000 due to a government subsidies and insurance covering the rest. I assume insurance will only pay once your current geyser breaks and you want to convert then.

R5000 is not bad, one would be making up the initial capital outlay within a few years perhaps?
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*Ajax picks up hammer and smashes geyser. Picks up phone to insurance company*
 
While I do not necessarily agree with Moederloos - he is very much spot on with the "planning" bit. ;)

Problem with imposing mandatory additions to new homes valued in excess of R1,5m is that the mortgage is typically paid off over 20 years and compound interest will mean that you pay well more than just R20k. Question is: if I do this, will I see any return over the course of my bond repayments - I cant answer that question and dont think anyone can.

If however we were more educated about the alternatives to Eskom (ie solar geysers) and were shown that the initial expense should realise a return within X years then I would be willing to give it a shot. This might be viable for energy efficient light bulbs, but not R20k solar geysers and ripple switches.

And what about competition from the private sector? It will almost certainly bring about a revolution in energy supply - as it has done in Australia where many of the smaller power stations are now solar powered because their climate is condusive. Solar powers much of the smaller towns in Australia and its a step in the right direction. We need to move forward, not backwards and IMO, building coal fired stations and nuclear fission reactors are a step backwards. US is installing the 1st ever nuclear fusion reactor (saw it on Discovery) - thats moving forward!
 
I think they should build a huge solar panel and get all government officials to drop their pants and point their asses towards it during load shedding.
 
ambo said:
Yes they are doing something about it. There is currently a program running to de-mothball the 2 or 3 power stations that were taken indefinitely offline in the 90's when there was a capacity surplus. This is happening as we speak as I have friends working on the projects.

There are also apparently plans to build additional power stations - particularly a new nuclear one near CT. Can't comment on the progress of those but the normal time scale for a project like that is 10 years.
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http://www.eskom.co.za/live/content.php?Item_ID=4673
Shows the 3 power stations that are to be "de-mothballed"

Between 1000MW and 1600MW each. Combined, thats more than Koeberg generates!
 
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DJStealth said:
  • Ditch the air-conditioner. Install proper insulation and design proper convection/natural air flow in buildings - not viable. Are we supposed to redesign all existing buildings then? And I dont want my papers flying around my offices thanks.
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Ok - lets broaden the scope of my statement. There are many things you can retrofit to a building that greatly diminish the need for powered heating and cooling systems. Better insulation including think-pink and even just a set of nice thick curtains. Window tinting, silver finish blinds and slatted aluminum awnings have been show to make a HUGE difference to the amount of heat that enters a building and in turn the amount that has to be pumped out through air conditioning. Do you think that it is coincidence that many new buildings have bazaar architecture that includes metal awnings?
DJStealth said:
  • Ditch the swimming pool - unless its being used regularly. Too many people only use their pools 2 or 3 times a season but run their pool pumps all year - I am not spending money on redesigning my garden and filling up my pool, essentially de0valuing my property because Eskom and Guavamint cocked up.
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IMO there are many pools out there that can be considered a burden and I know a number of people who would agree with me. It may be that having a pool will not be such an asset to a house when it starts becoming more and more expensive to run.
 
@Ambo - I see your point, and yes there is no turning back anymore so we have to do something to minimize our consumption - my point essentially is that we shouldnt be put into a position where we have to install metal awnings, thick curtains, window tinting and silver finish blinds in hope that everyone else follows suit so I can keep my lights on. Although in the greater scheme of things, it would be nice of Eskom to inform us of some of these improvements instead of flashing indicators on my tele as to when I am allowed to switch on my stove and geyser!

I love my pool - serves me well in summer and is solar heated for winter so gets put to good use. My garden is modelled around the pool with decking around it and IMO is an asset - it aint going nowhere. However I do see from your point of view and some houses could do without their pool - although salt chlorinators and monthly chem floats make maintenance so much easier these days. This Eskom thing makes for a good debate...
 
on the family farm running a solar gyser and it's works well,but when theres no sun for a day it's kinda cold. Fitted pink stuff to the house a while ago, house is cool during summer and warm during winter(hardly use heaters and when only gas) so retro fitting any home is just a good idea.in the end it's going to save you money, but sadly most people are wastefull cause they think it's there right.


If everyone (yes everyone) works together good things can happen, goodluck with that one.........
 
ambo said:
What is required is a complete change in the consumption attitude of users.
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Ah, now I get it. The consumer's to blame!

But of course we should've known that all along: Government-owned politically run utilities don't have 'customers'. They have 'loads' that need to be 'shed'. What confidence this inspires in the building for the future!

Yes, it's a resource problem alright. Intellectual and moral resource is desperately wanting in our political masters and their technocrats.

That's the mentality that led to this problem in the first place.

Solution: Abolish government.
 
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