EskomSePush testing feature to help users understand confusing load-shedding schedules
EskomSePush (ESP) is testing a new feature that will make it easier for users to see when their chosen areas are getting load-shedding over several days.
ESP co-founder Herman Maritz posted a screenshot of the new “Upcoming load-shedding” window in the iOS app on Twitter on Friday morning.
Maritz told MyBroadband that the feature had been a priority for some time.
However, Eskom’s recent shift to implementing different stages of load-shedding during the day meant the ESP user interface first had to be adapted.
In the past, Eskom mainly stuck to one stage of load-shedding over multiple days or only used a single stage for a limited time, like during the evening peak demand hours.
But on several occasions in the past few weeks, it would implement different combinations of stages — such as Stage 4, Stage 6, and Stage 2 — within the same 24-hour cycle.
ESP has tried to assist by posting Eskom’s own schedule above its load-shedding tables, but reconciling this with the load-shedding timetables provided by ESP has proven a challenge for some and made it difficult for them to plan ahead.
With the “Upcoming load-shedding” window, ESP will extract data from the timetables and show only the appropriate time and stages for a user’s chosen areas, as shown in the screenshot below.
Maritz said the “Upcoming load-shedding” update should roll out to users next week.
He also told an ESP fan on Twitter that a future update would include the ability to configure the default 55-minute forewarning reminder.
Maritz founded ESP alongside Dan Wells in 2015, and the app has since expanded its user base to more than 4 million.
Maritz has been working full-time on expanding ESP’s functionality and sustainability since January 2022.
Wells recently announced he would join Maritz full-time to continue growing the app together.
In a recent write-up, Maritz highlighted several ways ESP had grown its revenue streams in the past six months, including:
- Launching in-app purchases to remove ads.
- Improved ads
- Introduced a Business API targeted at large enterprises, currently banks and mobile network operators. Some use cases include letting remote workers know about load-shedding, tracking load-shedding at network points, and reducing customer call volume.
- ESP socks merchandise collaboration with SoxFootwear.
- Homepage takeover ad campaigns.
- New record for daily active users — 2.4 million
The pair have also been building out the capabilities of the AskMyStreet hyperlocal chat feature, which lets users talk to one another about what is happening in their area.
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