Use power smartly

The weather temperatures are dropping and many of us will be finding different ways to keep warm. In doing so, South Africans should be smart about how they keep their homes warm to save power.

Eskom has advised South Africans to switch on heaters only in the rooms that are occupied.

“Only heat the room you are occupying, and use the correct type of heater when you feel the need for extra warmth.

 “A thermostat-controlled fan heater is ideal to quickly heat a room of 3 x 3 x 2.5 meters for one hour. A thermostat-controlled oil heater no bigger than 2 000W (watt) is the best choice to heat the same room for three hours. A thermostat-controlled heater no bigger than 1 000W (watt) is the most energy efficient option to heat it for eight hours,” Eskom said in a statement.

Eskom further advised the public to avoid using heaters between the hours of 5pm and 9pm as this is the peak period of residential power use.

The power utility also said gas heaters generate a lot of heat and do not use any electrical power.

Eskom also advised the public to use tape sealants, door snakes and closing unused chimneys among other things.

Acting Group Executive for Generation Andrew Etzinger said these tips would assist the state owned company to avoid load shedding and be able to supply electricity to all in the country.

“Eskom is currently faced with challenges at its power stations, which has led to the need for load shedding over the past few months. 

“If consumers can assist us by using electricity smartly, it would help to reduce the need for load shedding, which is a measure used to balance the supply and demand of electricity,” said Etzinger.