The power system is expected to remain constrained but stable this week and the rest of the festive season.
And the risk of load shedding is low during this period, Eskom said in a press release today, 22 December 2014.. However, the system remains vulnerable, meaning that m any extra load or faults in the system may make it necessary implement load shedding.
“With many industries winding down their business for the festive season, coupled with return to service of some of our power generating units and building up of our emergency reserves, Eskom is confident that it will not have to implement load shedding during this period. We will use this period of low electricity demand to intensify our plant maintenance programme,” the release stated.
Eskom called on all South Africans to pull together over the next few months and use electricity sparingly at all times. When preparing to go on holidays, remember to:
Unplug all appliances such as computers, coffee machines, television sets and entertainment consoles.
- Fix leaky taps; allowing water, especially hot water, to drip down the drain wastes both water and electricity.
- Replace conventional outdoor lights with motion-sensor lamps for security; they use less electricity because they only activate when the sensor is triggered.
- Switch to solar powered garden lights; they use the free energy of the sun and give your electricity a rest.
- Make sure the back-up batteries on your electric fencing and intruder detection system are in optimal working order; replace them if necessary.
- Set your pool pump to operate for four hours per day – it is enough to keep the pool clean while it is not being used.
- And, make sure the pool pump is set to run outside 5pm to 9pm, the period of peak demand for electricity in South Africa.
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