I have just come back to South Africa after a five-year absence and the biggest issue other than crime, jobs and employment, is electricity.
I am a science teacher and teach physics, maths and chemistry. But it seems to me many people do not understand energy demand. I might know they should save power – but what does that mean? I looked at Eskom’s website and deep inside is something about energy consumption. The power will go off and will come back again at some point. Now the electricity minister is saying in winter it may go to stage 10.
Yesterday while walking in a shopping centre I could still see the 2-bar and 3-bar heater on sale – and that it has a demand of 800 watts or higher. Some go up to 2000 watts.
When I told my friend it would be like having your kettle on for 12 hours she was shocked. It seems that people do not know what a watt is.
It all comes down to the amount of power and how long you use it for. So 1000 watts for 1 hour will be 1 kilowatt hour – that is 1000 watt hours. It is not just about the cost of electricity but the way you use it.
In my view South Africa should be going for gas to heat things:
1. For water.
2. Cooking.
3. Heating.
If this is the case this winter things are going to get so bad, I have to wonder why the gas option is not heavily promoted. South Africa is going to need a diverse energy mix, and given that most energy is used for heating and cooling, then it makes sense to try to go for another option.
They need to be going for:
1. Solar (solar panels, though, can be expensive and out of reach for most South Africans).
2. Gas (to buy a gas bottle is easy and not that expensive).
3. Reducing electricity loads (keeping an eye on watts) and how long they are used.
4. Using low watt light bulbs.
5. Use natural cooling, ventilation, heating and lighting.
6. Use solar lights which are cheap to buy off the counter.
Things that use a lot of power (watts):
1. Kettles 1 000 watts.
2. Microwaves 2 000 watts.
3. Washing machines (if on hot).
4. Dryers.
5. Dishwashers.
6. Geysers.
7. Electric ovens.
By going for the gas option, more electricity can be used for vital services such as lighting – which is a priority in such a high crime country.
* Martin Leigh, Sandton.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
Do you have something on your mind; or want to comment on the big stories of the day? We would love to hear from you. Please send your letters to [email protected].
All letters to be considered for publication, must contain full names, addresses and contact details (not for publication)