49 M makes a difference

Friday, October 31, 2014

By Neo Semono

Who can forget the year 2008, when parts of South Africa were thrown into darkness on a daily basis as a result of load-shedding? Those were the tough times for the country. Eskom’s national power grid could no longer handle our increasing electricity demands.  One was no longer guaranteed hot water from the geyser. We were forced to eat ‘take aways’ on some days and traffic was a nightmare due to non-functioning traffic lights. No one wants to go back to that life!

But if things were that bad in 2008, how then did we manage to survive the last six years without load-shedding? It’s funny how we don’t question when things are going well. Many of us vented our anger towards Eskom for “bringing us” load-shedding but we forgot to praise the company for steering the country out of those black-outs and ensuring that the lights stayed on. Very few would acknowledge that it is through initiatives like 49M, championed by Eskom, that South Africa managed to save electricity and keep load-shedding at bay.

Launched in March 2011, evidence shows that the 49 M campaign has come a long way in instilling a culture of   conserving electricity among South Africans.

Spearheaded by Eskom, the launch of the campaign which at the time represented the population of South Africa was attended by former Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and the then Minister of Energy Dipuo Peters, among others. For the campaign to work, it needed political support from the highest level. 

Load- shedding did not only put ordinary citizens in the dark but also affected the economy as both big and small businesses were affected by the blackouts.

But just what exactly have been the achievements of the campaign? To find out, SAnews spoke to Eskom’s Senior Manager for Strategic Marketing Initiatives Piet Pretorius.

“The public has shown great appreciation for the campaign. A nation-wide research on the prevalence of the campaign among South Africans revealed that 73% of consumers were aware of the campaign and that they have been inspired to change their behaviour,” Pretorius says.

“The campaign has gained momentum from 2011 with currently a total 136 business partners coming on board to support it. We rely on our partners to play a significant role in engaging their stakeholders with the 49 M messaging and behaviour change efforts,” he says.

Big companies who have signed up for the campaign include Transnet, Anglo Gold and Tsogo Sun.

Pretorius says the message to conserve power is being taken serious, and that the campaign has received support from organisations who are making a difference in their respective operations to save energy.

This is not only having a behavioural impact at the workplace but is also having an impact on how staff can reduce electricity consumption at home.

Technology giant Samsung has applied  over 400 000 stickers  to their product packaging  with  the 49M branding to alert consumers on the most energy efficient methods to operate the appliance.

Mpumalanga’s Nkomati Mine –which was the fifth to be signed as a 49 M partner—committed to reducing the amount of energy used at its plant. It also educated its employees on the importance of conserving power.    

Additionally, the  Umjindi municipality which is also located in Mpumalanga approached 49M to request help to influence the behaviour of households within its municipal area  as the municipality was facing demand restraints.

Over a three- month period, the campaign was able to influence the behaviour of the community resulting in a 4.3% reduction in electricity use in the area between January and March 2013.

“Energy efficiency is an integrated effort. Through multiple programmes, South Africa has been able to save enough electricity since 2007 that a six unit power station produces. This is significant in the future security of electricity and continued efforts by all consumers could lead to another power station being saved and this will have a significant impact for all tax payers,” explains Pretorius.

The campaign speaks to government’s calls to citizens and business to conserve energy.

In his State of the Nation Address in June, President Jacob Zuma expressed concern at the country’s energy constraints saying this did not contribute to a conducive environment for growth.

The President’s comments were reiterated by Energy Minister Tina Joemat –Petterson in her first Budget Vote in July where she stressed that South Africans need to use energy more efficiently.

“It is not just a challenge for government, it is a problem for the private sector, it is a problem for the public and we must solve it collectively,” she said.

Since 1994, government has ensured that all citizens have access to electricity.

The 20 Year Review released by the Presidency earlier this year, shows that in 1994, only 36% of households had access to electricity.

 Over 5.68 million electricity connections having been made between 1995 and 2013 by Eskom and municipalities, says the Review.

The Review reflects on the progress made by South Africa since gaining democracy while also reflecting on challenges the country faces and how these can be addressed.

Pretorius says although the 49M campaign has seen tremendous success, it hasn’t been without challenges.

“Developing awareness is a long process; now that we have successfully achieved a significant awareness level we are able to move to the more action based part of the campaign. It’s for this reason that this year we launched Know Your Number.”

Through the Know Your Number the focus is on making South Africans understand their current consumption patterns and assist them with power saving behaviours.

“Energy efficiency is an integrated effort. Through multiple programmes, South Africa has been able to save enough electricity since 2007 that a six unit power station produces. This is significant in the future security of electricity and continued efforts by all consumers could lead to another power station being saved and this will have a significant impact for all tax payers,” Pretorius says adding that it was become clear that the campaign has made and continues to make a difference in reducing pressure on the national grid. – SAnews.gov.za