Pretoria - Power parastatal Eskom has called on the public to save electricity in the upcoming winter months, which in turn will save them money.
Eskom called on people to switch off energy intensive appliances like geysers and pool pumps in the evening during high electricity usage times. This could result in energy savings of up to 2 940 MW.
"This is enough to free-up five units of a six-pack power station and power three cities the size of Durban, Port Elizabeth or Bloemfontein," said the power parastatal.
In an effort to help people save money on their winter electricity bills, Eskom called on consumers to use electric heaters that are controlled by thermostats, as well as to switch on electric blankets an hour before going to bed as well as to only heat rooms that they are going to use.
It also called on people not to leave appliances like TVs, computers and radios on standby mode as this still used up to 50% of the electricity that the appliance would normally use.
"If every household makes some minor changes, we can lower our collective electricity use by 10%. This means that we will reduce our monthly energy costs, reduce the demand on the national grid, while at the same time doing our bit to save the planet," said Eskom.
