S-Afr: Go to sleep early to save power – minister

“Go to sleep earlier so that you can grow and be cleverer. Boil less water, use the microwave rather than stove, take a shower and not a shallow bath,” was Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica’s advice to the country at a special joint parliamentary sitting to discuss the power crisis.

She said that perpetual blackouts could be avoided if South Africans used power more responsibly.
In outlining plans by the City of Cape Town to cut power use by 10 percent, Mayor Helen Zille said residential consumers may be charged more for using electricity during peak hours.

She said 4 000MW needed to be saved nationally every day for the next four weeks, and 3 000MW needed to be saved daily for the next four years thereafter, if a national electricity crisis is to be averted.

Zille announced the city’s short-term energy-saving proposals at Wednesday’s council meeting.

She said businesses should switch off their air conditioning for the next month. This would, however, not apply to cold rooms and refrigerators that relied on electricity to keep food cold.

IOL