Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • In the words of Nelson Mandela, “To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity”
  • Avbob 2023 Poetry Competition Winner: Sithembele Isaac Xhegwana of Makhanda
  • Flooding at the James Kleynhans Water Treatment Works
  • Avbob 2023 Poetry Competition Second Place: Jeannie Wallace McKeown of Makhanda
  • Residents of Extensions Nine, 10, Transit Camp, Phumlani and Enkanini voice discontent!
  • Makhanda Creatives Speak Out
  • Running towards a drug and alcohol-free Makhanda
  • What’s On 23 – 30 March
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
Grocott's Mail
You are at:Home»Uncategorized»Solar solutions could soften electricity hikes
Uncategorized

Solar solutions could soften electricity hikes

Busisiwe HohoBy Busisiwe HohoMarch 2, 2010No Comments3 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Last week’s announcement of a substantial increase in electricity prices for the next three years, has left South Africans concerned about whether they will be able to afford power in the future.

Last week’s announcement of a substantial increase in electricity prices for the next three years, has left South Africans concerned about whether they will be able to afford power in the future.

But the increases  have not come without alternative options from Eskom for a cheaper energy supply. Eskom’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Manager, Cedric Worthmann said that solar energy is an obvious alternative to electricity  and it is up to South Africans to take the initiative to change their energy consuming ways.

The National Energy Regulator  of South Africa (Nersa) announced that Eskom’s tariff hikes will increase by 24.8% on 1 April this year, 25.8% in 2011 and 25.9% in 2012.

Eskom did apply for a 35% tariff increase in each of the next three years in order to fund a power expansion programme.The reduced hikes granted by Nersa will put Eskom under pressure to fund the programme which is expected to cost R358-billion.

Although the lower rate is better for South Africans, it is still a big increase in electricity costs for consumers to afford.To  compensate, Eskom is awarding rebates to citizens who use solar energy to heat water.

This is to make environmentally friendly solar water heaters affordable in order to reduce their energy costs. Rebates of up  to 120% are now offered by Eskom for a limited time.

Consumers will receive cash rebates of betweenR2 100 and R12 500. Worthmann said, “The increase was a  response to present market conditions and will not be available for an indefinite period.”

Over the next five years the value of the rebates will be assessed according to energy costsannually. To qualify the water heating system must be tested by the SABS to be Eskomapproved and consumers must cover the cost of the system first and then claim the money.

Eskom says that rebates will be paid out within eight weeks of the application. Worthmann said: “We estimate that there are currently about 4.2-million electric geysers in the country and only 76 873 installed solar waterheating units.

Our aim is to encourage as many South Africans as possible to move away from electric  geysers, and replace them with solarheated systems.

“The widespread adoption of solar-water geysers could also contribute significantly to achieving government’s objective of having 10 000- gigawatt hours of final  energy consumption emanating from renewable resources,” he said.

This rebate system, he said, could  “result in an increased number of households having their energy costs being cut by between 30 and 50%”.

However, the rebate system is financially out of the reach of many people. A local security guard, Thami Mbonda, said that there is a concern among the people he lives with, and in particular pensioners, that they  will not be able to afford electricity with these increased prices.

“We only use electricity to boil the kettle and for the lights, we use paraffin instead to cook,” Mbonda said. He said that Eskom’s solar water heating  project is something his community would not even consider as they could not afford it.

Another member of  the Grahamstown community, Kamva Peter, said, “We have no choice but to pay for electricity even if it is  expensive because we need it.” She said that she would not invest in a solar system as she would not be able   to afford the initial cost. 

Previous ArticleTaking to the sky
Next Article Crash in transit on PA road
Busisiwe Hoho

Comments are closed.

Tweets by Grocotts
Newsletter



Listen

The Rhodes University Community Engagement Division has launched Engagement in Action, a new podcast which aims to bring to life some of the many ways in which the University interacts with communities around it. Check it out below.

Humans of Makhanda

Humans of Makhanda

Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

© 2023 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.