The City of Cape Town says it has been building reserves in an effort to help reduce the impact of higher stages of Eskom’s load-shedding.
Should Eskom move to higher stages of load-shedding as has just been warned, the City says it will mitigate the impact as much as possible by using its reserves, primarily garnered via the use of the Steenbras Hydro Pumped Storage Scheme.
Flatten the peak use:
The City says Eskom’s loadshedding typically happens at short notice and it is done to prevent a total collapse of the national power system, known as a blackout. The Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Beverley van Reenen:
Customers can help by reducing power usage especially in the evening and mornings – flatten the peak by delaying the use of electrical appliances to non-peak times and switching off non-essential electrical appliances. Geysers use the bulk of household energy and reducing the temperature of the geyser to 60 degrees Celsius or making sure the geyser is on a timer and only active for an hour or two per day is a crucial step to reducing energy usage and making sure we are able to build some reserves.
Eskom’s loadshedding – Here is what happens from Stage 4:
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Loadshedding for City customers – what it means |
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Stage |
What happens |
Power off duration |
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Stage 4 |
Four areas off, three times per day. |
Stage 1 to 4 – at any given time customers are only being shed for 2,5 hours.
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Stage 5 and beyond could see loadshedding blocks of 4,5 hours added on a day or an alternate day depending on a particular schedule. Customers would need to check their own areas and schedules. |
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Stage 5 |
Five areas off; three times per day. |
One of the loadshedding blocks is 4,5 hours while the other two load-shedding durations will be 2,5 hours. |
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Stage 6 |
Six areas off, three times per day. |
Customers could experience two 4,5 hour load-shedding blocks on alternate days. They’d need to check their particular schedule to see the impact. The remaining loadshedding block (s) would be 2,5 hours each. |
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Stage 7 |
Seven areas off, three times per day. |
Customers could experience two 4,5 hour loadshedding blocks in the day or on an alternate day (according to the particular schedule). The remaining load-shedding block (s) would be 2,5 hours each. |
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Stage 8 |
50% of areas off at the same time. |
No relief: 4,5 hour load-shedding blocks, three times per day as long as Stage 8 is active. |
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The City is holding as much reserves as possible as contingency measures to avoid the worst-case scenarios. |
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Loadshedding tips:
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Loadshedding toolkit – tips |
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Keep devices charged |
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Make a family contact plan: *To help keep in touch should the power go out for prolonged periods (no or low cell reception/connectivity) * Keep vulnerable family members and friends in mind. |
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Make a workplace contact plan (no or low cell reception/connectivity) |
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Approach intersections where the traffic signals are off, as four-way stops. |
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Switch off electrical appliances to avoid nuisance tripping and reduce geyser temperature to 60˚C, or put geyser on a timer. |
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Make sure your vehicle has fuel in the tank. |
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Keep cash on you as ATMs can’t operate without electricity. |
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Make sure backup batteries for electrically operated gates, garage doors and security systems are able to last through periods of load-shedding. |
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Store temporary lighting such as battery-powered torches, gas lamps and candles (with lighters) in places where they will be easy to find in the dark. |
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Plan ahead Check out the City’s load-shedding app. To download:
Android:
City’s service channels (please only use one channel): SMS: 31220 (standard charges apply) Email: power@capetown.gov.za |
