It is now a well-known fact that geysers cost households a lot of money by just being on. According to Eskom, a geyser accounts for between 30% and 50% of a household’s electricity bill. Considering this, it is then not surprising that outside the home, geysers suck much-needed electricity from the national and municipality grid and puts severe pressure on electricity infrastructure.
Residents must be aware that when major electrical appliances such as geysers, swimming pool pumps and stoves are switched back on after loadshedding, there is a surge on demand for power which puts severe pressure on the grid and contributes to power tripping. For instance, a geyser cools off during a power outage and when power comes back on, there is a surge on demand as the geyser immediately draws power until it reaches the desired heat. So, when all geysers in Mogale City collectively get switched on immediately after loadshedding as it commonly happens, the results are not favourable for our infrastructure and eventually our residents.
To help Mogale City manage loadshedding and alleviate pressure on its electricity grid, Energy Services urges all households to switch off major appliances especially geysers during loadshedding and at peak times between 07h00am to 10:00am and again between 16h00pm to 20h00pm.
We further advise residents to only turn major appliances back on after some time has passed (20 minutes to an hour) after loadshedding. Residents are already aware that loadshedding can result in prolonged outages due to overloading of the network however, these small sacrifices can go a long way.
We thank you in advance for doing your bit in building sustainable energy resources for years to come.