IINNO Contributes in S. Africa’s City Press

City Press, a major South African Newspaper, published an article on energy saving solutions. IINNO was excited to offer some help, by submitting a Dialux case study on a residential application. You can read the full article here.

5 WAYS TO SURVIVE ESKOM’S PRICE HIKE

Utility needs more money and has made applications to the National Energy Regulator to increase its tariffs. But if Eskom gets its way, how will households cope with the rising costs? Angelique Ruzicka finds out.

It appears that the hike in VAT is not only the price increase you have to concern yourself with. If Eskom gets its way, consumers will be burdened with a 30% increase in tariffs before the end of the year.

The power utility needs more money to recover R66 billion lost between 2014 and 2017. It has submitted applications to the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) and consumers are now at the mercy of the regulator’s decision.

According to renewable energy group, One Energy, hyper inflationary increases are almost guaranteed for at least the next 10 years.

It also points to the growing concerns about the increasing instability of electricity supply, load shedding, failing infrastructure, the ill-conceived nuclear deal that the country can’t afford, which all rides on the back of controversy around state capture and corruption at Eskom.

BE ENERGY CONSIOUS

It’s important to measure your own electricity usage first. This will give you an idea of how much you and your family are using and will be an indication of where you could cut down. Calculating your electricity needs is also the first step towards getting ready to install photovoltaic (PV) systems.

You can reduce your energy usage by doing simple things like switching off the lights after you’re done in a room, unplugging electronics when not in use, having your windows and doors properly sealed, buying energy-saving appliances and cutting your heat usage, for example by washing clothes in cold water instead of warm water.

SOLAR GEYSERS

Solar water heaters make use of the sun to either heat water or generate electricity during daylight hours.

Solar is a technology and not a fuel, so there are no ongoing costs after installation as is the case with gas, which is also a limited resource.

“The geyser is by far one of the biggest electricity guzzlers and installing a heat pump or solar water geyser can dramatically reduce your energy consumption, save you thousands of rands over the years on your electricity bill and make a significant contribution to ‘greening’ your home,” says Teresa Kok, the marketing director of One Energy.

HEAT PUMPS

Omestic hot water pumps are also an option, but they work differently. According to One Energy, the heat pump uses a very small amount of electricity to extract a lot of energy from the surrounding air. A heat pump also uses energy from the sun, but only indirectly and so it can work day and night, during winter and in summer.

One Energy says heat pumps are an alternative to solar and they mostly get used where solar is not efficient, possible or practical – for example in heavily shaded areas, thatch-roofed buildings or places with very high hot water usage.

DPV SYSTEMS

V systems make use of the sun to generate electricity during daylight hours. A rooftop PV system has its electricity generating solar panels mounted on the roof.

“Solar panels are exposed to sunlight or solar radiation and generate electricity.

“This solar power flows via cable to a device called an inverter, which converts the direct current to alternating current. With the inverters synchronizing the solar power and the Eskom grid, that power can be fed directly into your internal electrical network.

“So, every kilowatt-hour generated by the solar system is a kilowatt-hour less required from Eskom or the local municipality,” points out Kok.

PLIGHT BULBS

T’s another upfront cost, but installing light-emitting diode(LED) bulbs could go a long way towards helping you save electricity. In one home case study created for City Press, LED specialists IINNO demonstrated how a one-bedroom home with a bathroom, dining room, living room, kitchen, office hall entrance, garage and exterior lighting could save 85.45% a year by replacing all lights with LED bulbs after paying an upfront cost of R2840.48 to replace all existing lamps with standard LED lamps of the same luminous efficiency.

City Press, April 8th 2018, South Africa