The power company wants you to use less power

I made a point to observe energy usage and efficient living items of interest during my South Africa trip. Eskom, the South Africa power company, is offering rebates for the install of solar water heaters also known as solar geysers in South Africa. The rebates are pretty substantial, at one point even at 120% of the purchase price of the solar water heater. This is to encourage mass adaptation as well as provide the option to make the switch to individuals who may not been able to afford this option otherwise.

(I am not sure if the purchase price includes all taxes and installation costs)



Here is some brief history as to why Eskom is making the aggressive push towards replacing electric geysers with solar geysers. Between 2007 and 2008, South Africa was faced with rolling blackouts as Eskom had to implement load shedding since power demand exceeded supply.

As part of a long-term solution, Eskom begun a push for something they call DSM – Demand Side Management, an initiative to manage the demand of electricity. A big focus is the reduction of energy use in households. Eskom estimates that electric geysers account for between 30% and 50% of domestic electric usage. Replacing the electric geysers with solar versions should therefore have a significant impact on domestic electricity usage.

I have no indication of the overall impact of the solar geyser replacement program, however I do know that such an attractive rebate, plus the potential reduction of ones electric costs would make me want to switch.