2010-03-30 11:00 –Johannesburg –South African power utility Eskom on Tuesday reported that South Africans contributed 420MW electricity savings to the Earth Hour initiative. Earth Hour took place on Saturday,where consumers globally switched off their lights and appliances on a voluntary basis. Steve Lennon,MD Corporate Services and Eskom climate change champion,said the
South African energy saving was slightly higher than the 400MW recorded during Earth Hour last year. “The 420MW translates to about 4-million 100W bulbs or 6.7-million 60W bulbs switched off on Saturday. This shows a concerted effort by approximately one million households,”said Lennon.
From an environmental angle,every person who participated in the Earth Hour initiative in South Africa can say that he or she contributed to the saving of 400 tons of carbon dioxide,224 tons of coal and some 576 kilolitres of water due to the power stations not needing to generate the 400MW.
Lights on average consume about 10% of household electricity,whereas geysers use as much as 40% of the total electricity bill. If geysers were also switched off on Saturday the saving would have been far greater,showing that South Africans can really make a difference with very little effort. “The Power Alert broadcast on TV every week day shows South Africans the status of the electricity system. This to some extent serves as our own earth hour ‘energy conscience’,”said Lennon. “We believe that the Earth Hour initiative has created incredible excitement around the need for efficient use of energy. As South Africa’s primary supplier of electricity,our hope is that all South Africans harness this excitement and use energy wisely every day of the year,”he added. –I-Net Bridge (News24)
Well done to all South Africans who made an effort to switch off this earth hour. If we all continue to make an effort to cut down on energy and water use on a daily basis it would translate to massive savings for our resources.
Everything is linked,so saving on electricity not only saves on bills,coal and carbon dioxide emissions but water,the most scarce resource is saved too by doing so.
Saving significant amounts of water on a daily basis is made simple using Water Rhapsody Conservation Systems. Our rainwater harvesting,grey water reuse and other innovative systems effectively save large amounts of water while reducing your municipal water bill by up to 90%. Make an effort,take responsibility and together we can salvage our precious and fragile planet.
