GET OFF THE GRID

With news that load shedding will be with us to stay for at least another year, The Home Handyman explores your options to save money on electricity and get off the grid.

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The increase of just under 10% in Eskom tariffs came into effect at the beginning of April 2022. Along with the year-on-year electricity price increases that have been shouldered by the South African public, various campaigns continue to raise awareness around climate change and the need for greater energy-efficiency in the country. For South Africans, saving energy is both a short- and long-term imperative the former serving as a way to relieve financial pressure and the latter serving as a means by which to contribute to the global 2030 target of net-zero.

This is according to a Defy South Africa spokesperson, who says that against the backdrop of the recent observance of World Earth Day, solving the energy crisis in South Africa is as much about the 'bigger picture' as it is about the microeconomics of our country. "The need for energy-efficiency has never been more urgent and is something that all South Africans can work towards in their individual capacities." 

According to a 2021 University of Cape Town study, the appliances that most South African households own are fridges, geysers, washing machines and televisions. The study concluded that the residential sector, which consumes a fifth of the world's energy, stands to benefit from the national move towards energy-efficiency as stipulated in the government's post-2015 National Energy Efficiency Strategy. This Strategy aims for a 20% improvement in the average energy performance of the residential sector by 2030, relative to the 2015 baseline.