Can education of consumers support energy efficiency programs in Africa. YES !

[Former Member]

Can education of consumers support energy efficiency programs in Africa.  YES !  Earth hour 2014 certainly highlighted that just 1 hour of energy saving cane make a huge difference.

Imagine the long term benefits if we could just at a bare minimum educate everyone to merely turn off a light or appliance when it is not in use or required.  When you see a tap running - do you close the tap?  YES.  But do we do the same for electricity ?  Unlikely!

This of course is a small start.  Naturally extending this to the use of energy efficient appliances, fittings etc as well as a more detailed education program can make huge strides towards resolving the energy crisis. The Eskom driven 49M (49m.co.za) campaign comes to mind.  And this doesn't apply only to South Africa - but the whole of the continent! @sap4utilities

From ESI-Africa posted this morning.

Earth Hour sees 575 MW reduction | ESI-Africa.com

Earth Hour sees 575 MW reduction

Posted by: Kim Jansen

March 31, 2014

1 Comment

On Saturday evening March 29^th 2014 from 20:30 to 21:30 South Africans heeded the Earth Hour call and switched off enough electricity to save 575 MW. This is equivalent of the electricity required to power a city the size of Polokwane in the Limpopo Province.

As part of its support for the Earth Hour campaign, Eskom measured the reduction in electricity used during the hour against typical consumption for this time on an average Saturday evening. Eskom had also switched off non-essential lighting at all its offices around the country, except at strategic facilities for security reasons.

“Earth Hour affords all electricity users an opportunity to realise that it is in our power to save electricity and switch to more sustainable ways of living and doing business. Individual actions have a collective impact; together, as a nation, we can leave a legacy of a healthy South Africa and a healthy planet,” Andrew Etzinger, Eskom’s senior general manager for integrated demand management, says.