Saving energy with 'Power Play'
Lazarus Mabasa
15 March 2005
About 48 families around the country will compete in Eskom's new television game show "Power Play", which aims to educate South Africans about the efficient use of electricity.
Participants stand the chance of walking away with numerous prizes, ranging from top-of-the-range household appliances to exotic getaways, while viewers stand the chance of winning a home through the "Energy Bill" competition.
The show consists of 26 episodes and will be aired on SABC2 every Friday from 1 April.
Launching the show in Johannesburg last week, Eskom managing director Johnny Dladla said the show was part of the Energy Efficiency and Demand Side Management initiative led by the Department of Minerals and Energy and the National Electricity Regulator (NER).
Eskom aims to meet the NER's goal of 152 Megawatt peak load reduction annually. This would constitute a saving of 4255 Megawatts over a period of 20 years
"The motivation behind Power Play
is the fact that South Africa needs to conserve electricity", Dladla said. "Our resources are finite, and that is a fact we all must face.
"The challenge is therefore to use existing generating capacity wisely, and to invest cost-effectively in supply-side expansion projects such as the building of new power stations."
Over the past decade, Eskom has electrified over 1 750 000 homes.
"We have electrified about 70 percent of South Africa's households, and we are aiming to achieve our target of a hundred percent", Dladla said.
He added said that Eskom had achieved their Demand Side Management target in 2004, saving 197 Megawatts worth R1.2-billion.
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Source: BuaNews
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