With the country’s and individual budgets already reeling from the strictures imposed by the lockdown, the latest news from Eskom has delivered yet another shock. The National Energy Regulator (NERSA) has granted Eskom permission to recuperate R13 billion, with the increase being finalised in September this year.

This news could not possibly come at a worse time given that the country’s economy has been severely impacted by measures put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19. It has also been suggested that South Africa’s infection rate will only reach its peak in September. According to The South African, “[a]s the nation prepares to enter more relaxed phases of lockdown, the return to ‘normal’ can only be assessed once the worst is over.”
Prior to the lockdown, South Africans faced phased loadshedding schedules on a near-daily basis, and matters don’t look to improve once the lockdown enters phase 3 and electricity demand spikes once again.

With an increase in demand, we’re bound to return to loadshedding at a time when the country can least afford it. With businesses scrabbling to recoup losses experienced due to loadshedding, further loss of productivity due to loadshedding could mean trouble.

The sooner you start implementing electricity-saving methods, the more money you could potentially save down the road. We’re compiled a few tips for how you can save electricity this winter and what you can do to conserve energy usage during lockdown.