Pulling the plug

"Pulling the Plug"

HomePower Magazine: "Threats of eliminating net-metering options and rising connection fees are causing some consumers to look at exercising greater energy independence."

Note that I have been advocating for a long time that utilities and municipalities set up systems so that those who have the means can install systems and feed the grid 24 hours day, using Net Metering and Time of Use Tariffs and Demand Response. In South Africa, I believe that Eskom can only supply 10% of the real demand in the economy.

Whether this happens or not, electricity users will create their own power stations and community power stations (micro-grids), so lets rather do it together as a nation, rather than apart, as individuals or a community.

Energy Analyst David Lipschitz Interviewed on CNBC Africa - by phone - Open Exchange Program - Interviewed by Tumisho Grater

The points I spoke about are:

1) NERSA: the price increase is not off, just delayed. (NERSA said "Eskom's documentation is not in order." I think Eskom will try for an increase in January so that municipalities can get ready.)

2) Government doesn't want to fund Eskom anymore. Eskom's financing status at "Junk" which means that debt financing is very expensive.

Normal financing isn't working anymore. We need to think differently.


3) Use Time of Use Tariffs for everyone in South Africa. Then people can choose what they want to pay, eg 50 cents per kWh between 10pm and 6am; R2 from 6am to 10pm and R4 at peak time (7 to 10am and 6 to 8pm).


4) Use Demand Response for everyone in South Africa. Then Eskom can do "load shedding" and switch off non-essential loads in peoples houses.


What I didn't mention is that Net Metering should also be implemented without a service fee. This will incentivise people to make electricity and especially to sell it at peak time. Sales can be at 40 cents per kWh, R1.60 per kWh and R3.20 per kWh and Eskom can pocket the difference between their buying and selling price.

TOU and DR for homeowners!!

It's time for Time of Use Tariffs and Demand Response for Homeowners.

Let homeowners decide for themselves if they want to pay more for electricity at peak times and or have load shedding or part load shedding.

And please don't let Eskom say its impossible. I lived in the UK from 1987 till 1995 and we already had Time of Use Tariffs in the UK back then on meters where we paid our accounts in arrears.

http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/eskoms-molefe-comes-out-swinging-on-final-day-of-nersa-hearings-2015-06-24/rep_id:3182

Oh, and its about time that homeowners understand these abbreviations:

• TOU: Time of Use Tariffs: paying different rates for electricity at different times of the day
• DR: Demand Response: switching off particular circuits such as cooking, geysers, air conditioning, under floor heating, swimming pool pumps, etc, which don't affect all the things we need to keep running in our houses. And if you are cooking a cake and you don't want the oven to switch off, you press a button and the oven stays on and you just pay a higher rate until your cake is cooked.

Crank up old machine for new tricks

My first ever Comment on the Insight page of a newspaper.

We are all very excited here in Milnerton. Thank you to everyone for your support and to the Cape Times for publishing my letters over the past 6 years since I started writing about electricity. I feel like I just got my degree in journalism after more than 6,000 hours invested and very many conferences, reports, newspaper articles, magazine articles, discussions, forums, debates, presentations to parliament, meetings with political leaders, my friends at the Milnerton Proper Residents Association and the Greater Cape Town Civic Alliance, etc.

I'd especially like to thank my Facebook community friends for your ongoing support on this particular forum. Being an Active Citizen is often very lonely, but you guys and girls always show up with your "likes" and the many comments, critical sometimes, but always appreciated, and your ongoing support.

Thank you to everyone. You are always in my prayers.

Click on the picture above to read the article.