Eskom’s load-limiting initiative in parts of Johannesburg is said to be “absolutely wonderful” as the dreaded load-shedding is barely felt.
But to those who have backup energy such as inverters, it’s a “pest”.
The power utility launched the pilot project around June last year in parts of Johannesburg North, aimed at curbing load-shedding by introducing load-limiting during stages 1 to 4.
This means Eskom customers with smart prepaid meters will receive 10 amps of electricity and can keep some lights and certain appliances on to manage electricity consumption during the blackouts.
Ward 94, which includes Lone Hill, Kyalami, Glenferness and Blue Hills, has found load-reduction “blissful” as it has relieved the stress of total power outage, ward councillor David Foley told TimesLIVE Premium.
“It’s actually been total and absolute bliss and wonderful. The biggest problem came in when we had stages 5 and 6 towards the end of last year. People are used to managing their power and having their lights on and now that it is at stage 5 and 6 again, people are freaking out,” he said.
He said the only issue they have encountered is delays by Eskom when switching back on, as this can sometimes happen two hours later, especially after a four-hour load-shedding period.
“It seems the [switch on] is not done automatically and centrally, and they have to dispatch someone to turn it on manually. In general, from a load-limiting perspective, it has been absolutely wonderful. Residents have had more than six months of very good power when it comes to keeping the lights on,” Foley said.
Once load-shedding is about to kick in, Eskom customers receive an SMS warning them about the upcoming load-limiting session where they are required to switch off all high-voltage appliances. This includes the swimming pool pumps, the geyser, ovens, kettles and toasters. Should these appliances remain on, the lights will flicker several times to alert a resident to switch off such appliances. Should they fail to comply, the power will completely go off and fall under the normal load-shedding schedule.
However, those with no prepaid smart meters also gain to benefit as they are not switched off during load-shedding, Foley said.
“If the area has about 10 complexes, and they all have smart meters, but one complex does not have, that complex is regarded in the load-limiting space, and even if you use more power, you won’t be switched off,” he said.
However, Fourways resident Mike Brown, who has backup power such as solar energy and an inverter, finds the project a waste of time and a nuisance.
Brown told TimesLIVE Premium he used his retirement fund to install such backup equipment, which is of no use during load-limiting as his inverter draws more power as it needs more than 10 amps to function.
“It’s actually a pest. Unfortunately, load-limiting doesn’t work properly in every household, and we don’t have full control. If you have inverter power, it draws 40 amps, and it is pulling more than it would allow during load-limiting.
“Load-limiting is a waste of time, especially for those with inverters. What we have done by putting in inverters has made it null and void. I am running my swimming pool and heavy appliances on solar and … that is where I am getting my money’s worth with an inverter. Having an inverter, I prefer load-shedding and load-limiting is a waste of time unless you cannot afford a backup,” Brown said.
Ward 115 councillor Mark van der Merwe said it was only Douglasdale, Fourways and Craighaven powered by Eskom while the remaining regions received electricity from City Power.
He said since the introduction of load-limiting, it has been smooth sailing except for those with inverters.
“What we found is that people who have inverters draw the power even though the power was supposed to be off. The majority of complaints we received are from those who had inverters and felt they were inconvenienced, but it is not by Eskom.
“However, it is very effective and a lot of people raved about it. Some people didn’t like it because it was dependent on what was on at the time, like when their power had to go off at 2am and they had to shut down appliances. It is a manual thing and your planning has to be dynamic. But for the majority of people, it seems to be a good thing.”
The project has been rolled out to other parts including Sunninghill, Waterfall, Buccleuch, Kelvin, Marlboro and Paulshof this month.
Waterfall resident Serisha Mark said she has found the load-limiting convenient as she is able to keep her fridge, TV, one light and the Wi-Fi router on.
“I didn’t know how they would switch off some appliances and not the others, but it is all up to us. It’s far better because at least you are in control, and if you need something urgently then you can use it because they normally cut off power during peak times, which is really inconvenient. It is better than load-shedding and having everything switched off,” she said.
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