CONTRIBUTOR
Sustainable Living
By Vishay Rabbipal , Head of Renewable Energy : Retail and Business Banking at Absa Bank
In South Africa , due to the perpetual shortage of affordable housing , the residential sector is expected to see demand continuing to grow .
SOURCE : ESKOM , ABSA SECTORS SOURCE : ESKOM , ABSA SECTORS
This growing demand for housing will however also increase electricity consumption , as the residential sector alone consumes 30 % of Eskom ’ s coal-powered energy . This increase in housing is expected to further double in the coming decade posing stress on the already burdened electricity grid .
South Africa ’ s energy security is crucial to our long-term growth ambitions , but load shedding has continued to slow the economy and the need to increase our energy supply has been a constraint on growth for over a decade . Eskom continues to record declining energy availability factors ( the amount of energy available compared to the total energy generation ) and are well below the 80 % target . The power utility has been plagued by operational issues even at its most reliable plants . Since January , this year , South Africa has had over 38 days of load shedding . This has occurred outside of the peak electricity demand winter months . A major concern is the unplanned outages linked to the lack of proper long-term maintenance , ageing power stations and the lack of new build power stations to replace decommissioned ones .
There remains a risk of load shedding for the next 18 months .
This often frustrates homeowners , who must deal with spoilt food and damaged appliances due to power surges caused by load shedding . Adding to this burden are increasing electricity prices , which have increased almost three folds in the last decade and are expected to continue to increase by more than 15 % this year .
Water supply too is a perennial with aging infrastructure and equipment . Pumps burn out and pipes burst randomly , resulting in some suburbs being without this precious resource for days .
Homeowners are becoming more conscious about the importance of having these essentials and are shifting towards greener solutions and starting to live more sustainably . This includes taking actions to reduce food waste , recycle and conserve water , save energy and opting to invest in energy solutions that are seen as kinder to the environment , reducing their carbon footprint and increase their resilience .
Furthermore , with climate change now firmly on the global agenda , the topic of energy efficiency and sustainability is becoming a top of mind for homeowners , as it reduces the total cost of ownership in the long term . The interest in green buildings continue to grow , aiding efforts to improve quality of life and sustainability .
Outlined below are few steps that could help you move towards a more sustainable lifestyle and maintain healthy finances by reducing electricity bills , and therefore , your budgets , sensibly .
• Replacing incandescent and halogen lightbulbs with energy-efficient products such as LED lightbulbs .
• Purchasing eco-friendly appliances when older models need replacement .
• Installing water systems that collect rain and grey water , which can be used in gardens and for washing the car and paving areas .
• Installing a timer on the electric geyser .
• Replacing the electric geyser with a solar geyser .
In recent years , renewable energy technologies – such as biomass , biofuels , hydro , and wind power have evolved at an incredible rate .
It is important to note that renewable energy technologies are no longer an expensive source of energy generation . For example , solar panel prices decrease rapidly in recent years and therefore the cost of photovoltaic installations are becoming increasingly viable .
According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance , Solar Photovoltaic ( PV ) prices have decreased by over 150 times over the last 40 years , with installations increasing 115 000 times . Decreasing costs of solar panels ( as well as the increasing costs of traditional sources of Energy ) has had a positive impact on the investment case for Solar PV installations .
SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC , AN INTRODUCTION
Solar Photovoltaic ( PV ) systems are one of the most used renewable energy technologies . This is largely due to their cost-effectiveness and the abundance of sunlight , especially in South Africa .
18 SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2021 SAAffordHousing saaffordablehousingmag SA Affordable Housing www . saaffordablehousing . co . za