It’s that time again, the time for the dreaded price increase for Eskom electricity. This means us South African will have to dig deeper into our pockets to keep the lights burning. The latest hike is effective as of July 1st and will hit consumers hard. However there is no use complaining about the increase in Eskom rates because it will happen again, annually, until 2014. There is an estimated 25% hike in electricity which will differ from city to city. (more…)
Archive for the ‘Eco General’ Category
Beat the Eskom Electricity Hike Blues
Posted by Zeke on 01 Jul 2011 | Tagged as: Eco General
Friday, July 1st, 2011Reasons to Choose Sea Freight over Air Freight
Posted by Zeke on 13 Jun 2011 | Tagged as: Eco General
Monday, June 13th, 2011
When it comes to the freight industry there is a lot more to consider than simply costing and how long items will take to be delivered. Air, road, rail and sea freight each have their own set of pros and cons, but in terms of effect on the environment, some modes have more of a negative effect than others. While shipping may take somewhat longer than sending items by air, the cost for both your pocket and the environment still make it the better option. (more…)
Don’t reduce, Don’t re-use, Don’t recycle
Posted by Angela on 05 Apr 2011 | Tagged as: Eco General
Tuesday, April 5th, 2011
By Marisa Robson
They say, if you put a frog in boiling water it’ll jump out. Put a frog in cool water and set him on the stove with a low fire under him and he’ll boil to death slowly. Maybe frogs are really like that, maybe not. Human beings on the other hand – human beings are definitely like that.
April 20, 2010 gave us a boiling pot with the explosion on the BP operated Deepwater Horizon oil rig causing a massive oil spill that vomited out from the bowls of the earth covering ten thousand square kilometers in its toxic slick. The event burst into the headlines generating worldwide outrage, a hurricane of hate mail and tens of thousands of law suits. Hating BP CEO Tony Hayward became a global hobby amidst a mardi gras of finger pointing, explanation demanding and general bitching about the greedy oil merchants and the evil empire.
All this is merely evidence that we humans love ourselves a good scapegoat.
Determine Your Savings with our Energy Efficiency Calculator!
Posted by Angela on 24 Jan 2011 | Tagged as: Eco General
Monday, January 24th, 2011
Everyone is encouraging you to go green and save energy to do your bit for the environment, but the initial overhead costing is so daunting that many people are not considering it as a viable option. The “industry experts” say that the long term savings of converting to alternative energy sources and using environmentally friendly products are worth it, but they provide averages that are not specific to your household or business.
This is why we at Sustainable.co.za have developed our Sustainable Calculator, which will help you calculate how much money and energy you can save by converting to more energy efficient products.
You don’t need to install solar panels and wind turbines and take yourself completely off the grid. Simple changes in your household products will go a long way in terms of making sustainable savings on your monthly energy bills. By switching from regular light bulbs and showerheads to more energy efficient LED light bulbs and water saving showerheads, you will experience substantial savings.
While changing a couple of light bulbs doesn’t seem like it will do much to save energy and money, you’d be amazed by the actual results. This is where the Sustainable Calculator comes in. All you need to do is enter the product types and quantities, as well as the number of hours that you use them each day, and the Calculator will work out your monthly, annual and 10-year savings if you switch to energy efficient products. It will also provide details on the total cost of switching to these products (installation costs for Solar Water Heating kits included), as well as the payback period of your investment.
Why not try out our Sustainable Calculator to see for yourself how much you can save on your monthly energy bill by making a few simple changes. Many of the energy efficient products that can help you save are sold on our site, making it even easier for you to save money while doing your bit for the environment.
Green Scorpions Inspect SA Businesses
Posted by Zeke on 19 Jan 2011 | Tagged as: Eco General
Wednesday, January 19th, 2011
The Environmental Management Inspectorate (EMI), more commonly known as the Green Scorpions, are determined to enforce environmental compliance laws in businesses throughout South Africa. A 6-month campaign of inspections has been launched with the aim of insuring that business owners in offices to rent Johannesburg to Cape Town are following the correct environmental procedures.
Any eco-conscious manager will know that a business should use sustainable lighting and heating equipment in order to minimise environmental impact. However, the Green Scorpions will tell you that many businesses require more than this to meet environmental compliance standards; they must obtain the necessary licenses and follow the correct waste disposal procedures as well.
Interested in a Green Career? By Timea Kulcsar
Posted by Angela on 10 Jan 2011 | Tagged as: Eco General
Monday, January 10th, 2011
South Africa is committed to becoming a low carbon economy and to reducing our carbon emissions by 34% by 2020. The demand for skilled professionals in the carbon and energy sectors is rising. Predictions around job creation from these industries are very promising. The GreenPeace Energy Sector Jobs to 2030 report predicts that the opportunities offered by the renewable energy sector alone could result in the creation of 78 000 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs in less than 20 years.
SA’s Water and Environmental Affairs minister, Buyelwa Sonjica, recently signed an agreement with provincial MEC’s responsible for the environmental portfolio. Ensuring environmental assets and natural resources are valued, protected and enhanced is known as “outcome 10″ of government’s 12 outcomes, The environmental sector expanded public works programme (EPWP) would be scaled up to carry out the activities outlined under outcome 10. It was expected that 1,15-million EPWP work opportunities would be created by 2014. Another 325 652 full time jobs were also expected to be created by 2014. (more…)
Waterfall City – South Africa’s Largest Property Development – Ever
Posted by Zeke on 23 Dec 2010 | Tagged as: Eco General
Thursday, December 23rd, 2010
With a budget of over R21 Billion, a development site of over 640ha and constituting at least 5 to 10 percent of Gauteng’s construction GDP, Waterfall City just outside of Midrand is the largest property development in South Africa’s building history. And what’s more, the entire development is revolved around “green” principles.
Homes within Waterfall city’s boundaries will be expected to make use of solar heating, power and other sustainable energy sources, something that I’m sure plumbing contractors around the country will be benefiting from nicely, especially plumbers in Midrand. The city’s overall carbon footprint will be reduced by a substantial 60% compared to current households around South Africa. (more…)
Cape Town Electricity Services – Domestic Electricity Tariff Explanation
Posted by Angela on 13 Sep 2010 | Tagged as: Eco General
Monday, September 13th, 2010
Tariffs Valid With Effect From 1 July 2010
Cape Town’s electricity tariffs have been formulated in accordance with the Municipal Systems Act as well as guidelines established by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa.
There are three possible tariffs available for the City’s domestic electricity consumers. The tariffs are applicable irrespective of whether supplies are metered by credit or prepayment meters.
The Domestic High Tariff consists of an energy charge and a service charge and is suitable for consumers purchasing more than 1500 kWh per month.
The energy charge paid by these customers is 79.97 c/kWh plus VAT = 91.17 c/kWh and recovers the cost of energy which is provided to the particular consumer. (more…)
Make The Circle Bigger!
Posted by Angela on 03 Aug 2010 | Tagged as: Eco General
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
Upon learning of my intention to come to Cape Town for an internship in sustainability from my home in San Francisco, many of my friends and family were congratulatory and jealous, but quite concerned for my safety as well. “You’re heading to the most dangerous country in the world!” I was warned by more than a few people.
From second-hand reports and stories of people being robbed, shot at, killed, and taken advantage of, I understandably had a vigilant attitude upon my arrival. Upon my first inclusion in a round of “Make the Circle Bigga!” in middle of Long Street, all of these negative perceptions began to erode. While talking with a man and his (?) children at a braai in Nyanga, about Apartheid, forgiveness, and the hopeful future of South Africa, they eroded even further. (more…)
Eskom Report R3.6bn Profit
Posted by Zeke on 03 Jun 2010 | Tagged as: Eco General
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
A recent excerpt from the Eskom annual report has revealed that the company recorded a profit margin of R3.6bn for the year ending March this year. This comes after Eskom recorded a loss of R9.7bn in 2009. How is this possible and what do the public have to say about it all? Let’s take a look…
Where does the money come from?
The CEO of Eskom claims that the reason for the remarkable turnaround in fortune is due to a combination of increased electricity tariffs as well as the re-negotiation of derivative contracts with numerous companies. A big thorn in the financial side of Eskom in 2009 was the derivative contracts held with three aluminium smelters owned by BHP Billiton. These have since been re-negotiated and have freed up a reported R4.6bn in liabilities for Eskom in 2010. (more…)
