Switch off your electricity for 1 hour
ELECTRICITY consumers in all parts of the country are encouraged to switch off their lights and non-essential appliances for an hour on the 26th of this month. this annual campaign known as the Earth Hour is being fully supported by the Swaziland Electricity Company (SEC). on the 26th March of every year, power utilities and environmentalists normally encourage the citizens of the world to stop consuming electricity for an hour in an effort to minimise the effects of climate change. According to SEC’s Corporate Communications Manager Sifiso Dhlamini, they have set out a nation-wide programme to promote this activity to all their employees, customers and stakeholders. Dhlamini stated that the Earth Hour was a global event that had been endorsed by almost all power suppliers, including the 16 countries under the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) in which SEC is a member. “As the main power supplier in the country and an important stakeholder in an event such as the Earth Hour, we wish to encourage all electricity users to switch off their lights and appliances on the set date. We’re not necessarily suggesting that the country should go dark during that hour, but we’re merely persuading people to switch off lights in unoccupied rooms and do the same with non-essential appliances such as stoves, fridges, home theatres and others for only an hour,” he said.Dhlamini stated that SEC’s interest is on sensitising the public about the dangers posed by climate change, which is as a result of carbon emissions. Asked if SEC is not shooting itself in the foot by encouraging people to switch electricity off for an hour, Dhlamini said the company was not only concerned about making profits, but the welfare of its customers and the public. He added, “As a company with a conscience we thought we should partner with other environmentally-conscious organisations to show that we care and want to combat the effects of climate change. SEC has a responsibility to influence the public positively and make known its efforts to address compliance with safety, health and the environment” SEC has roped in its partners who include the ministry of natural resources and energy, ministry of housing and urban development, the Swaziland Environmental Authority (SEA) and Renewable Energy Association of Swaziland (REASWA). The company is also excited about the support it has received from all the media houses. A number of corporations and groups in various countries participate in this important activity. The Earth Hour was started in Sydney, Australia, an initiative which saw 2.2 million people and 2 000 businesses switching off their lights for an hour as a commitment to minimise climate change. Since then the Earth Hour has turned into a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries participating. last year, the campaign hit a record participation of 128 countries.
Earth Hour is a global initiative which will be held on the 26th March 2011. this programme requires that all households and business turn off their non-essential lights and electronic appliances for an hour from 8:30pm to 9:30pm. this will raise awareness for the need to take drastic action on climate change.All Swaziland Electricity Company (SEC) customers and the nation at large are requested to participate in this event to save our mother earth. we, therefore, request all our customers to switch off non-essential lights and electrical appliances such as radios, TVs, ovens, computers, geysers, heaters, chargers and stoves for only an hour. In taking this affirmative action we will be saving our energy and thus minimise the impacts of climate change. our future is dependant on mother earth. As a human race we have significantly detoriated and degraded our planet and this has led to impacts such as climate change and many more. Climate change is a real problem and needs action by all earth citizens. The situation is getting worse every second as we keep our electrical appliances on. we are experiencing floods, droughts, fluctuating temperatures to the extremes, diseases and many problems due to climate change. we can work together and use our electricity efficiently to save our planet.SEC will be taking part in the earth hour initiative and is encouraging the nation to also be involved in this worldwide campaign aimed at minimising the impacts of climate change. Swaziland imports 80% of its electricity from Eskom in South Africa, where most of it is generated from thermal power stations, which utilise fossil fuels. The fossil fuels such as coal, when burnt, release a lot of carbon dioxide and other gases to the atmosphere. these form part of the green house gases and contribute to global warming and climate change. thus every minute your electrical appliance is on you are contributing significantly to climate change.SEC is committed to the protection of the environment. it is also engaged in the minimisation of climate change impacts. There are various initiatives which the company has undertaken. Approximately 80% of the households in Swaziland have prepaid metering. The company is also encouraging its customers to use electricity efficiently and is promoting the use of energy-saving bulbs called CFLs or LEDs. SEC has also introduced the time of use tariff for our big customers. we believe that as a country we can contribute positively towards climate change by minimising the electricity we use. this is an initiative undertaken by all electricity companies in the SADC region and the world-over in an effort to save the world from global warming and climate change effects. however, this initiative must go beyond the Earth Hour. it should be our way of life. we must be conscious of the fact that our electrical wastages have a significant negative impact on our planet hence we need to save energy. below are tips for everyday use to sustain our planet.
ENERGY SAVING TIPSn Switch lights off when they are not in usen Use internal lights when necessaryn Use natural light as much as possible n Switch off your printer if not in usen Switch off all electrical appliances when not in usen Use energy saving bulbs