Smart Living Handbook Making sustainable living a reality in Cape Town homes
4th Edition, May 2011 SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
Published by the City of Cape Town
Fourth edition May 2011
More information available from:
Environmental Resource Management Department
7th floor 44 Wale Street Cape Town 8001 South Africa
Tel: 021 487 2284
Fax: 021 487 2578
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.capetown.gov.za/environment
© City of Cape Town
ISBN 978-0-9802784-7-7
This book is printed on SAPPI Triple Green paper, an environmentally friendly paper stock made from chlorine-free sugar cane fibre, to support sustainable afforestation in South Africa.
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information in this book at the time of publication, and to acknowledge photographs correctly. The City of Cape Town accepts no responsibility and will not be liable for any errors or omissions contained herein.
If you have any comments, suggestions or updates, please e-mail us at [email protected]. Contents
INTRODUCTION...... i
WASTE...... 1
Waste in our city...... 9
Waste in your home...... 13
Contacts and resources...... 31
ENERGY...... 39
Energy in our city...... 49
Transport in our city...... 56
Energy in your home...... 64
Contacts and resources...... 89
WATER...... 93
Water in our city...... 102
Water in your home...... 109
Contacts and resources...... 122
BIODIVERSITY...... 125
Biodiversity in our city...... 131
Biodiversity in your home...... 135
Contacts and resources ...... 152
“We all have a responsibility to learn how to live and develop sustainably in a world of finite resources.” – Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, 2009
SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
Smart Living Handbook
Introduction Cape Town – eKapa – Kaapstad – is South Africa’s Mother City. It is the oldest city in the country, the legislative capital of South Africa, and an important centre of trade and tourism. Within hours after his release from prison, Nelson Mandela made his first public speech from the balcony of the Cape Town City Hall – heralding the beginning of a new era for South Africa. The city is probably best known for its natural beauty – Table Mountain, the Cape of Good Hope and the Cape Flats, where a unique plant life exists. Fynbos (Afrikaans for ‘fine bush’) is shrubby, evergreen vegetation that is well known for its characteristic proteas. It occurs nowhere else but along the Cape coastal belt, its adjacent mountains and some isolated inland mountaintops.
The Cape Floral Kingdom has over 9 000 different plant species, of which 190 are endemic. That means that they are found nowhere else in the world. Although Cape Town is renowned for its beauty and biodiversity, it faces many grave environmental resource challenges. Local development and pollution have destroyed natural habitats, placing many unique plants and the rare animals living among them under threat. Climate change caused by vehicle emissions and coal-based power generation will have a severe impact on all life in our city. Water resources are increasingly scarce, and landfill space is rapidly filling up. Cape Town is also characterised by huge wealth differences. Some Capetonians use more water, electricity and petrol, and generate more waste than the average American, while others live in households with a single tap, and still use unsafe fuels for their cooking.
Background to the handbook’s creation The City of Cape Town has a partnership with the City of Aachen in Germany that specifically promotes sustainable development in a practical way. One of the partnership’s projects implemented in Cape Town was the 21 Households project with families from Khayelitsha, Manenberg and Wynberg. Over a period of a year, households met monthly to learn about sustainable living through practical, interactive workshops and outings. Eco-audits were done in their homes at the start and end of the project to determine the main focus areas that had to be addressed and the eventual impact of the training.
The project was a great success in the local communities. It was repeated in different areas, and everywhere, households felt that they had been empowered to make better decisions that would improve their lives and benefit the environment. The participating households believed that it was important to get the message across to the broader community, and suggested that the workshop notes be printed in a handbook format.
Subsequently, the Smart Living Handbook was developed on behalf of the City of Cape Town by AMATHEMBA Environmental Management Consulting and Sustainable Energy Africa. It was based on the Home Environmental Management Guide Book by AMATHEMBA and The Energy Book by Sarah Ward, and was first published in 2007. Minor updates and reprints were done in 2008 and 2009. In 2010, Steadfast Greening and Icologie undertook an extensive update and review of the handbook, and compiled the complementary Smart Events and Smart Office handbooks.
Making a difference: Energy, water, waste and our diverse environment Every time you switch on a light, drive your car, run a bath or put out your rubbish you’re making a decision that affects the environment. Natural resources – water, coal, oil, land, fresh air – will run out if we use them at a faster INTRODUCTION
i SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
rate than they can replenish themselves. There are many indications that this is already happening. Households have a significant cumulative impact. To make sure that there are enough resources to go around – enough for current and future generations – we need to manage our resources well, using what we have efficiently and fairly. Many of us are aware that we should be doing this, but are often unsure about what to do and how to do it. This handbook aims to provide you with information and practical actions to implement – to protect the environment, save money, and make your home a safer place to live in. We can make a difference.
Saving the earth and saving money The wonderful thing about saving water and electricity and reducing waste is that it will save you and the City of Cape Town much needed money. The actions recommended in this book are easy and relatively cheap. Where an item may be a bit more costly, we offer information on the long-term savings. Also worth considering is that when you buy an appliance, you pay more than just the selling price – you commit yourself to paying the cost of running the appliance for as long as you own it. These energy and water costs add up quickly. Therefore remember, when you buy a new appliance, rather switch to one that will be energy and water-efficient. These usually cost no more than their less efficient counterparts, but will save you money over the years.
How to use this handbook We would all like to make good choices when it comes to managing our homes – good choices for our health, safety and pocket, but also for the environment. This handbook has some useful information and handy tips to help you make the best choices to reduce your energy and water consumption and waste output. It also provides information on how to keep our natural world as strong and diverse as possible. The handbook is divided into four main sections: Waste, Energy, Water and Biodiversity.
The handbook contains a lot of information, and we recommend that you give yourself sufficient time to work through it – attempting to read all chapters together and trying out all the new actions all at once, could be difficult. Perhaps start with reading the summary of each chapter; decide which chapter interests you the most, or will give you what you need to make smart decisions in your home, and begin.
Different types of households are faced with different environmental issues. For example, high-income households may find that they are high consumers of electricity and need to explore ways to reduce their consumption. Informal households, on the other hand, may find that their greatest problem is the health and safety of householders because of the unsafe use of energy. We hope this handbook will be of relevance and use to all homes in Cape Town. Where a section does not seem to relate to your issues, simply move on to the next one, or explore and consider the issues facing your neighbours.
Each section provides the following information:
•T• he key challenges related to the resource •W• hat the City of Cape Town is doing to manage the resource / issue •W• hat you can do in your home •P• ractical resources and steps for implementation.
Activities and pictures are provided for interaction with the issues, as well as easy reference. Safety and health issues are also addressed in each of the sections. Community organisation and activity are vital for good governance. Therefore, the handbook also contains information on some interesting initiatives in Cape Town’s civil society.
Water and energy-saving products are available from most hardware stores and suppliers of plumbing or lighting devices in Cape Town. There are many waste recycling initiatives at schools and in communities, so consult your community newspaper for more details. Many ‘green’ products are available locally – visit Cape Town Green Map (www.capetowngreenmap.co.za) for more information. Our local nurseries are well stocked with indigenous plants, and will be able to guide you on what is best suited to your local area, or you can contact Kirstenbosch for more information. INTRODUCTION ii SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
Some useful resources and references are listed at the end of each chapter, but a full reference on environmental resources in the city can be found in the City’s digital Environmental Resource Directory, which can be downloaded from the Environmental Resource Management Department’s website. Visit www.capetown.gov.za/environment; click on “Publications”, and then choose “Environmental education resources”.
Acknowledgements Compiling a book of this nature requires research, input and advice from a variety of sources. We acknowledge with thanks all who have contributed to the information contained in this handbook:
•A• MATHEMBA Environmental Management Consulting: Barry Wiesner, Tamara North, Stephen Davey •C• ity of Cape Town Strategy and Planning: Environmental Resource Management Department •C• ity of Cape Town Utility Services: Water, Solid Waste, Transport and Electricity departments •D• evelopment Action Group: Fikiswa Mahote •D• otted Line Design: Doret Ferreira •E• nvirosense: Susanne Dittke •E• skom •F• airest Cape Association •G• aleforce: Gail Jennings •I• cologie: Andrew Bennett, Andy le May •L• P Gas Safety Association •P• araffin Safety Association: Matt Nondwana •P• rogramme for Basic Energy and Conservation in Southern Africa •S• oil for Life: Pat Featherstone •S• oul Sanctuary: Mark Wellens •S• teadfast Greening: Grace Stead, Fran Cox •S• ustainable Energy Africa: Megan Anderson, Mark Borchers, Leila Mahomed, Audrey Dobbins •T• he Greenhouse Project: Dorah Lebelo •U• niversity of Cape Town: Department of Environmental and Geographical Science •U• niversity of Cape Town: Energy Research Centre •W• indpower: Peter Becker •R• eviewed by Amy Davison, Geneveve Walker and Mike Morris •T• he illustration on the cover of this book is taken from a poster illustrated by Chip Snaddon for the City of Cape Town INTRODUCTION
iii
ENERGY
Energy has no physical substance. We only know it is there, because we can see its effects, such as heat, light, sound and magnetism. We only value it for what it can do for us. However, without it, we could not survive. The sun provides the energy for all the processes that sustain life on our planet. It drives our weather, it generates heat, and it enables animal and plant growth. The sun supplies the earth with enormous amounts of energy for free – over 8 000 times the amount we use. To put it into context, the sun supplies more energy in one hour than human civilisation uses in one year. Our current energy use creates large amounts of pollution. If we could harness just 0,02% of the energy that comes to us from the sun, we would have enough for all our power needs. SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
Summary Every day, we use energy for different activities, from heating and cleaning to transport and communication. The energy we use comes in a variety of forms, namely liquid fuels, such as petrol, paraffin and diesel; gas, or electricity. In South Africa, liquid fuels come from oil and coal, while electricity is mainly generated from coal and nuclear power. These sources of energy are non-renewable and will run out. Oil is predicted to run out in about 40 years. However, there are also renewable sources of energy that will not run out, such as solar, biomass and wind, which can be used to generate electricity. Traditionally, electricity in South Africa has been cheap, but this is changing due to ageing infrastructure, limited fuel resources, and international pressure with regard to climate change. Since 2006, South Africa has had insufficient supply of electricity. While plans are underway to address this, this crisis will persist until at least 2016. The price of electricity will increase substantially in the coming years, therefore, our actions need to be energy efficient, and we must utilise renewable energy whenever possible.
Why is energy efficiency important?
The main energy challenges facing us are as follows:
•• Eskom tariffs and fuel prices are rising, and we have already been affected by power outages.
•• Oil and coal are limited resources that will eventually run out (oil in approximately 40 years; coal in approximately 150 years).
•• There are several health problems associated with the different ways in which we generate energy.
•• Emissions/pollutants are changing our environment.
•• Our roads are becoming increasingly congested, which implies increasing air pollution and increased energy usage, as well as an increasing number of traffic accidents.
The two main energy categories are non-renewable and renewable energy.
•• A non-renewable resource is a natural resource that cannot be produced, regrown, regenerated or reused fast enough to sustain its consumption rate indefinitely. These resources often exist in a fixed amount, or are consumed much faster than nature can recreate them. Fossil fuel (such as coal, petroleum and natural gas) and nuclear power (made from uranium) are examples of non-renewable resources.
•• A renewable resource, on the other hand, has an ongoing or continuous source of supply (such as wind and solar power), and usually emits less carbon when electricity is generated.
What can we do?
There are many quick, simple and inexpensive things we can do to help:
•• Calculate your energy use. Audit your home to calculate what you can save.
•• Use less fuel. Walk, cycle, share lifts, use public transport, drive more efficiently, or drive smaller, more efficient vehicles.
•• Use less electricity. Buy energy-efficient appliances and lights, and turn off unused lights and appliances instead of leaving them in ‘standby’ mode.
•• Use less hot water. Fit a geyser timer, use low-flow showerheads or install a solar water heater, shower rather than bath, and turn off the running tap while brushing your teeth.
•• Cook efficiently. Use lids, the right size pans, or a Hot Box. A Hot Box is an insulated container in which you place a cooking pot. The box keeps the food hot and cooking, without using any energy.
•• Cool efficiently. Fill your fridge as much as possible, make sure seals are clean and in good order and use natural shade and ventilation around your house.
•• Wash efficiently. Fill your washing machine or dishwasher completely, and use colder, more efficient cycles on your washing machine.
•• Heat your home efficiently. Stop draughts, use thermostats, insulate your home, and install a ceiling. ENERGY •• Support ‘green energy’. Install a solar water heater or photovoltaic panels, and buy renewable-energy certificates. 40 best solution. best the be not therefore may Biofuels capacity. food-growing any lose to afford cannot we 2050,9,5byto billion 6,9billion from grow to set population the with and prices, food on pressure puts turn, in This, crops. food for fertiliser), used been and have water otherwise could as which (such resources and space require but renewable, are crops) from made diesel example (for Biofuels sources. energy temporary or ‘non-renewable’ reserve, as they take millions of years to be produced, such as oil and coal, are considered easily is ‘renewable’. called is waves) sunor wind, havelimited that a the Fuels as that (such replaced source energy An need sources. first these but harnessing power,of generate effect to the energies understand to these of all use can we course Of tides. gravitational pull from the moon and the sun, has a great on effect seawater, and creates the namely source, energy Another earth. the of crust the below just sits volcanoes) as such surface, earth’s the from energy (heat energy Geothermal well. as areas other in energy is However, there cycle. water the and sugar) and oxygen produce to water and sunlight carbon, absorb plants which through process (the photosynthesis currents, sea wind, the as such planet, our on processes the of many drives and energy, solar called is energy This sun. the from comes receives earth the that energy of majority vast The Energy sources energy to Introduction K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S The energy from the sun drives our world. our drives sun the from energy The 41 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
The diagram opposite shows how the energy we receive from the sun dwarfs all the other renewable sources as well as our own energy use. Over twice the amount of solar energy shown actually hits our earth, but a lot is reflected back into space by our atmosphere and oceans.
There are significant amounts of energy stored in non- renewable sources, but once they are gone, they are gone forever. Oil and coal have taken millions of years to form, but in just a couple of hundred years, we will have used it all. We use oil for all sorts of applications, like fertilisers, medicine and plastics. At our current consumption rates, oil is projected to run out in 40–50 years. Should we therefore be burning this versatile and valuable resource in our vehicles?
Sustainability means to be able to meet your needs today, without compromising future generations’ ability to meet theirs. Therefore, to be more sustainable in our energy use, we need to meet our energy needs more efficiently; address everyone’s energy needs equitably, and use energy sources that do not harm people and the environment, but can be replenished to ensure a sufficient supply for future generations.
Measuring energy Energy is defined as the capacity to do work. It is measured in units called joules (J). Power is the rate at which energy is used. This is measured in watts (W). One watt is equal to the energy consumed at a rate of one joule per second. However, as energy is used in vast amounts throughout the world, bigger units are normally used:
100 watts (100 W) = one hundred watts
1 kilowatt (1 kW) = 1 000 (one thousand) watts
1 megawatt (1 MW) = 1 000 000 (one million) watts or 1 000 kW
1 gigawatt (1 GW) = 1 000 000 000 watts or 1 000 000 (one million) kW or 1 000 MW
1 terrawatt (1 TW) = 1 000 000 000 000 watts or 1 000 GW
Worldwide energy use is estimated at 15 TW.
An appliance’s power use is expressed in watts, for example, a 60 W light bulb. To understand the total amount of energy used, we need to think about how long an appliance is used for, i.e. the amount of energy used in kilowatt-hours (kWh). For example, if a 60 W bulb is left on for ten hours, it will use 60 x 10 = 600 Whr = 0.6 kWh. Similarly, a 1 kW heater used for half an hour also uses 0.5 kWh. ENERGY
42 harmful gases trapped in the atmosphere). in the trapped harmful gases (i.e. gases greenhouse of amounts significant produces process the and operate, and build to expensive is technology this However, oil. to coal convert will that technology we implemented and money developed has Sasol country. the our of out flows therefore All oil on spend countries. other from resource critical this buy to need we means about oil. Yet, on This natural hasno resources. oil Africa depends South largely economy Our think to things Some of‘ancient as thought be sunlight’. sun – solar energy – stored in ancient plant and animal matter. Therefore, fossil fuels can the from energy really is fuel Fossil ground. the under buried forests ancient by formed is Similarly, oil.coal as know we that compounds carbon and hydrogen of mix complex intothe changing slowly them, above sediment by compressed were layers these years, and fell their bodies to the ocean floor,they a formed rich organic Overmud.millions of in originating old, years of millions of ancient plant seas that with microscopic and teemed animal life. creatures these died As tens are depends economy world the which on supplies oil The planet. the on resource critical most single the become has which oil, especially and gas coal, i.e.fuels’, ‘fossil so-called from comes power our of Most ‘Ancient sunlight’ –fossil fuels K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S 43 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
Coal and oil reserves are limited and non-renewable energy sources. One day, they will run out. We need Rising sea level to be prepared for when this happens. Coal reserves In a sea-level rise risk assessment done in 2008 in South Africa are estimated to last another 150 to 200 years. Oil reserves are estimated to run out in as on behalf of the City of Cape Town, retired little as 40 to 50 years, and analysts predict that long University of Cape Town Oceanography Professor before oil actually runs out, it will become increasingly Geoff Brundrit concluded that within the next inaccessible and therefore also extremely expensive. 25 years, there is an 85% probability that 2% of This is called the ‘peak oil’ prediction. (See next the metropolitan area could be covered by sea section for more information on peak oil.) for short periods (such as during storm surges, We use oil to produce many different products, such which will damage services infrastructure and as plastic, food, fertiliser, medicine, beauty products, property). The accompanying expected loss building products and automotive products. In fact, of real estate value amounts to just under R20 almost any area you can think of relies on oil for something. Should we therefore be burning it all? billion. The report concludes as follows: “The What will we do when it runs out? sovereign risk of sea-level rise for the City of Cape Town is significant and will increase The technology developed for the use of fossil fuel is not very efficient. Most of the fuel we use is in the next 25 years, regardless of reductions in converted into heat energy, which goes to waste. greenhouse gas.” Conversion losses when electricity is generated and transported mean that by the time you switch on your incandescent light bulb, only some 2% of the energy from the coal is being used to create light.
Burning fossil fuels releases harmful gases into the atmosphere. This causes local pollution, and leads to respiratory and other diseases. It also has a global
environmental impact. Sulphur dioxide (SO2) produced from burning coal dissolves with water vapour to form 8 acid rain, which has a negative impact on plants and animals when it falls onto the earth. Acid rain also corrodes metal products, like roof sheeting and wire fences. Currently, the greatest threat to our planet is 4 climate change, which has largely been brought on by the increase in the burning of fossil fuels over the past one hundred years.
It is very likely that international negotiations to curb carbon in the atmosphere will leave carbon-intensive economies (i.e. economies with high levels of carbon emissions per unit of economic production), such as 1,1 South Africa, increasingly uncompetitive. Peak oil
Most of South Africa’s energy comes from coal. South African Over the past decade, studies have shown that global oil
coal is low grade and large amounts of CO2 are released into production is reaching its peak, which will be followed the atmosphere when it is burned. South Africa produces about by an irreversible decline. This event is commonly 8 tons of CO per person each year. This is twice as much as 2 known as ‘peak oil’. From transportation to modern the global average of 4 tons/person. The rest of Africa only agriculture, petrochemicals to pharmaceuticals – produces, on average 1,1 tons of CO per person each year. 2 everything relies on one commodity, namely cheap and abundant oil. However, oil is a limited, non-renewable ENERGY
44 60% are said to be from CO from be to said are 60% increases, gas greenhouse result the Of the activity. human are of gases) the greenhouse in (i.e. gases atmosphere of concentrations concluded increased have the (IPCC) that Change Climate Intergovernmental on the Panel ago. in years scientists 150–200 world Leading of levels pre-industrial than abn ixd (CO dioxide Carbon on? century. is going What next and is anticipated to continue rising ºC, by ºC 2–6 over 0,5 the about by risen has earth the of temperature average global way. the However, in the last 100 years alone, the average years, 000 temperature 10has changed by no more than 1 either ºC past the For Energy and climate change vehicles). electric (e.g. power that on run to adapted vehicles efficient (such as solar, wind and wave and energy), much more to using generate technologies renewable power start to is solution The difficult. more becomes production and declines supply as prices higher ever in result will crisis oil peak The decline. extraction of ease the and ofoil the quality the both emptied, and well is tapped years. Initially, 40–50 oil is easy to but extract, as an oil in out run to projected is resource the and 2050, by resource. If unchecked, left the oil demand will double animal production; nitrous oxide (N oxide nitrous production; animal topee I 19, CO 1999, In atmosphere. ehn gs (CH gas of consist methane 40% remaining The fuels. fossil burning cetss n ae on niiae ht lns from plants that anticipate Town Cape in Scientists further spreadacross our country. to expected is Malaria increase. will Micro-organismsthat can contaminate water and food illness. respiratory and illness heat-related infections, of spread the cause will patternsweather occur.New to likelyare events weather extreme more time, Over causing some islands to disappear completely. and rising sea levels will flood low-lying areas on earth, melt, to started have caps ice polar weather.The our currents, and change wind patterns – all of which affect shift oceans, our warm earth temperatureson Higher temperature. earth’s the in rise slight a merely than trapped around the earth. This has a much wider impact The more gases in the atmosphere, the more heat gets aerosols. and refrigerators in used (CFCs) chlorofluorocarbons and agriculture, 4 eitd rm adil ie and sites landfill from emitted ) 2 ) is one of the gases in our our in gases the of one is ) 2 levels were 32% higher higher 32% were levels 2 , which is released when when released is which , 2 O) emitted from from emitted O) 1961–1990 average. change relative to temperature mean surface the global 1880-2009 File:Instrumental_Temperature_Record.png http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ GISS NASA Source: Greenhouse gases reflect the sun’s energy back to earth. to back sun’sthe energy reflect gases Greenhouse K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S 45 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
the Cape Floral Kingdom will become extinct as the area becomes drier (see the Biodiversity section for more information). Natural disasters, such as fires and floods, are expected to increase in frequency and severity. Research by the University of Cape Town indicates that a 1 ºC increase in temperature, which is anticipated within the next 50 years, may result in a 30% increase in local fire events. Overall, the Cape will become drier, with subsequent water shortages. Decreased and disrupted agricultural production will put increasing pressure on food sources, and will lead to further urbanisation as rural people facing food shortages move to the cities. When storms occur, they will be more violent, accompanied by heavier rainfall.
Energy and local air pollution The burning of fossil fuels does not affect us at a global climate level alone. Local air pollution caused by fossil fuel burning has a serious impact on our health and the environment as well, particularly on vulnerable children, the elderly and the infirm. Children walking to school along busy roads are affected by car fumes, while people using paraffin, coal and wood for indoor cooking and heating are subjected to high levels of indoor air pollution. Cape Town’s infamous ‘brown haze’ on windless days The City of Cape Town Air is mostly caused by gases emitted from car exhausts. These gases turn brown when exposed to sunlight. For Quality Management Bylaw more information on air quality, please refer to the Waste determines the following: section of this handbook. • • The amount of smoke that may be emitted from residential and non-residential The importance of air quality premises Poor air quality particularly affects groups such as the very •• The amount of smoke that may be emitted young, elderly, poor or disadvantaged. It may have long- term negative effects on human health, and can reduce from diesel vehicles the quality of life of individuals and communities. It can •• Those with the authority to install, affect the physical environment as well, by corroding alter, replace or operate fuel-burning buildings, discolouring fabrics, and killing plants and equipment animals. Air pollution results when substances from man- made activities, such as dust from roadworks; smoke •• Those emissions that are regarded a and fumes from industries, and emissions from natural nuisance activities, such as forest fires and volcanoes, go into the atmosphere and change the natural composition of the air •• Regulations on tyre burning and we breathe. The City of Cape Town’s Health Directorate possessing burnt materials (such as burnt (Specialised Services: Air Quality Management) works copper wire and scrap metal) to protect the air we breathe by way of the Air Quality Management Bylaw. According to the bylaw, no-one may cause or create or be partially responsible for creating a risk of significant air pollution, or the pollution itself. ENERGY
46 • • • • • • following the Try pollution. at home: air reduce help can You • • • • • • U G tips.) composting for handy section Biodiversity the (See to rotwaste in yourbackyard. vegetable and yourfruit leave just not Do correctly: C R U U cooking and heating needs. However, using needs. heating and when cooking particles. dust and sand airborne thisway, In covers. limit and cover will you sand up into atmosphere. the released is gas methane less sites, landfill on decomposing waste is less there As to sites. landfill going waste chain, of amount the reduce you production the into atmosphere. the (VOCs) compounds organic volatile less emit which thinners, and well. as fuel fossil on are you saving electricity, less by using so (coal), fuels fossil burning from generated ecycle. By sending recyclable items back into back items recyclable sending By ecycle. ompost your organic waste. However, yourorganic it do ompost se electricity or gas instead of wood fires for fires your of wood instead gas or electricity se paints low-odour and friendly environmentally se is largely sparingly. Electricity electricity se reen sandy patches by planting grass or ground ground or by planting patches grass sandy reen Demolition of the Athlone Power Station cooling towers on 22 August 2010. 22 August on towers Station cooling Power Athlone of the Demolition K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S Cape Town’s haze”.Cape “brown infamous 47 47 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
gas, keep your windows open to circulate fresh air through your home.
•• Prevent the formation of mould, which releases spores into the air. Keep your kitchen and bathroom well ventilated.
•• Do not burn refuse, unwanted furniture, copper wire or any other materials. This emits toxic fumes.
•• Being South African, we all love a good braai. However, choose dry wood to keep smoke emissions to a minimum.
•• During winter months, use dry wood or anthracite in your fireplace to create less smoke. Do not burn low-grade (brown) coal, as this emits more pollution than anthracite.
•• Check your chimney when making a fire to ensure that you are not emitting too much smoke from your fireplace. Always ensure good ventilation of fresh air, as indoor fires contribute to poor indoor air quality.
The greatest air pollution dangers in Cape Town are dust, wood burning and diesel. Diesel fumes are a major contributor to the yellow-brown smog (‘brown haze’) that often hovers over the city.
Please report vehicles with excessively smoking exhausts to the City’s Air Quality Management Unit during office hours on 021 590 1419. Have the vehicle make, model and registration number handy, as well as the road where you have spotted it and its direction of travel. Also please report any vehicle that is spewing out dark fumes. This will allow the City to encourage the owners of these vehicles to carry out the necessary repairs.
For further advice, contact the City’s Air Quality Management Unit on 021 590 1419, or visit www.capetown.gov.za and follow the links “Services & Departments” and “Air Quality Management”. ENERGY
48 o mr dtis g t www.capetown.gov.za/ to go details, environmentalpolicies. more For City’s Energy and Climate Change Action Plan. targets are being updated and further developed under the resilience,climate andandenergy changeawareness. andThe adaptation mitigation, carbon and security energy streamsThreeworknamelydevelopoverseeprojects, and City. the across departments all by, actively pursued and integratedwith, effectively is agendachange climate and Climate and EnergyChange was established in 2009 to ensure that the energy on Subcommittee Management Executive An (IDP). Plan Development Integrated City’s theunderpin thatareasstrategicfocuseight its of one as In 2008, the City established “Energy for a sustainable city” residential, supply, government, industry and commercial electricity sectors. transport, the for targets challenging energyforCapetonians. quantifiablestrategyThesets but sound environmentally sustainable, of consumption delivery and the for vision a outlines This 2005. in Change Strategy Climate and Energy an develop to city African energydevelopment.CapeTownCityof first The the was Cape Town is gaining a reputation as a pioneer in sustainable oil. Crude oil is shipped mainly from the Middle East, East, Middle the from mainly shipped is oil Crude oil. refined from made all are diesel and petrol gas, Paraffin, come from? Where does our energy Energy in our city These are some of the many objectives that the City is is City the targets: its reach to help that pursuing objectives many the of some are These operations. own its for target efficiency same the itself set has City the example, by lead to order In 2020. by supply energy renewable 10% a with supply, renewable/cleaner-energy by met be demand in growth that and use, unconstrained on 2012 by 10% by consumption electricity city-wide reduce to is target The targets Key Cape Town energy and climate change • • • • • • • •
T T T T driving’ training programme training driving’ ‘eco- an offering and vehicles fuel-efficient more efficient energy 2014 by heaters water solar with retrofitted 2014 by ceilings with fitted houses (RDP) Programme Development o green the vehicle fleet by, for example, buying buying by, example, for fleet vehicle the o green more to become buildings council existing o retrofit geysers conventional with houses 000 300 o have and Reconstruction pre-2007 existing of 40% o have 49 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK Sustainable Energy Africa Energy Sustainable
Darling Wind Farm.
some 10 000 km away. It is pumped ashore at Saldanha The Darling Wind Farm Bay, 120 km north of Cape Town, and then piped to the The restructuring of the electricity sector also allows Caltex refinery situated in Milnerton, 15 km from the independent power producers also to generate electricity. city centre. From the refinery, the various liquid fuels – Darling, a town situated 70 km north of Cape Town, is the petrol, diesel, paraffin and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) – site of South Africa’s first commercial wind farm. The farm are distributed to bulk depots and smaller distributors. became operational in mid-2008, and has a maximum Coal supplies are railed from national sources, mainly output of 5,2 MW from four 1,3 MW wind turbines. in Mpumalanga, some 1 500 km away. Much of the The project became feasible when a power purchase energy we use is supplied to us by private companies agreement (PPA) was concluded between the developer and retailers. National Government regulates the prices and the City of Cape Town. of most of these fuels (petrol, diesel and paraffin) and added LPG price regulation in August 2010. In terms of The Darling ‘green’ electricity will sell at a premium (25c the Constitution, municipalities are responsible for piped extra per kWh in 2010) through the financial mechanism gas distribution. Currently LPG supplies around 1% of of “Green Electricity Certificates”, and requires active Cape Town’s energy needs. citizen and business support. Queries relating to green electricity purchases should be submitted to the City The national grid provides us with electrical energy, 95% call centre (see “Contacts and resources” at the end of which is generated near the coalfields of Mpumalanga, of this section). For further information on green and 5% at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station on the West electricity, visit the City of Cape Town’s website on Coast, 45 km north of the city centre. Electricity is www.capetown.gov.za/greenelectricity. Queries may also transmitted along Eskom’s transmission grids, and finally be e-mailed to [email protected]. distributed to industry, businesses and households, either directly by Eskom, or through the City, which are licensed by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) Renewable/cleaner energy to be electricity distributors. Significant energy losses Renewable energy is initially costly in comparison with occur in this transmission process. our existing coal power, which does not take the full Eskom currently supplies the City of Cape Town with the environmental cost into account. The vast majority of metropolitan area’s electricity. Eskom distributes about the renewable energy cost is in the initial set up which 25% of the city’s electricity directly to consumers. The contrasts strongly with technologies such as coal and remainder is supplied to the City of Cape Town, which nuclear power, which have ongoing fuel costs and then distributes it further through its own networks. The large costs at the end of the plant’s lifecycle, such as Constitution also places the responsibility for electricity decommissioning of the plant and safe storage of the distribution on municipalities. nuclear waste. There is a need to combine renewable energy supply from less consistent sources, such as wind ENERGY
50 of finite resources (coal and uranium), and are associated associated are and uranium), and (coal resources finite of use the on rely technologies nuclear and coal-fired Both resources Limited sector. energy renewable- and new the in competitors new as well as sector coal and gas to modernised largely has a sector with compete nuclear the cost, this from Apart yet. as highly the with happened not dealing has that but waste, radioactive dangerous for found been have would solution economic an decommissioning, needed reactors most time the by exceed that thought was It estimates. farprevious that expenses decommissioning and waste nuclear with dealing include costs term to that long The meter’. cheap ‘too estimates be would power unrealistic nuclear from original, electricity the from sharply risen has technology nuclear implementing of cost The Decommissioning plant. Koeberg the within stored remains waste high-level The Namaqualand. in Vaalputs years. Koeberg’s waste low-level is buried underground at 000 100 than more for radioactive remain nuclear could waste ‘high-level’ while years, of thousands for toxic nuclear dangerously remains and waste nuclear ‘Low-level’ accidents. power, nuclear of economics transparency the of around lack the waste, nuclear of danger the energy solution. However, others remain concerned about important an as power nuclear support to people some led have contributes, substantially generation electricity coal-based which to atmosphere, the in dioxide carbon climate change resulting from increased concentrations of about concerns Grave capacity. nuclear further develop to looking are Eskom and Government National Town. Cape near Koeberg at plant South power nuclear from only Africa’s comes 5% mix, electricity national the Of power Nuclear opportunities for local job creation. such as nuclear and coal power. As such, they offer aremuchfarmorelabour-intensive better thanconventional sources, of different electricity generation options, renewable sources According to a study that compared the employmentelectricity capacity generation from jobs Green requirements. energy residents’ its meet to City the assist will sources of balance a Such gas. natural and biogas as such sources, consistent more with solar, and nry ouin ms b amd t eeoig cleaner, developing technologies. energy renewable-source at Longer-term aimed be must hazards. solutions energy environmental substantial with Koeberg Nuclear Power Station. Power Nuclear Koeberg to those children residing further away. likelythanastwice developto leukaemia compared more arestation powernuclear a ofradius km 5 a childrenwhoarebelowandlive the5 ofage within thatfound study,Kikk theresearch,called of piece risk of developing cancer, particularly leukaemia. One nuclearreactor,thechildrenhighertheirto thelive nuclearplants.Studies have revealed closer thatthe near living people for concerns health and safety around questions raises inevitably power Nuclear issues Health K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S 51 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
From power line to home Most households in Cape Town receive electricity through the national electricity grid. There are two payment systems for electricity. With the older credit-meter system, you receive a continuous electricity supply, and are billed monthly based on the amount you have used or are estimated to have used. The prepaid-meter system requires you to buy your electricity upfront – similar to pay-as-you-go cellphones. Most households in Cape Town are supplied by the prepaid system. Prepaid-meters allow customers to more easily monitor consumption. New technology “smart meters” will provide even more effective monitoring and effective usage of electricity.
South African Renewable The price of electricity is regulated by the National Energy Energy Feed-in Tariff Regulator of South Africa (NERSA). In order to reduce ( REFIT) poverty, National Government requires distributors to provide 50 kWh of electricity free of charge every month The National Energy Regulator of South to households who use less than 150 kWh per month. Africa (NERSA) recently approved REFIT The City of Cape Town provides free basic electricity (FBE) tariffs. According to the tariff guidelines, to households that purchase an average of less than 400 producers of renewable energy, such as kWh of electricity a month landfill gas, wind (onshore), concentrated It is illegal to change the wiring of and/or tamper with solar power and small hydro-plants, can your electricity meter box. This may cause your electricity transfer their electricity to the national supply to be cut, following which you will have to pay a reconnection fee. WARNING: An electricity box is grid, and be paid sufficiently to cover extremely dangerous and can result in electric shocks, their production costs. These tariffs are death and/or fire. There are heavy fines for tampering much higher than current electricity prices, with a meter box. partly because our current coal/nuclear- based electricity pricing structures do not Increases in domestic include health or waste/emissions costs. The REFIT tariffs are expected to make the electricity tariffs production of renewable energy viable for As explained earlier, Capetonians get their electricity from producers in South Africa. The introduction either Eskom or the City of Cape Town, depending on where they live. Comencing in 2009, electricity rates have of renewable energy onto the grid will and will increase substantially, as NERSA, the National initially increase electricity prices, but will Energy Regulator of South Africa, has granted Eskom, the have a stabilising effect over time, because state-owned electricity utility, a 24,8% tariff increase for it does not depend on a fuel source which is the 2010/11 financial year. For the following two financial subject to price increases. years, Eskom was granted increases of 25,8% and 25,9% respectively. On average, electricity charges will double over the next three years. These increases are likely to continue.
The following 2010/11 rates are for people supplied by the City of Cape Town, as of 1 July 2010:
Domestic high: If your household purchases more than 1 500 kWh each month, you will pay a daily service charge of R7,50 including VAT. This applies, whether electricity is consumed or not. In addition, each kWh purchased (the energy charge) will cost 91.17 c.
Domestic low: If your household consumes between 450 kWh and 1 500 kWh each month, you will not pay a daily service charge, but only an energy charge, which ENERGY
52 domestic tariff rate tariff domestic for it. You do not have to buy electricity in order to order in electricity buy to have not do You it. for a with kWh ask and point sales vending the to 50 meter, go prepaid free household’s your receive To prepaid-meter system A CityofTown Cape City,the www.eskom.co.za. visit of those from different are which Eskom’stariffs, For “Tariffs”. tariff and Departments”,“Electricity” & “Services links the updated 103 about information information, please call the City’s Call Centre on 0860 more For of Atotal R139,54 units. 50 last including VAT. the for 80.34) x R40,17 (50 plus 66.25) (150x units nothing forR99,37 50 the units, first forthe next 150 So if your home uses 250 kWh per month you will pay yourusage. on dependant blocks three into split been now has This tariff. “Lifeline” the on year, the over be month will you per less or kWh 400 of average an purchases household your If Lifeline: R1,06. cost will consumed kWh Each charge. service ‘built-in’ small a includes
0 89, or visit www.capetown.gov.za, and follow follow and www.capetown.gov.za, visit or 89, kWh 3(150.1Block cper 80.34 –450 kWh) kWh 2(50.1 Block cper –150 66.25 kWh) kWh cper 0,00 kWh) 1(0-50 Block consumption for period for consumption metered period metered (on average per day) per average (on consumed amount prepaid electricity token and invoice. and token electricity prepaid Town of Cape of aCity example An K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S 14% VAT14% amount owed for for owed amount offices post and spazas supermarkets, shops, from purchased electricity units bought units code activation purchased Total of units cost free) kWh (50 code activation electricity 53 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
claim your free allocation. However, the allocation works on a ‘use it or lose it’ basis and cannot be transferred from one month to the next.
Buying electricity If you have a prepaid-meter system in your house, you can buy electricity at various shops, spazas and taxi ranks across the city. When buying electricity, take along your electricity card and/or previous purchase receipt with your meter number on it. If you are an Eskom customer, the same procedure applies, but electricity must be purchased from Eskom sales outlets, which are also found at shops, spazas and taxi ranks in areas supplied by Eskom. For a full list of electricity vending points, visit www.capetown.gov.za and follow the links “Services & Departments”, “Electricity” and “Electricity dispensers”. Electricity can also be bought by credit card online, or with your cellphone. Register on any of the following sites, no matter where you live: www.energy.co.za, www.ipay.co.za or www.ibuy.co.za.
Those households using credit meters will receive a bill in the post each month for the previous month’s consumption. This can be paid by debit order, online, by electronic transfer, at the post office, or at selected retail outlets.
Liquid fuels Oil companies sell petrol and diesel to service stations. The City of Cape Town has stringent land zoning and safety requirements for the establishment of these service stations. Petrol and diesel prices are regulated down to the retail level, with maximum permissible selling prices issued by the local government for every magisterial district.
Paraffin distribution is not as regulated as petrol and diesel, and is primarily market- driven. Paraffin is distributed from the refineries to oil companies’ bulk depots, mainly by road. It is then distributed to smaller outlets in the city. National Government regulates paraffin prices up to the wholesale level, whereafter it recommends a retail price with a maximum 33% mark-up on the wholesale price. Prices can vary substantially. In 2003, Government removed VAT on paraffin, thereby reducing the cost by 14%. However,
Cooking with paraffin. ENERGY ENERGY
5454 on www.eskomdsm.co.za. www.eskomdsm.co.za. on For subsidy. website heating EskomDSMEskom subsidy, the the visit on more water solar (DSM) Management Demand-side Eskom the with conjunction in work would This heaters. water solar of roll-out mass the support to programme a of development the exploring is City The technologies. thantraditional energy less use still they as used, be can technologies other and pumps heat practical, not are they where However, sun. the of energy free the use they as technology, preferred the are heaters water Solar heaters. water solar and pumps heat including technologies, of range a include These heaters. water water energy-efficient with fitted be to have will heating requiring extensions and renovations buildings, new all that provide will bylaw This bylaw. heating water energy-efficient an developing is Town Cape of City The heating Energy-efficient water source. sustainable a from obtained if renewable considered be can Wood harvested is wood informally from alien of vegetation stands close to majority residences. The braais beer. as brewing such and activities, specific for and heating, and cooking for small households some in used is only. Wood a scale on it use Capetonians why is which expensive, The distance from the coal mines makes this fuel relatively distributors. private through sold and deregulated Coalis Coal and wood payisyou likely to vary. gate andrefinery not inthe shop. the Consequently price the from set is price the in paraffin, with drop as but 30+% price, the a in resulted has This regulated. been 2010 also August has From LPG of price the bottles. LPG transport to difficult it find consumers Also, outlet. gas a up set to requirements safety stringent are there because partly paraffin, for that as developed well as nearly not is network distribution LPG The distributors. the medium to on then from and distributors, transported large to Milnerton is at refinery (LPG) gas petroleum Liquid not is subsidy this to consumer. on the passed that concern some been has there Solar water heaters mean ‘free’ hot water and less pollution. less and hot water ‘free’ mean heaters water Solar K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S 55 ENERGY 56 ENERGY Town are 25%, 22% and 28% respectively. respectively. 28% and 22% Town 25%, are Cape and Cape Western the cities, African figuresfor emission carbon South transport The change. climate to contributes turn, in which, dioxide, carbon of producer large a it makes which emissions, human-induced world, is transport for responsible 11% of all Cape in Town is used used for Around transport. energy the the all of half than More Transport in our city It also acknowledges the role that the City Health Health City organisations. and the communities of role that the as well role as play, can Directorate the acknowledges also It development together. closer encourages areas business and residential brings that which planning, urban and management environmental of role the acknowledges ITP The Plan. Development Integrated City’s the with line in developed is (ITP) Plan Transport Integrated City’s The • • • • • • linked tobeen transport: traditionally Townhave Cape in challenges following The future.‘problem’ to sustainable ensure amore ofIt also means a the ina redefinition shift our approach; road. on the cars private feweror single-occupant transport, cycling public better or vehicles, cleaner electric fuels, mean greener only not does transport Sustainable • • • • • • road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists and pedestrians such as users, road M G L P C L ong distances between work and home and work between distances ong
ack of good quality public transport public quality of good ack oor air quality oor ongestion
eographic segregation and isolation and segregation eographic any road deaths, particularly among vulnerable vulnerable among particularly deaths, any road City of Cape Town Cape of City Where BRT is implemented, the vehicles will be able to carry many more passengers. more many carry to able be will vehicles the is implemented, BRT Where possible. where rail and services, users vehicle private for facilities park-and-ride or taxis cycling, walking, as such transport, of types other with up link to designed areas by ofmeans of routes, routes which feeder operate inare wayBoth the types same as conventional bus services. on physically either side. In a are fully BRT developed system, high-volume main routes which with dedicated bus ways are linked ways), to outlying (bus lanes bus dedicated of separated from use These are lanes.traffic existing usuallyaligned inthe middle of its the roadway,with standardtrafficlanes is systems bus other from BRT distinguishes What investment. infrastructure massive same similar to that of train the experience travel, to awithout but inquality order offer to enhance bus services technology new and infrastructure improved uses that system transport public a is BRT BRT. The or transit, rapid bus as known is system this of part bus The system. (IRT) transit integrated new rapid the is project transport public City’s flagship The transport public Better The City’s route map to sustainability • • • • • • • • • mainaims: ITP’s arethe These affordably.and safely efficiently, effectively, goods and people all its moves that one Town– Cape for system transport sustainable world-class, a deliver to order in strategy the out sets ITP The • • • • • • • • • S I I periods F I B M M E mproved urban design and spatial development spatial and design urban mproved air quality mproved walking) and (cycling transport non-motorised and private ntegrated public, ewer and more efficient private cars and ways for residents to reduce their need to travel, especially during peak duringpeak to travel, especially need to their reduce for residents ways and cars private efficient more and ewer conomic, social and environmental sustainability environmental and social conomic, afer roads etter public transport and a transport system that can be used by everyone (‘universal design’) (‘universal by everyone used be that can system atransport and transport public etter ore quality public places places public quality ore cycling walking and ore K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S 57 57 57 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
BRT systems typically use enclosed stations, which offer protection from the weather, high levels of security, and universal access. The most noticeable improvement is the use of large buses on main routes, while lower-capacity buses are used on feeder routes. IRT implementation will be phased in over the medium term. All main-route vehicles will be modern, low-emission vehicles, which will be well maintained and kept clean.
How does it work? A feeder service will operate in residential areas to transport people from their homes to the main-route stations. The feeder services will operate with regular traffic, and passengers will be charged a fixed fare for this service. At many of the destinations, passengers transferring from a feeder route to a main route will not pay for the feeder trip.
The system will integrate with other forms of transport. This means that BRT stations will be close to railway stations and pedestrian/bicycle facilities, allowing passengers to move freely between the different types of transport. During off peak periods, where it is anticipated there will be spare space, cycles could possibly be allowed onto a bus. All vehicles will operate according to a fixed schedule, so passengers will be able to plan their trip and will not have to wait in line until the vehicle fills up. As these public transport routes provide affordable, quick access to the city centre and other destinations, the City will also encourage residential and business development around them.
The system will be characterised by universal access, which means that people with disabilities, such as visually impaired people or wheelchair users, will be able to use the system easily. There will be no stairs at IRT stations, and boarding onto IRT buses will be level with the platform.
Economic, social and environmental sustainability Where BRT is implemented, the vehicles will be able to carry many more passengers than the traditional minibus taxi or the current Golden Arrow bus. This means fewer taxis and buses on the road, less traffic congestion, cleaner air and less carbon emissions. ENERGY ENERGY
5858 K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S 59 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
The fare will be a base fee plus a per-kilometre fare, but will be capped to ensure that all trips, including longer trips, such as from Atlantis to the central business district, will be comparable to current public transport rates. People who live further away from work opportunities will therefore not be disadvantaged by higher transport costs. The City has a Travel Demand Management Strategy, which aims to encourage private car users to use more sustainable modes such as BRT.
What can I do? Visit www.capetown.gov.za/irt for regular updates on routes and progress. Work out how you will be able to use this mode of transport instead of your private car.
More walking, cycling and quality public places The City of Cape Town plans to increase the number of people who move around the city on foot and on bicycle. After all, a city in which people walk and cycle is a safer, vibrant, integrated one, with cleaner air. Cape Town is one of the few cities in South Africa with a ‘bicycle master plan’, and aims to improve on this plan regularly. Already, the City has built new pedestrian and cycling facilities in the inner city to connect Cape Town Station and Cape Town Stadium, as well as completely separate, high-quality cycling paths alongside the IRT route and Liesbeek Parkway. More bicycle and pedestrian paths are being planned throughout the city.
What can I do? It is not always easy to commute by bicycle in Cape Town: Destinations are quite far apart; one often has to brave gale-force winds; motorists do not notice you; there are few bicycle parking or lock-up facilities and not too many cycle lanes yet, and few buildings have showers and change rooms. Do not beat yourself up if you cannot immediately start cycling seven days a week. Start small. Even if you use motorised transport most of the time, you are still making an impact.
•• Start by using your bicycle for transport over the weekends, to go shopping and to visit friends.
•• Ride your planned commuter route over the weekend first, so that you do not get lost or arrive late on the day.
•• Ride or walk from your office to meetings, or drive part of the way to work, then switch to your bicycle.
•• Plan ahead: Leave a selection of personal items or one or two sets of clean clothing at work.
•• Shower before you leave home, ride slowly, and you will not need to shower again at your destination. Cool down, dry yourself with a towel or damp cloth, freshen up, and no-one will know the difference.
•• Lobby your office, railway or bus station, shopping centre or building manager for bicycle lock-up facilities, bicycle parking and a shower in the building.
And if that fails … All of us will not be able to accommodate more walking or even riding a bicycle for part of the way. However, it is important to ‘reward’ those who do:
•• Slow down, share the road, and be considerate towards people who are using more sustainable modes of transport.
•• Support courier companies that use bicycles.
•• Take a bicycle taxi in the central city: Stop one in the street, or phone and book one 30 minutes in advance.
•• Do not unnecessarily burn fossil fuels looking for the parking bay closest to your destination – walk that little bit extra, look around you, and appreciate that we live in a city that is the envy of many. ENERGY
60 with low fuel consumption, low carbon emissions, and and emissions, carbon low consumption, fuel low vehicle with small a choose car, new a for market the in are you If stage. this at one buy to afford really can us of few very be, may vehicle electric or hybrid a as wonderful As vehicle alow-impact Buy dramatically to travel. need our reduce can technology wisely, used If ‘webinars’. and ‘cloudcomputing’ as such concepts innovative more about Learn desktops. and documents shared online as well as conferencing, and meetings online facilitates that technology available the all of use day.Make every shops do not have meetings outside the officeor have tovisit the Plan, plan, plan: Organise your work and chores so that you totravel your need Reduce nearby. live who colleagues with together to get end of this chapter), it may be easier and more convenient the at resources” and “Contacts (see lifts who share to want people connect that websites are there Although carbon emissions, and will give you a glimpse of the future. and congestion traffic consumption, fuel your reduce will a need work from and not to lifts Sharing do hours. working you during car 30 of out day one that for that so Give it a try, even if it is only once a month. elsewhere. Plan is in it advance as here popular as not is clubs lift school than other pooling car why is that car. Perhaps a without day one even imagine cannot us of many that transport We have become so used to our own private, independent pool acar Join do? I can What resources. and to need space,fuels fossil road of users efficient far more we become Therefore, roads. our on cars of plenty be always will there improvements, transport public Despite private cars Fewer –and more efficient – trips can be arranged to fit inwith the trips of other users. whose and work, from and to service the use to wishing To optimise this preferenceservice, will be given to people address/points. drop-off and pick-up exact your give and section) resources” and “Contact (see in call ride, a book To Sunday. to Monday from 20:00 and 06:00 between operates service The first. register to need service a-Ride People with disabilities who would like to use the City’s Dial- Universal access new shops and workplaces. and shops new of location the and system transport public will of the planning help guide the strategy This Town. Cape central just not city, the makesiteasy and fast to travel to all parts of and facilities, social homes, and shops linksworkplaces, that network strong a into routes cycling transport, walkingpublic and integratetoisaim cross-city wellas roadsas dependenceprivatetheTheon cars.aswell as travel, long-distance for need the work, distanceandwillreducehomethebetween public many, transportgood this routes. For along located are areas residential density commercialmixedandhigher-andlanduses landdevelopmentanduse thatsoindustrial, TheCity of Cape Town’s strategy is to change and planning design spatial urban Improved K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S 61 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
preferably, one that is made locally with a high percentage of recyclable materials. Fuel efficiency is not always the answer – remember, a big car could be fuel efficient for its size, but still have high overall fuel consumption. In terms of new legislation, all new cars sold in South Africa must display their fuel consumption and emissions figures on a placard on the windscreen. The objective should be to leave your private car at home and switch to public transport more often – and keep a watch over your total carbon footprint.
Drive efficiently
•• Service your vehicle regularly. Correctly maintained cars can operate more efficiently and help reduce carbon
dioxide (CO2) emissions. •• Check your tyre pressure monthly. Underinflated tyres can increase fuel consumption by up to 40%.
•• Remove unnecessary weight from your vehicle. The heavier the car, the harder the engine has to work, and the more fuel it consumes.
•• Close your windows at higher speeds, and remove empty roof racks. This will reduce wind resistance and can
lower your fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 10%.
•• Use air conditioning sparingly. Unnecessary use increases fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 5%. •• Reduce idling. If you are going to stop for more than 60 seconds, turn off your vehicle’s engine.
•• Avoid speeding and drive smoothly. Increasing your speed from 100 km/h to 120 km/h can increase your fuel consumption by 20%. The most fuel-efficient driving speed is 80 km/h.
•• When accelerating, change gears as early as possible. Higher gear ratios consume less fuel.
•• Try to anticipate traffic flow. Look at the traffic as far ahead as possible in order to avoid unnecessary stopping and starting.
Consider buying an electric vehicle
We are seeing an increasing number of electric vehicles coming onto the market. Electric scooters and bicycles, which are extremely cheap to run, are already here. Electric cars are in production around the world, and a Cape Town-based company is developing its own version. The car went into production in early 2010, with mass-market production planned for the end of 2012. These vehicles are around five to ten times more energy efficient than petrol and diesel vehicles. One reason for their efficiency is their regenerative braking systems, which collect much of the energy from braking into batteries rather than wasting it as heat in brake pads. They are quiet, require little maintenance, and produce no emissions. However, they do need some sort of energy, and currently, this would generally come from the power grid. Therefore, as we move to these more efficient vehicles, how we generate our energy will become even more important. Still, as they are so much more efficient, even if fed from the electricity grid, they produce far less carbon and pollution than traditional vehicles.
While we wait for the aforementioned changes to our public transport infrastructure, and for electric vehicles to become available locally, there are some actions we can take to get about more efficiently. ENERGY
62 ofcarbon dioxide (CO Step3: of kilometres you travel each year. Step 2: you travel by car each week, and write it down. Step1 the environment: impactyour driving and resultant carbon emissions have on travelby private car, do this quick exercise to determine the impactonour environment, unless wewalk orcycle. Ifyou Our mode of travel to school, work and elsewhere has a big Getting about efficiently an ‘outing’ on your regular public transport dates. colleagues or friends with similar travel patterns, and make theseitfacilities week.togetherGetoncemonthaor oncewitha use and try so difference, a make changes Small do? I can What trains, off-peak. even onto carried be to permitted not are bicycles Currently, train. or bus taxi, car, private between wait switch you to while place pleasant lock- comfortable, a bicycle and facilities offer up will park-and-rides the Eventually, as well as the list of planned and completed stations. rail stations. Visit www.capetown.gov.za/irt for more details destination.upgradestartingsixprojectthewithisof The final your to train the take and there, vehicle your park whichwill make itmore appealing todrive toraila station, non-motorisedand transportpark-and-ridetheis concept, Part of the City’s flagship project to integrate public, private Park-and-ride evcs vial, lae ee t te Cnat and “Contacts the resources” to section at the refer end of this chapter. please available, services options/ transport various the on information more For you emit each year in kilograms. : Work:outtheaverage distance kilometres)(in that Multiply this by 52 weeks to get the average number Multiply your annual kilometres travelled by0,3 kg 2 ).That gives you the amount ofCO of petrol has 10 has of of petrol kW energy). litre (every acomparison give to is calculated usage fuel relative their so fuel not use do vehicles 100 Electric km. per person per (litres) usage energy show opposite table the in figures The 2
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scooter electric hatchback electric bicycle electric mini bus train bus people) (4 small car people) (4 large car scooter vehicle K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S 0.3 0,4 0,1 1,7 0,5 1,8 2 3 2,5 kilometre passenger- 100 per litres 63 63 ENERGY 64 ENERGY Energy in your home use 1,5 use save emissions, carbon the planet, our and City’ssupport Power stations energy targets. and pollution reduce money, save you help will use electricity your Reducing efficient. uses – and what you use it for – will help you to where prioritise you can be more energy how your household muchKnowing energy few years. overnext the to significantly rise set are and Africa, South in doubled nearly have prices electricity 2003,However, since of mix greater cooking. and heating for used a commonly is gas Europe, example, for In sources. energy use to tend who countries, developed other many from different is picture use energy residential Africa’s South emissions. carbon many as times three to lower-income as energy for up use, are they responsible much in Cape Town. homes ofelectricity higher their Because as twice use homes high-income to mid average, On Capetonians. by poorer suffered time firewood,spent andpoisoning collecting areparaffin some ofthe ‘energy burdens’ quality, air household poor fires, Shack electricity. for buy pay or to appliances afford electrical cannot new they as heating, and cooking for fires open or paraffin use still people Many service. the for are premium a pay they and householder, the via although connected only but electricity), to access are shacks backyard Also, it. have afford supply,cannot manystill electricity an to connected not do still 2% (only electrified now are homes Town Cape all Almost income. household of 15–25% as much as up takes often and households, Town’spoorer Cape of many for expense big a is Energy in Town. Cape used energy of all the 50% comprise transport for used diesel and Petrol electricity. all of 28% Town, and Cape in used energy the all CapeTown’s State Energyofof 14%Report2007 forindicates account thathouseholds saves water as well. water as saves ℓ
of water for every unit of electricity (1 kWh) generated. So, saving electricity electricity saving So, generated. kWh) (1 electricity of unit every for water of Anita Reed Anita Energy in your home money in your home Find out where you can save energy and your lot, a spending costs? without in electricity 20–30% save can and household do you what changing just by that know you Did use. you of appliances type and number the and not, or geyser have electric an your home uses will greatly depend on how many live people in the house, whether you amount the course, Of month. per kWh 400 to up uses home low-income average An An average home middle-income in Cape Town uses approximately 800 kWh per month. Step 1: Collecting the data the Collecting 1: Step Note: 1 kilowatt (kW) = 1 000 watts (W) watts =1000 (kW) 1kilowatt Note: calculations the Doing 2: Step your in column of 4. any have you thanone appliance, down more If light such as them jot bulbs, estimate to consumption” electricity appliance home consumption. “Typical table the consult Again automatically. off and on switch cylinders, water hot and fridges as such appliances, Some Note: Step 3: Identify priority action areas and potential for savings savings for potential and areas action priority Identify 3: Step • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
I A T W T I I E it in column 6. column in it 5. column in total Fill the in to kilowatt-hours. hours watt- from to convert order in 1000 by divided then is figure final This appliance). one than kilowatts. in consumption =daily 000 day)/1 per yourself. for average an out work and use, winter and summer and use, weekend and weekday in differences helpful. more be may and appliances, common for estimates provides consumption” electricity appliance home “Typical table The use. power average than higher much be could which use, power maximum indicates However, often this itself. appliance the on written and watts in measured your electricity consumption. electricity your reduce can you section), next the in (detailed actions cost-saving effective simple, taking and n column 1 of the table on the next page, list the appliances you have in your home. your in have you appliances the list page, next the on table the 1of n column n column 3, record (in hours) for how long each appliance is used per day. Consider day. Consider per used is appliance each long how for hours) (in record 3, n column usually is power Appliance appliance. each of (W) power electricity the note 2, n column save. To help you, we have consumption included ofa appliances. list household of electricity the typical electricity mainly This exercise will help you where exactly you understand in use your electricity home, and where you can using Households o get your monthly consumption figure, multiply your total daily figure by 30 days, and write write and days, 30 by figure daily total your multiply figure, consumption monthly your o get used xhours (Watts formula: simple this use consumption, electricity daily your out o find xamine your results. Which areas of the home use the most electricity? By identifying these, these, identifying By electricity? most the use home the of areas Which results. your xamine dd up your total kilowatt-hours for all appliances to reach your total electricity consumption. electricity total your to reach all appliances for kilowatt-hours total your up dd hat you are doing here is multiplying column 2 by column 3, and then by column 4 (more 4(more column by then and 3, column 2by column multiplying is here doing are you hat K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S 65 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
Household Electrical Appliance Audit Sheet 1 2 3 4 5 6 Number Ave kWh per Ave Power use Hours/day in Appliance of day (watt x kWh per (watt) use appliances hours/1000) month e.g. light bulb - 60 x 4 x 7 = 60 W 4 7 x30=5,04 Incandescent 1680/1000 = 1,68
Electricity consumption total ENERGY
66 Typical Home Appliance Electricity Consumption Electricity Appliance Home Typical electric backup) electric with (solar Geyser Geyser (electric) Geyser processor Food Snackwich Toaster Microwave oven Kettle Hotplate –small Hotplate –large pan Frying stove Electric Coffee machine Appliance Security (120Security W) CFL (20 W) 5 CFL (18 W) 5 CFL (12 5 W) 100 Incandescent bulb (100 W) 60 W) Incandescent bulb (60 40 W) Incandescent bulb (40 Geyser Cooking Lighting 601,7 2600 604,4 2600 0,2 166 0 0,3 0,3 1 200 0,8 1 010 0,3 1 230 1 900 7 0,2 1 275 0,3 0,4 2 400 2 1 250 0,5 3 000 670 (watts) use Power 2 0,3 5 5 120 20 5 18 12 day in use Ave hrs/ M-Net decoder M-Net Hair drier Fax machine opc icpae 0,4 2 9 9 Computer Compact disc player Cell charger phone Appliance ahn ahn 0 0,75/load 3000 Tumble dryer Washing machine Iron (steam) Iron rde–n ree 5 5 Vacuum cleaner 5 Dishwasher 250 158 Fridge –nofreezer Fridge freezer with Freezer (chest) Radio Cordless phone Cordless Burglar alarm Burglar other and equipment office home entertainment, Music, Laundry maintenance Home Refrigeration K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S 812,1 3 28 12 4 0,1 13,6 15 647 45 2 3 1,5 134 24 10 (watts) use Power 0 0,5/load 3 300 0,8 0,4 1 235 980 0 0,5 0,9 1 000 2 500 4 105 in use Ave hrs/day 67 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
Typical mid-income electrified homes use around 774 kWh of electricity per month. At 2010 prices, that amounts to some R722 every month. The majority of this – up to 60% – is used to heat water through the geyser. Cooking is often the second largest consumer of electricity followed by lighting. Installing solar water heaters, using a hot box and switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs or, even better, LED (light-emitting diode) lighting, provide opportunities to make substantial savings in household energy.
Eskom Demand-side Management (Eskom DSM) has some very good information pamphlets on their website, www.eskomdsm.co.za. There are also tools for calculating energy use and performing energy audits, as well as a wealth of energy saving tips.
Households using a mixture of fuels
This exercise will look at the amount of money spent on fuel, rather than total energy consumed. Understanding what uses most energy (and money) will help you to identify where you can make savings.
Step 1: Collecting the data
•• In column 1 of the table, list the fuels you use, such as paraffin, gas, batteries, electricity and wood.
•• In column 2, note the different purposes for which you use each fuel, such as cooking, lighting, entertainment, heating, refrigerating or ironing.
•• In column 3, write down how much of each fuel you use in a week.
•• In column 4, write down the price of that fuel for each unit, such as a litre or kilogram of fuel.
Step 2: Doing the calculations
•• To find out the cost of each fuel per week, multiply the amount you use (column 3) by the cost per unit (column 4). Write down the result in column 5. If you wish to obtain a rough monthly figure, multiply this by 4 (or 4,2 to be a little more accurate).
Step 3: Identify priority action areas and potential for savings
•• Think about where you spend the most money on fuel every week. Explore this chapter for helpful advice on better alternative energy choices. Also look at the section “A safe home” at the end of this chapter to see if you can improve on energy safety in your home. ENERGY
68 Paraffin Example: 1 Total cost Total ultp Service Fuel type Cooking 3 litres 3 Cooking 2 3 number) kilos, (litres, week per Amount R 3,55 R 4 (litres/kg/no.) unit per Cost K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S R 10,65 R 5 (amount xcost/unit) (amount Fuel cost/week 69 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
Estimate your household’s carbon emissions
Different fuels have different carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions levels. Electricity in South Africa emits
substantial amounts of CO2, as it is derived from the burning of fairly low-grade coal. For a quick estimate of your energy consumption and related carbon emissions, follow the steps below:
Note: This does not include transport fuel, which is calculated in the section “Transport in our city”.
Step 1: Using the audits you have completed, or a record of your electricity and/or fuel bills, fill in the amount of fuel you use each month in column 1.
Step 2: Multiply this by the value provided in column 2. (For example, for electricity, this is 1,08.) This will give you
the kilograms of CO2 you emit per month. Write this in column 3.
Step 3: For your annual CO2 emissions, multiply by 12 months (column 4), and add for all fuels.
Fuel usage Emissions factor Month Year 1 2 3 4
If electricity ______kWh x 1,08 kg CO2 per kWh ______kg CO2/month ______kg CO2/yr
If LP gas ______kg x 3,09 kg CO2 per kg ______kg CO2/month ______kg CO2/yr
If paraffin ______litres x 2,58 kg 2CO per litre ______kg CO2/month ______kg CO2/yr Total energy-related household emissions
from your home per year ______kg CO2/month ______kg CO2/yr
Compare your household’s carbon emissions with typical
annual CO 2 emissions from Cape Town homes.
Household type kg CO2 / month Average low-income non-electrified home in Cape Town 146 Average low-income electrified home in Cape Town 193 Average mid-income home in Cape Town 737 * These figures do not include emissions from our use of transport. ENERGY
70 Solar water heaters capture free energy from the sun. the from energy free capture heaters water Solar Water order Energy in house your Putting • • • • • • • • • The head. shower alow-flow nstall • • • • incandescent conventional eplace •
Install a solar water heater or heat pump. F R I B I R providing ample water. ample providing still flow, while the reduce which system. amulti-flush or bag flush hippo a installing by toilet the flushing when use. you energy less the and to heat, is there water less shower, the the in use you water less energy. cooking geysers. unused old, lights. diode) (light-emitting LED (11 efficient more even or 14 and W) bulbs fluorescent compact with W) 100 and (60 bulbs light nstall a geyser timer. Switch off any any timer. off Switch ageyser nstall it your kitchen taps with tap aerators, aerators, tap with taps kitchen your it uy a Hot Box – this saves a lot of of alot saves Box –this aHot uy educe the amount of water you use use you water of amount the educe to replace your geyser, but cannot afford an SWH yet, yet, SWH an afford cannot but geyser, your replace to in If you just year one need urgently of an installing SWH. 2 kg400 of carbon dioxide from entering our atmosphere to your saving,willaddition financial In you prevent some year.each significantly increase also will savings power new infrastructure needs generation to as be built. Therefore, the significantly climb to set are and years, five last the in doubled nearly have prices electricity that mind in Keep costs. electricity on made savings the from pay for the is system people purchased, whereby an SWH when arrangements financial offer also companies Some for details). www.eskomdsm.co.za (see supplier approved an from purchased is it if system, Eskom DSM, rebate of up to on 40% the cost of the SWH or Management, Demand-side Eskom 000. the includes 000–R15 This R10 you cost will people four of average home an for back-up electrical with system SWH An 30%. is around costs electricity as the vacuum-tube The systems). overall saving on annual efficient as quite not though simpler, are which systems, and installed, the flat-plate than longer last 20 (especially years typically once maintenance little SWH require failures. systems power despite water hot and pollution, overall. ‘free’ hot means This water, farelectricity less less use they night-time heating, and days cloudy/rainy for up back- electric an use may systems SWH Although world. the in rates (sunshine) insolation highest the of one have South Africa receives a great deal throughout the year. We which of sun, the of energy abundant the on relies SWH (SWH) heating water Solar economical and environmentally sound option over time. costly to install, a solar water heater is (SWH) a much more your household’s electricity use. Although it initially is more Traditional electric geysers typically account forof 40–60% choice Best Heating your water our water, we use energy. all Of the CO appliance, turn on an a light on or heater, switch cook our food, we or heat time Every energy. on run homes Our save you money as well. as money you save will efficiently more energy using Also, overconsumption. degradation/resource environmental and change climate really make a difference to reduce the of negative impacts can homes our in use energy improve to take we actions the that means This homes. our run to used energy the by Cape atmosphere Town 26% from households, comes K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S 2 released into released the 71 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
install a hot-water cylinder that is SWH-compatible. Then How do solar water heaters simply install a solar collector later. An SWH-compatible (SWHs) work? geyser is generally better insulated than a conventional hot-water cylinder, and is fitted with additional inlet and SWHs make use of a simple, reliable technology. outlet pipes to provide for the thermosyphon effect. The systems usually have two main components:
•• A flat, black panel called the ‘solar Simple solar collector’, through which water flows and is Buy a bucket to heat water. Use simple black pipes laid heated by the sun. out on a surface, such as a roof, for heating water for a pool or shower. Heat your water by simply putting a 50 ℓ •• An insulated storage cylinder, where hot black bucket out in the sun. However, the bucket MUST water is stored ready for use. The black be clean and free of chemicals. solar collector panels are placed on a north- facing roof, and are at their most effective Geyser-efficiency tips when placed at an angle of around 35° in If it is not possible for you to install an SWH, here are some Cape Town. (The angle at which you mount tips to reduce your energy use, thereby cutting your water the collector should roughly correspond to heating costs. One of the simplest and best things you the latitude of your location.) The storage can do is to reduce the temperature on the geyser. Most cylinder may either be on the roof (a ‘close- geysers are set at 65 °C. Reducing your geyser thermostat by 5 ºC could save 10% of your heating costs. However, coupled’ system) or inside the roof (a split do not set the temperature below 60 °C, as that could system). cause bacteria, such as Legionella, to grow in your geyser. Being black, the solar collector absorbs heat (Legionella species cause human legionnaires’ disease and the less severe Pontiac fever.) from the sun. This warms the water in the collector. As heated water is less dense than cold Other tips water, it rises to the top of the tank, while the heavier cooler fluids sink. As the cold water in •• Reduce the amount of hot water you use.
the cylinder is displaced downward, it moves ○ Use a water-efficient shower head and tap aerators. through the collector, where it is heated by the ○ Take a shower rather than a bath, and restrict the sun. This water movement ‘cycle’ is known as length of your showers. Showering uses 50% less the ‘thermosyphon effect’. When there is no water than bathing.
sunshine, the thermosyphon effect stops. When ○ Fix dripping taps. the hot water cylinder is below the collector ○ Do not allow hot water to run unnecessarily. a pump is required to circulate the water. Turn off the tap or shower when it really is not However, good tank insulation will ensure that required. Never use the hot tap when you need the water inside the tank remains hot for a long just a little water.
time. Some systems use vacuum tubes instead of •• If your geyser or the pipes leading from it are warm a flat panel. Vacuum tubes are good for Cape to the touch, it means it is losing heat and wasting Town conditions, because, unlike Gauteng, we energy. Older geysers often need better insulation. do not have hail that can damage the delicate Insulate your geyser and hot water pipes yourself: tubes. These tubes also work better in cloudy Simply wrap blanket material or newspaper around the pipes, or use piping insulation. Alternatively, try conditions. However, the flat panels tend to last material batting (that is used to line quilts and duvets), and stay effective for much longer compared to followed by heavy-duty aluminium foil, wrapped the tube systems, which can lose their vacuum around the geyser with string. over time and get damaged more easily. •• Vertical geysers are more energy efficient than those Remember to buy a unit that has been approved placed horizontally. Heat rises to the top surface and a by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) vertical geyser provides less area for the heat to escape – do not just go for the cheapest one available. and less area for the cold and hot water in the tank to mix, thus keeping the hot water hotter for longer. ENERGY
72 • • • • • • • • • • • tips • efficiency Cooking- appliance. paraffin. AHot Box isan excellent addition toany cooking using when careful buy, of fire.Be cause very is amajor it to cheap is stove paraffin a Although obtain. to be difficult can gas However, cooking. for options good all are hotplate oven, a gas ring and electric an electric with hob gas a perspective, financial and environmental an From choice Best Cooking • • • • • • • • • • • atch size to hotplate, the pot the of the and • K C U W K energy. and time cooking S U safety. and isaguarantee not of quality alone stamp 012 on Regulatory SANS the 428call 6375. SANS The of Authority’. in doubt, If ‘Letter Standards (SANS) National African to aSouth you show retailer the ask rings, gas or stoves paraffin buying When these. carry may stoves some but Africa, in South requirement U energy. save will This needs. cooking Bu C in energy. to up you 50% save stove. can This using if electric an –especially base P lids. use M save electricity. electricity. save and process cooking the up speed cookers Pressure to cook. time take a long that normally foods continue will effectively. to food cook the as heat, the poisonous. longer, as be not smokewill stove the and the from last will –yourfuel efficient more appliance the needed. amount the boil stove. Only the on water in heating apot thanwhen electricity is cooked. until food closed stay oven doors Make heat. the sure out that let thiswill as perished, ots and pans used for cooking should have should alevel for cooking used pans and ots oak beans, samp and lentils overnight, as this saves thissaves as overnight, lentils and samp beans, oak eep stove plates and reflectors clean. clean. reflectors and plates stove eep make thiswill clean, as stove yourparaffin eep onsider buying a stove with a convection oven. aconvection with astove buying onsider heck that rubber seals on ovens are not worn or or ovens are worn on not seals that rubber heck se a pressure cooker or Hot Box when preparing preparing Box when cooker Hot or apressure se water. toless boil akettle se 50% uses Akettle nfortunately, efficiency ratings are not yet a legal ratings are yetalegal not nfortunately, efficiency hen a pot of food has reached boiling point, reduce reduce point, boiling has reached of food apot hen y the smallest-sized appliance possible for your possible appliance smallest-sized y the cushions filled with polystyrene.) with filled cushions two of made usually are (The ones commercial R180–R300. for one buy can you or blanket, a or cushions using Box’ ‘Hot own your make Youcan burnt. get that lower-heat cannot food is advantage to big (due Another cooking). texture and taste of greater nutritional content and improved benefit added the with methods, cooking normal with as time of amount same the approximately in cooked usually are Dishes to cook. keep the heat in, and the food will continue will blanket or cushions The Box. Hot the into it put and pot the cover stove, the on to the boil brought been has the food Once stews. or soups porridge, rice, as such food for ideal is It costs. energy cooking-related Box in 60% to up you save can Hot Box Hot a Using the – cooking Free K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S 73 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
Refrigeration
Best choice
An electric fridge is the best option. Households without electricity can choose between gas and paraffin fridges. Though paraffin is cheaper, it has health and safety implications. Gas is cleaner and more effective, yet slightly more expensive than paraffin.
Refrigeration-efficiency tips •• Buy energy-efficient fridges and deep freezers. Compare consumption figures for different models. This information usually comes with the product. The cheaper fridge may appear to be better value, but when you examine the electricity cost per year, it usually becomes very clear that the more expensive energy efficient fridge will save you a lot of money.
•• Always keep sufficient space behind the fridge for air to circulate around the condenser coils. These should also be kept free of dust, as dust can make the fridge less efficient.
•• A full fridge uses less energy than an empty one. This is because less cold air escapes when you open the door, because the items inside the fridge ‘hold onto’ the cold. You could even just put bottles of water in your fridge to achieve this. Cold air is heavier than warm air. So, when you open the door, the heavy cold air simply ‘falls’ out of the fridge and is replaced by lighter, warmer air.
•• Open the fridge door for very short periods only. Do not leave it standing open unnecessarily.
•• Make sure that the rubber seal of your fridge is in good condition, so that the cold air does not escape. If your seal has worn out and the fridge door does not close properly, approach the manufacturer, any appliance store or repair business in your area for a new seal and advice on how to replace the old one.
•• Switch off the fridge when it is empty or when you go on holiday.
•• Let hot food cool down before placing it in the refrigerator.
•• Defrost the fridge/freezer regularly.
•• Place the fridge as far away from a stove/oven as possible.
Refrigeration without electricity
in Arabic, is a refrigeration device ريزلا The pot-in-pot refrigerator, also known as a Zeer that keeps food cool without electricity, by using evaporative cooling. It consists of a clay pot within a larger clay pot, with wet sand in between the pots, and a wet cloth on top. As the moisture in the sand evaporates, it cools. This keeps food stored in the inner pot fresh for much longer in a hot, dry climate. The device must be placed in a dry, ventilated space for the water to evaporate effectively. Evaporative coolers tend to perform poorly or not at all in very humid climates. ENERGY
74 Town were to switch to CFLs, we would reduce the amount of CO of amount the reduce would we CFLs, to switch to were Town • • • • for out towatch things Some (CO dioxide carbon of kg 570 about preventing R570), approximately (that’s CFL the of life entire the over kWh 570 about save will This R20. around incandescent of bulb W CFL 11W 60 an with replaced typical be can A bulb household wattage. and shape to according vary prices bulb CFL bulb. (incandescent) life of anormal year. typical is the This one last will it means hours 000 1 typically and hours, in measured is bulb a of life The stores. hardware and – needed simply replace your existing bulb with a CFL. CFLs are found in all supermarkets are fittings special cheaper.No out work therefore and electricity less much longer,use much last they bulbs, incandescent than more cost bulbs CFL Although heat. into 80% and heat. light, into into use 20% they electricity only the and of 20% light, convert bulbs into (traditional) use Incandescent they energy the of 80% convert bulbs CFL bulbs (CFL) light fluorescent Compact light for reading or studying. Candles are dangerous, as they are a common cause of fire. of quality enough good a provide not do and use, to costly but buy to cheap are lamps but buy, and inefficient very power hungry, to makingthem quiteexpensive in cheap the long run. Paraffin CFL are bulbs or (incandescent) diode) Normal bulbs. (light-emitting light) LED fluorescent with (compact especially option, best the is lighting Electric choice Best Lighting your home reduced by a substantial 40 MW. 40 by asubstantial reduced atmosphere by 313 500 tons over ten years. This also means that peak demand would be • • • vapour, be not is toxic mercury to contain must which humans It animals. and FLs • C M W broken. and Takeinhaled. damaged are easily they as bulbs, handling these when great care C more information, refer to the Waste section in thishandbook.) information, refermore to Waste the section (For points. CFL collection have custom-made nPay Woolworths, and Pick such as supermarkets, major centres and recycling Some water systems. and soil our pollute site can alandfill bulbon fused the humans. as Dumping well as environment the to bulbis poisonous the inside centre. mercury take and to it bag The arecycling FLs take about five minutes to reach their full minutesto brightness. their five reach take about FLs ost CFLs cannot be used with dimmer switches (read on for details). for on details). (read switches dimmer with used be cannot CFLs ost hen your CFL bulb fuses (in six to ten years), recycle it properly. Wrap it in a plastic recycle to six ten your years), CFLhen (in bulb fuses 2 ) from being emitted. If every household in Cape Cape in household every If emitted. being from ) 2 released into the the into released K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S 75 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
•• CFL bulbs must have enough space around the attachment for air to circulate.
•• Do not plug a CFL bulb into a light-activated adaptor – it shortens the life of both the bulb and the adaptor.
•• For applications where a bulb is left on for long at night, but does not need to be on during the day (such as security lights), look out for a CFL with a built-in light sensor that automatically turns the light on and off.
LED cluster bulbs
LED cluster bulbs are the latest in cutting-edge lighting technology – with a life span of 15 to 30 years (up to 50 000 hours) and drawing as little as 1,08 W per bulb. That constitutes a 95% saving per bulb compared to the conventional incandescent version. To match the expected lifetime of a single LED cluster bulb, you would have to purchase at least 50 incandescent bulbs. LEDs come in a variety of colours for mood lighting effects.
LEDs are still fairly costly, but when you look at their total life cycle, including the cost of the electricity they will use, they are dramatically cheaper than incandescent bulbs. They are ideally suited to business applications, as they require virtually no maintenance. They are available for a variety of applications, including down-lighting, and now also as a fluorescent tube replacement. LED lighting also comes with special dimmers.
Dimmers
Modern dimmers (electronic: thyristor or triac-based) help reduce power consumption, although not all of them are suitable for all electric lights. Some could even damage CFLs.
CFL bulbs must be designed specifically to work on a dimming circuit. Traditional incandescent bulbs dim by reducing the amount of power sent to the bulb. Less power means less heat and less light. Reducing the power supply to a CFL bulb can keep its filament from getting hot enough to work properly, and the bulb will simply go out. CFLs use a ballast (i.e. the bulb’s ‘engine’ located inside the ceramic between the socket and the bulb), which starts the light and keeps it lit.
Note: Ballasts that are not specifically designed to work on a dimming circuit can get hot enough to be considered a fire hazard.
Lighting-efficiency tips •• Switch to more efficient lights, such as LEDs and CFLs.
•• Turn off lights in rooms that are not occupied.
•• Install motion sensors to turn lights on when needed.
•• Use dimmers, and light only at the required level.
•• Do not use electric lights when enough natural light is available. ENERGY
76 • • • • • • • • • • tips winter in warm Staying efficiency Temperature- possible. wherever yourdesk, below asmall suchheater as heating, oil localised It remains more efficient toheat yourselfthan toheat awhole room.Therefore, try to use www.eskomdsm.co.za). (see shortly available be to provide a more constant source of water heating. Rebates for installing these units will than beconventionalheatingcansolar water and integrated withheaters efficient more times four around are They home)! your cool and water your heat (i.e. time same the at both do actually can They technology. cooling and heating latest the are pumps Heat air quality. indoor on impact their about concerns safety and However,health are there options. attractive paraffinare easily available,and can be used forboth cookingand heating, making them than heater the is bar heater,more effective tobut more expensive buy. Coal, and wood oil electric the concerned, are heaters electric as far As ventilated. well is room the that best option the when considering are cost, They health and room. safety. whole However, a when up using warm gas, quickly it is and important effective, very are heaters Gas choice Best in summer Keeping your house warm in winter and cool Note: Draughts should only be blocked if elements/appliances that emit emit summer in cool Staying that elements/appliances if blocked duct/flue. ventilation adequate an be with fitted are gases poisonous only should Draughts Note: • • • • • • • • • • U U O E U U yourdoor. against snugly fitting floor, the on it place and sand ‘worm’ with the Stuff can). of acool-drink width the 10 approximately (about bag, wide cm sausage-shaped along sew Tightly material: make a‘door of scrap worm’out doors, To underneath closed. draughts block S to use. muchcheaper and D H D However, throwing over an extra woollen blanket or two remains the cheapest. remains the blanket two or However, woollen extra overan throwing heaters. bar lectric blankets are cheaper than a heater for staying warm in the bedroom. bedroom. in the warm for thanaheater staying are cheaper blankets lectric eal doors and windows properly to prevent draughts. For windows, keep curtains keep curtains windows, For to prevent draughts. properly windows and doors eal se natural ventilation wherever possible. naturalse wherever ventilation possible. wherever afan of anair conditioner se instead thannormal efficient are muchmore heaters Infrared heaters. energy-efficient se efficient. are more – these by thermostats that are controlled heaters electric se ress for the cold and put ablanket put and cold for the overyourknees. ress o not use the oven or stove plate to warm your house – a heater is more effective effective is more –aheater plate stove to yourhouse ovenor warm the use o not eat yourself rather than the whole room. whole thanthe rather yourself eat nly heat rooms that are occupied. rooms heat nly K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S 77 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
Buying energy-efficient appliances Different machines can do the same job using different amounts of energy. National Government plans to introduce a standardised energy-efficiency labelling system. This will require all new electrical appliances to carry a label explaining their energy requirements and efficiency, so that, as the consumer, you can compare the ratings of the various appliances. These performance ratings are likely to be set by South African National Standards (SANS). The label design may be similar to that used by European Union countries, where ‘A’ is most energy efficient, and ‘G’ is least efficient. Until the South African system is introduced, investigate the energy-efficiency levels of all new appliances that you buy.
Remember, choosing a model that is initially cheaper to buy, yet not entirely energy efficient, may cost you much more over a five, ten or 20-year period than the more expensive, yet more efficient model.
Efficiency tips for other appliances
Drying clothes and ironing
•• Hang washing on a washing line to dry – the tumble dryer is an energy guzzler.
•• If you need to use a tumble dryer, remove excess water beforehand. This will minimise the drying time.
•• Buy a thermostatically controlled iron to prevent it from becoming hotter than needed.
•• Iron large batches of clothes at a time to save on iron warm-up time.
•• Use only distilled or boiled water in a steam iron, so that the appliance remains clean and energy efficient.
Washing machine
•• A front-loading washing machine uses less water and costs less to operate, even though the purchase price may be higher than a top loader.
•• Buy a washing machine that offers a variety of water temperature settings.
•• Use the cold-water setting as much as possible in order to cut down on water-heating energy.
•• Take advantage of special features on your washer that can save money. For example, soaking cycles remove stubborn stains in one wash.
•• Only wash full loads: An automatic washing machine uses the same amount of electricity, whether you are washing a full load or a single item.
•• Never overload your automatic washing machine. Overloading will reduce the cleaning action. Also try to vary the size of garments in a full load. This will improve cleaning, as there is enough room for free circulation.
Dishwasher
•• Fill the dishwasher completely before running it. Partial loads waste electricity and water.
•• Energy consumption can be reduced by turning off the dishwasher after the final rinse and before the drying cycle. Simply wipe your clean dishes dry.
•• Short wash cycles, rinse-only cycles, mid-cycle turn-off and other features are designed for energy conservation as well as convenience.
•• Connect your dishwasher to the cold water supply, unless directed otherwise. Normally, only one wash and one final rinse cycle require hot water, which is heated by an element in the dishwasher.
•• Keep your dishwasher filters clear of debris. A blocked filter reduces efficiency and wastes energy.
•• Proper loading is important for the dishwasher to work efficiently. ENERGY
78 • • • house design. solar passive as is known This needs. lighting, cooling on and heating that save efficient In new buildings, it is to possible cut up to 70% of your total energy through needs household simple design principles energy- an Designing • • Computers • • Standby • • • • • • • W A O A L W in not use. into to when computer go ‘hibernate’ mode A c year. per kWh to –amounting 500 around month per kWh consume over40 aday will for 20 hours standby inon and all plugged player, charger cellphone and decoder, system stereo A rays through the windows in winter, windows sunangle. the through is atrays the alow when in summer, sun’s the sun windows allowing is high, the shade while will when This in cm length). 60 40– least monitors. (CRT) tube laptop can run on its battery alone, i.e. when unplugged. The longer it runs, the more energy efficient it is. ppliances that go into ‘standby’ mode still draw electricity. Leaving acomputer, Leaving draw printer, electricity. still machine, mode into DVD that go ‘standby’ ppliances video s the northern side of your house receives the most sun, the roof overhang on this side should be longer (at (at longer be should thisside sun,on overhang roof the most the receives of yourhouse side northern s the rientate your house to the north to get the best light sunshine. and best the to get to north the yourhouse rientate hen buying a new computer, consider a laptop. It uses less electricity than a desktop. Check for how long the indow shutters, awnings or screens provide shade for rooms, and keep the heat out duringsummer. out heat keep and the for rooms, shade provide screens or awnings shutters, indow omputer in screen saver mode uses the same amount of electricity as when running normally. Rather set the running the normally. set when as Rather of amount electricity same the uses mode saver in screen omputer ED backlit liquid crystal display (LCD) computer monitor uses less energy than the old-style, bigger cathode ray cathode bigger old-style, thanthe energy less uses monitor computer (LCD) display crystal liquid ED backlit K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S 79 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
•• A skylight in the roof allows natural light into the house on sunny days, and reduces the need for artificial lighting. Make sure that the sloping glass of the skylight faces north.
•• Natural materials (stone, timber, thatch and clay), which are all available locally, are best to keep the home cool in summer and warm in winter. Mud bricks are an excellent source of insulation.
•• Brick or concrete floors maintain comfortable temperatures in your house, as they are good at absorbing heat during the day and releasing it slowly at night.
•• Heat loss occurs ten times faster through glass windows than through insulated walls. Therefore, open the curtains during the day (to let in the natural light and heat) and close them at night (to keep in the heat).
•• Grow a deciduous creeper or tree over a veranda or yard. During summer, these leafy plants shade your house and keep the heat out. When they lose their leaves during autumn, the bare trees allow the sun’s rays through to warm the house during the colder months.
•• A tin roof loses a lot of heat during the winter, and gets very hot in summer. Insulate the roof and paint it white to reflect light, which automatically makes it cooler. Alternatively, use aluminium or other roofing materials.
•• In a small house, ceiling installation and general insulation can reduce your winter energy requirements by as much as 124 kWh per month.
Installing a ceiling in six easy steps 1. Check your rooftop for possible leaks. Visit your hardware store to buy bitumen for sealing the holes. Use plastic bags to block any holes between the top of the walls and the roof.
2. Drive in nails about 30 cm apart to hang wire from one side of the room to the other. The ceiling will rest on top of the wire.
3. Put two or three sheets of insulating cardboard between the wire and the roof. Remember to leave some space between the cardboard and the roof, as this air gap produces the insulating effect.
4. Buy black refuse bags or collect large pieces of plastic, and open them out to make large sheets of plastic. Use plastic tape to join these pieces together. Put the plastic sheets beneath the insulating cardboard and the wire. There must be no holes in the plastic.
5. Hammer in a single layer of cardboard beneath the plastic. You can paint this cardboard if you like.
6. Finally, put up thin planks of wood to prevent the ceiling from sagging.
Source: Soul City/Development Action Group ENERGY
80 to secure them. Once screwed in, gently pull the three wires to make sure that they they that sure make to loose. not are wires three the pull gently in, screwed Once them. secure to screws the turn and diagram) (see a sockets wire correct the into To wires fire. the put and correctly, plug burns shocks, electric in result can incorrectly wired is that plug A plug a Wiring A safe home usual rate) for this electricity, and will receive a certificate to show that youyou willhave continue purchased to receiveit from your a renewable electricity through source. the existing grid connection, you willsource pay aelectricity premiumpower (i.e.producer, a higher-than-when such options become available (such as through the Darling Onewind simplefarm). Although way to make your home a ‘green-energy’ home would be to purchase ‘green’high, electricity and fromthe a systemlarge, is renewable-inappropriate and inefficient whenwhite dealing television with or radio huge for two hourselectricity each day. demands, However, such the initial as costcooking of purchasing or storesheating. PV panels the and apower battery packuntil is still it is needed. A small household PV system can powerlayersoppositelyare twocharged. generateslightsThis electriccurrent,an whichthrough flows externalfor circuit.an pack battery four A hours, and a small black-and- panelsPV aremadefrom semiconductor material, usually silicon, whichchemicallyis treated thatsotheupper andlower energy Photovoltaic cells(PV) convertrenewable sunlight directly into electricity,with which is storedwilleveruse.averagemuchthanmoresunshineit TheSouthAfricaof in –houseinday receives kWh pera thanmore600 battery system. home your Powering materials. to different required produce of energy quantities the shows table money.and following The energy, saves water, This materials. building waste reusing second-hand consider always renovating, or building When energy’ energy’.‘embodied is called This to and transport. manufacture energy requires in building a house used product Each ‘embodied Considering • • • walls. Use non-toxic, renewable or recyclable materials for insulation. is much better than no insulation at all. Plastering walls is also very cost-effective, as it reduces yourthe housemoisture warm capacityin winterof andthe cool in summer. The thicker the insulation, the better it performs, though some insulation Puttinginceilinghouse a andensuring that itiswell insulated are theimportantmost andcheapest things youtocan dokeep your Insulating • • • Plastic to ton produce one Energy of required kWh) (in Copper Cement Stone include gypsum board, hessian cloth and strong aluminium foil. O V bricks in order to flatten, before placing it on the inside of walls and ceilings. Wait for the cardboard to dry before using it. Place it on a piece of plastic, flat on the ground, under heavy stones or fire-resistant and insect-proof. Boron is biodegradable and less toxic compared to other products on the market. C ermiculite is a light insulator that is safe to use, fire-resistant, and available from local hardware stores. ardboard is effective, but it retains water and burns easily. Soaking cardboard in boron and water makes it more ther insulating products installed by building professionals and available from hardware stores or builder’s yards 45 000 15 000 2 200 200 Aluminium Steel Bricks K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S 27 000 13 200 on theon finish depending 200-800 81 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
Finding a gas leak Regularly check for leaks in your gas cylinder, piping and connections. To do this, turn the gas off at the cylinder. Check all connections. Slowly turn the gas on and brush the connections with soapy water or liquid detergent. Bubbles will form where the gas is leaking. Take the cylinder to your gas dealer to be checked, replaced or fixed. If you ever smell gas in your home, quickly open the windows and doors. Close the cylinder valve and leave the room. Have your cylinder checked, replaced or fixed as soon as possible.
Ventilation When burning any fuel – gas, paraffin, coal or wood – always make sure the room remains well ventilated by keeping a window or door open. Smoke from burning fuel can cause illness and even death.
Home safety quiz
Electricity Yes No
Electric wires in our home are kept far from any sources of heat, such as fires, stoves or candles. All wires are well insulated with no copper wiring exposed. Our electric wires do not run under carpets in our home. There are never more than three appliances in one plug socket at a time. We do not have electrical appliances in our bathroom or near water. All members of our household know that they must never pull a plug out from the socket while it is still switched on, or by pulling on the electric cord. All members of our household know that the appliance must be removed from the plug socket (with the socket switched off) before fixing an appliance. We always switch off the light before changing a light bulb.
TOTAL SCORE
If you answered ‘no’ to some of the questions, consider the following actions:
•• Move wires away from heat, as they could burn and cause a fire.
•• Remove cords running under carpets, as damaged and exposed wires can start a fire.
•• Buy insulation tape and cover any exposed copper wires by winding the tape around the wires a couple of times. Note: First turn off the power mains, before touching exposed wires.
•• If you have too many appliances plugged into one socket, pull out some of the plugs and only plug in an appliance when you actually intend using it. Try and avoid ever using more than three plugs on one socket at a time.
•• Water conducts electricity. Using electricity in the bathroom or near water may result in an electric shock.
•• Always switch off an appliance before removing its plug from the socket, and always switch off a light before replacing the bulb.
•• Never put bare wires or fingers into sockets. Touching the wires of an appliance that is still plugged into a socket can give you a shock. ENERGY
82 If you answered ‘no’ to some of the questions, consider the following actions: following the consider questions, the of ‘no’to some answered you If • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
A l A l A K M A A N make sure appliances are out of children’s reach, as they may knock them over by accident. by over them knock may they as reach, children’s of out are appliances make sure household. your of members for pneumonia or coughing bronchitis, asthma, cause mistake. by it from drink may Somebody cup: or amug use not Do paraffin. the with stored be should lamps and stoves into paraffin to pour used Funnels it. to drink not will know children that so marked, it cannot be drunk and will not spill. This reduces the chances of poisoning and fire. and poisoning of chances the reduces This spill. will not and drunk be cannot it explosions. cause could fuels the of amix and paraffin, than quickly more even burns Petrol suppliers. their contact to them get retailer, and to the it return colour, immediately apinkish has it If petrol. any contain not does it that to check paraffin your Smell tank. atransport of bottom the at left be may that petrol of abit with mixed accidentally is paraffin Sometimes, combination. dangerous particularly M Paraffin quiz Paraffin eep your appliances clean at all times. Dirty or faulty appliances will emit a lot of smoke, which can can which smoke, of alot will emit appliances faulty or Dirty all times. at clean appliances your eep lways store paraffin in a safe place where children cannot reach it. Containers need to be clearly clearly to be need Containers it. reach cannot children where place asafe in paraffin store lways lways use a clean container for paraffin. Dirty paraffin emits dirty, harmful smoke. harmful dirty, emits paraffin Dirty paraffin. for container aclean use lways lthough more expensive than paraffin, fuel gel provides a far safer option to consider. As it is a gel, agel, is it toAs consider. option safer afar provides gel fuel paraffin, than expensive more lthough ever be tempted to mix paraffin with any other fuels, such as oil and methylated spirits (‘meths’). (‘meths’). spirits methylated oil and as such fuels, other any with paraffin to mix tempted be ever TOTAL SCORE it other with fuels, such as meths, oil petrol. or Our paraffin is kept in a clean container and neverwe mix shade and never burnflame. an with open Our paraffin lamps are always coveredwith a glass lamp surfaces and out of the way of playing children. stove Our paraffin and lamps are level,on always sturdy not acup to pourparaffin into the lampsstove. and We top and useafunnel cut of off acooldrink (or bottle) that milkor could bottles confuse people,especially children. are bottles clearly Our paraffin labelled and not kept in cooldrink higha hook enough to out of be the reach of children. Paraffin storedin our safely home is in a cupboardor packet on stove Our paraffin and lamps are clean and burn clearly. Paraffin aking sure that your lamps are covered will help prevent fires and burns. and fires prevent will help covered are lamps your that sure aking ixing fuels can be very dangerous and may cause explosions. Petrol and paraffin make a paraffin and Petrol explosions. cause may and dangerous very be can fuels ixing arge pot on a small stove may cause the stove to topple over, starting afire. over, to topple starting stove the cause may stove asmall on pot arge evel and sturdy surface will prevent a stove or lamp from falling over and starting a fire. Also Also afire. starting and falling over from lamp or astove will prevent surface sturdy and evel K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S e No Yes
83 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
Candles, coal and wood quiz
Candles, coal and wood Yes No
Candles in my home stand securely in candle holders at all times.
Candles are placed well away from open windows and curtains.
When we make a fire indoors we have a chimney for the smoke from our fire to escape out of.
We always use dry wood for fires and/or low-smoke coal.
When making a fire out of doors we make sure it is well sheltered and that the fire is out when we go indoors or away.
TOTAL SCORE
If you answered ‘no’ to some of the questions, consider the following actions:
•• Do not make burning candles stand in their own wax on a plate or directly on the table, where they may easily fall over. Rather buy or manufacture candlesticks, and secure existing ones.
•• Candles can also be safely housed in an old glass jar partially filled with sand. Apart from securing the candle, the sand will also snuff out the flame if the jar is accidentally knocked over.
•• Place candles in safe places. Window sills are bad places for candles, as the wind may blow them over. The flame may also set curtains alight.
•• Fire smoke can be very dangerous: Many people, particularly young children, die every year from indoor air pollution. Always make sure that there is a chimney to let smoke out of the house. Burn dry wood, or make sure you ask your coal dealer for low-smoke coal.
•• It is also worth looking out for energy-efficient wood and coal stoves that reduce the amount of fuel needed, produce less smoke, and save some money.
•• Make sure the house is well ventilated when you use a mbawula (coal stove) indoors. Always light the mbawula outside, and bring it indoors only once the coals are red. An upside-down fire – putting the coals at the bottom and paper and wood on top – emits less smoke. If outdoors, a wind-protected area or shelter will prevent a fire from getting out of control. ENERGY
84 • • • • shock electric of an case In home at accidents Handling • • • the wallto plug at the which electricity the disconnect done, be thiscannot If main switch. the isconnect • mouth resuscitation and heart massage. heart and resuscitation mouth mouth-to- such as techniques, first-aid basic some with to familiarise yourself idea like is agood it this, cases For aheartbeat. detect cannot you breathing not and/or is unconscious, Call person the if ambulance an conscious. E U I plug. at the electricity the off switch chair, or broom plastic or like to awooden object, anon-conducting use possible, If is connected. appliance D gloves, newspaper or plastic. or newspaper gloves, rubber by using dry yourself away. protect victim’s clothing is wet, the If drag clothinghim/her person’s and the f the electricity cannot be disconnected, do not touch the victim, as you will also get a shock. Rather take hold of take hold Rather ashock. get also will you as victim, touch not the do disconnected, be cannot electricity f the valuate the victim’s breathing. Has it stopped or is it irregular? Check for a pulse and see whether the victim is irregular? isvictim it or the whether valuate stopped it victim’sCheck breathing. see the Has and for apulse se a broom or chair to push the victim away from the electricity source. electricity away the from chair or to victim the push abroom se If you answered ‘no’ to some of the questions, consider the following actions: following the consider questions, the of ‘no’to some answered you If • • • • • •
Gas quiz Gas A D M “Finding a gas leak”) and replacing or fixing any detected leaks immediately. leaks detected any fixing or replacing and leak”) agas “Finding the outside of the supply centre. supply the of outside the dealer. gas your with check first appliances, TOTAL SCORE ‘key’ gas bottle The is kept safely away from children. replace the appliance fix leak. or a detect when we and appliances bottles and for leaks or breaks (washers), We regularly seals check rubber the connectingpipes, dealer if we are them. about worried We check our gas appliances our with gas We our buy gas from asupplier that rating. has asafety of heat, such as afire, lamp, heaterstove.or are stored farOur gas cylinders from any source direct the matchbefore first turningon the gas. lightingWhen our gas stove lamps or Ialways light Gas lways buy gas from a registered supplier with a safety rating. This should be displayed on on displayed be should This rating. asafety with supplier aregistered from gas buy lways or cylinder your about doubt in If afire. in involved been has that cylinder agas use o not ake sure your gas cylinder and connections are in good condition by checking for leaks (see (see leaks for checking by condition good in are connections and cylinder gas ake your sure K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S e No Yes 85 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
In case someone drinks paraffin
•• Do not try to make the person vomit. The fumes could enter his/her lungs and cause pneumonia.
•• Do not give the person anything to drink or eat.
•• Do not let the person lie down. Make him/her stand up or sit upright.
•• Take the person to the clinic or hospital immediately, and take the paraffin container with you.
In case of fire
Fires cannot burn without oxygen. Normal air contains 21% oxygen. Therefore, the best way to put out a fire is to smother it (i.e. take away the oxygen supply) with sand or a blanket.
•• Always keep a large bucket of sand or a large woollen blanket close to where you have your fire or stove. In case of fire, throw sand or a blanket directly onto the fire. Having a fire extinguisher is even better.
•• Never throw water onto a fuel fire (such as a petrol, paraffin or diesel fire), as this can cause the fire to spread. Water conducts electricity, and if the water touches bare electrical wires, it can give you an electric shock.
•• If the fire is in a pot, just put the lid on, as fire cannot burn without oxygen.
•• If your clothes catch alight, do not run. Stop, drop, cover your face, and roll on the ground to put out the flames.
•• If your skin is burnt, first cool the burn in water, then go to the clinic or hospital.
•• If your house has caught alight, get out as soon as you can. Crawl on your hands and knees to the nearest door. Hot air (smoke) rises. Therefore, crawling/keeping low will help you to remain below the toxic smoke and will help prevent suffocation from lack of oxygen.
In case of a small burn
•• Keep the burn under a cold running tap or in cold water for ten minutes. Do not apply ice.
•• Do not rub Vaseline, oil or any other cream onto the burn, as it will cause the burn to spread.
•• Go to a clinic or hospital if the burn is bigger than the size of a person’s hand.
•• If the victim has suffered a severe burn (i.e. a whole limb or more is affected), keep it under cold water (i.e. a tap, bath or shower) until help arrives or transport to a hospital can be arranged. This can save the person’s life. ENERGY
86 Cape Town emergency services emergency Town Cape the of members all tell and reach, easy within them is. phone are for. they arewhat and they nearest the where where Know household Keep area. your for numbers emergency correct the Locate calls Emergency Red Cross Hospital Poison Centre Poison Hospital Cross Red Centre Information Poison Tygerberg phone cell a from emergency general MTN and Vodacom C, Cell Ambulance Police Fire Local clinic or hospital emergency room emergency hospital or clinic Local number emergency Station Police local Your Station Fire nearest Your number emergency General your area here: for inLook the front numbers of page phone your useful andadd telephone book 021 689 5227 689 021 6129931 021 112 10177 10111 107 K O O B D N A H G N I V I L T R A M S 87 ENERGY SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
The City of Cape Town’s ten best ways to save electricity at home are: No-cost changes Turn your geyser temperature down to 60°C Hot water accounts for at least 40% of your electricity bill. Turning down the thermostat by a degree or two will save you 5% on your electricity bill. In most Easy-to-do changes cases, the thermostat is located in the little cover over the electrical element of that are the foundation the geyser. Switch off the electricity circuit at the mains, undo the cover, and of Smart Living turn down the thermostat. Or hire a plumber/electrician to help you.
Use less hot water Take a short shower instead of a bath. Only fill the kettle with as much water as you need. Wash a full load of dishes, rather than one dish at a time. Wash clothing in cold water.
Switch off equipment when not in use Turn appliances off at the wall rather than leaving them on standby as this can still draw about 6% or more electricity.
Reduce pool pump operating hours Drop pool pump operating hours to 6 hours in summer and 4 hours in winter. Clean filters regularly, and consider a pool cover and turning off the pump entirely in winter.
Reduce excessive heating or cooling Space heating in winter is a big power ‘guzzler’, and the same for summer cooling. Use oil heaters with thermostats and avoid under-floor heating. Wear warmer clothing. In summer use a fan rather than air-conditioning. Low-cost options Install an efficient showerhead Investing under R1 000 Cape Town water bylaws limit shower flow rates to no more than 10 litres per minute. To test this at home, hold a bucket under the showerhead for 12 seconds. If there is more than 2 litres in the bucket, then your showerhead Simple, cost-effective is inefficient. A good, modern product will save both water and electricity improvements without compromising your shower experience, and the saving pays back the investment within a few months.
Insulate the geyser with a geyser blanket and insulate hot water pipes leading from the geyser to maximise heat retention. Install efficient lighting Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) use 6 times less power than old incandescent bulbs, and last much longer. Note that CFLs contain small amounts of harmful chemicals, so it’s best to take them to safe ‘drop off’ points at retailers like Woolworths or Pick n Pay. Of course, switching off lights in unoccupied rooms is an obvious way to save. Invest-to-save options Install a solar water heater. It uses the sun to heat up your water, saving 25% or more on your electricity bill. With rising electricity tariffs and subsidies from Eskom, the payback period Investments that create is no more than 3.5 to 5 years. greater long-term savings Insulate the ceiling Ceiling insulation can keep the home 5°C warmer in winter, and 10°C cooler in summer. More comfortable indoor temperatures mean less need for electrical heating and cooling, with savings of up to 65%. Insulating other parts of the house also helps (e.g. stopping heat loss through windows, walls or under doors), but the highest savings are from ceiling insulation. ENERGY
88 SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
Contacts and resources
Electricity-related queries
COMPANY/ORGANISATION CONTACT E-MAIL WEBSITE NUMBER City of Cape Town supply areas
City of Cape Town Electricity 0800 220 440 www.capetown.gov.za Services general enquiries To report a power failure 0800 220 440 [email protected] or electrical fault SMS 31220 Prepaid-meter toll-free 0800 220 440 customer care line Account enquiries/non- 0860 103 089 payment disconnections Meter-reading consumption queries 0860 103 089
New supply/change supply enquiries 0800 220 440
City of Cape Town electricity 0860 103 089 savingelectricty@ www.savingelectricity.org.za saving campaign capetown.gov.za Eskom supply areas
Eskom Electricity Services 0860 037 566 www.eskom.co.za general enquiries Eskom Demand-side http://www.eskomdsm. Management (DSM) residential co.za/?q=Residential_ information pamphlets Info_pamphlets
Non-electricity queries
COMPANY/ORGANISATION CONTACT E-MAIL WEBSITE NUMBER For all non-electricity services (such as water or sewage)
24-hour line 0860 103 054
Water Technical Operations Centre SMS 31373 watertoc@ capetown.gov.za Emergency services
Landline 107
From a cellphone 021 480 7700
Energy-efficiency information
City of Cape Town Electricity 0800 220 440 customersupport@ capetown.gov.za
Eskom DSM www.eskomdsm.co.za ENERGY
89 SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
COMPANY/ORGANISATION CONTACT E-MAIL WEBSITE NUMBER National energy-efficiency campaign www.savingenergy.co.za The Green House Project (good 011 720 3773 www.greenhouse.org.za information on energy-efficient and sustainable building practices) Ecospecifier (source of sustainable 021 790 6343 [email protected] www.ecospecifier.co.za development and lifecycle-assessed green-product information) The Green Building Council 021 659 5990/1 [email protected] www.gbcsa.org.za of South Africa Sustainable Energy Africa (SEA) 021 702 3622 www.sustainable.org.za (for a range of information, including a publication called “The New Energy Book”, with information on urban energy issues, building energy-efficient houses, energy-efficient city development and sustainable choices, with comparative analyses of the options) Fuel safety information
Paraffin Safety Association 021 671 5767 www.paraffinsafety.org
LP Gas Safety Association 021 531 5785 www.lpgas.co.za
Programme for Basic Energy 011 339 6633 and Conservation South African Bureau of Standards 012 428 6375 www.sabs.co.za (SABS) Regulatory (for checking safety standards of appliances)
Travel-related queries
COMPANY/ORGANISATION CONTACT E-MAIL WEBSITE NUMBER Transport information centre 24/7 bus and train timetables; terminal location; departure points; fares; operational hours; taxi rank location; operational taxi operators; long-distance traveller timetables
General number 0800 65 64 63
Transport Information www.capetown.gov.za/ transportinfo Universal access
Dial-a-Ride (registration) 0800 65 64 63 021 400 753 fax
ENERGY 0866 110 508 Dial-a-Ride (bookings) 0800 600 895 90 SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
COMPANY/ORGANISATION CONTACT E-MAIL WEBSITE NUMBER Teldem service (a portable, easy- 0800 65 64 63 to-use terminal facility especially designed to assist callers with speech or hearing disabilities) Disabled People’s Association www.dpsa.org.za of South Africa Cape Metrorail Up-to-date timetables, fee and route information General information: toll- 0800 65 64 63 www.capemetrorail.co.za free, all-hour number Crime: toll-free, all-hour number 0800 210 081
Golden Arrow Bus Services
Enquiries, timetables, 0800 65 64 63 www.gabs.co.za information, complaints Head office 021 507 8800
Walking and cycling
Cyclecabs (for information 0861 745 547 www.cyclecabs.co.za about bicycle taxis) Ecomobile 082 784 4477 www.ecomobile.co.za
Bicycle Empowerment Network 021 788 4174 www.benbikes.org.za (BEN) (non-governmental organisation that coordinates the delivery of second-hand European commuter-bicycles as well as new bicycles to learners, farm workers and independent dealers) Maps of bicycle lanes, safe www.rideyourcity.co.za cycling routes and bicycle lock- up facilities in Cape Town
Bicycle rentals (renting a commuter www.bybike.co.za bicycle in one location and dropping it off at another)
Car pooling
Liftsplit 021 417 6101 www.liftsplit.com
Liftshare.com www.liftshare.com ENERGY
91 SMART LIVING HANDBOOK
COMPANY/ORGANISATION CONTACT E-MAIL WEBSITE NUMBER Findalift www.findalift.co.za Carpoolmates www.carpoolmates.co.za
Sustainable-transport information
City of Cape Town www.capetown.gov.za/irt integrated rapid transit Cape Town Partnership www.capetownpartnership. co.za “Mobility” (magazine with www.mobilitymagazine. information and advocacy about co.za or www.emag. sustainable-transport policy and mobilitymagazine.co.za practice, i.e. public and shared transport, and walking and cycling, in South Africa and internationally) Minibus taxis
City of Johannesburg (excellent www.joburg.org.za guide to using minibus taxis)
City of Cape Town resources
City of Cape Town main website www.capetown.gov.za
Integrated rapid transit system www.capetown.gov.za/irt
Fuel efficiency campaign www.capetown.gov. za/en/greengoal
Spatial planning and urban design www.capetown.gov.za/sdf
Additional phone numbers and contacts ENERGY
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