Consumers to blame – ZESA
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
Written by Fungi Kwaramba
Wednesday, 09 February 2011 14:57
HARARE – Reluctance on the part of electricity consumers to embrace energy
saving bulbs in the country has led to continued load shedding by the
country’s power utility, ZESA.
ZESA, through its subsidiary Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and
Distribution Company (ZETCO), has been encouraging consumers to save power
through power saving lighting, however, ZESA says people have not heeded the
call.
“Consumers have not been using energy savers, forcing the utility to
implement load shedding. There are over five million ordinary light bulbs in
Zimbabwe. If consumers switched over to energy saver light bulbs about 300MW
is saved. This energy would then be available to other consumers, leading to
a huge reduction in load shedding,” said ZESA Spokesperson Fullard Gwasira.
The 300MW that is used by ordinary light bulbs is just over half of Hwange
Power Station is currently generating. Gwasira said that the 300MW is
adequate to meet the needs of four towns such as Mutare, Masvingo, Gweru and
Kadoma at the same time without any load shedding.
Ordinary bulbs cost between US$0.50 and a dollar while the energy savers
cost US$2.