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| 1. | How can I reduce my Carbon Emissions or footprint? Reduce, re-use, and recycle HEAT LOSS · Seal gaps in doors & windows · Gaps in floorboards and skirting boards · Stick aluminium foil or reflective panels behind radiators. This reflects heat back into the room rather than being absorbed into walls. · In winter close your curtains at night to stop heat escaping. · Make sure your loft has loads of insulation. It is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to save energy and will pay for itself in hardly any time. · Consider insulating your cavity walls. ELECTRICAL · Buy A-rated electrical appliances. · Switch to energy saving light bulbs. · Turn plugs off at the wall as items left on standby can use up to 85% of the energy they would use if fully switched on. · Do not use an electric tumble dryer unless you absolutely have to. · Only switch on your washing machine when there is a full load. · Install solar powered lights in your garden that charge during the day and don’t require electricity. · Unplug your phone charger as it uses energy even when it’s not charging your phone. WATER - Water also affects your carbon footprint · Insulate your hot water tank. · Install a solar water heating system · Fix all dripping taps · Use the correct size pot when heating water · Only boil the required amount of water when making a cup of tea. · Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth. · If your toilet cistern holds more than 6 litres of water (likely if it was installed before 2001) put a Hippo Water Saving device in it. · Take a shower instead of a bath FOOD & FRIDGE · Your fridge should be placed away from direct sunlight · Defrost your fridge and freezer regularly · Do not place warm or hot food into the fridge · Defrost frozen food in the fridge as this helps to keep it cool as it thaws. · Buy locally produced organic food. · Eat less meat; producing 1 calorie of meat requires a lot more land and energy, compared to 1 calorie of vegetables. CARS & TRAVELLING Changing your driving habits can help reduce its greenhouse emissions. · Drive smoothly, avoiding sharp acceleration and heavy braking. · Plan your journeys to avoid congestion & road works · Check your revs - gear up before 2,500rpm (petrol) and 2,000rpm (diesel). · Make sure your tyres are pumped to the correct pressure, under-inflated tyres can increase fuel consumption by up to 3%. · If your stopped at road works or a traffic jam, turn off your engine. · Only use your air-conditioning if absolutely necessary · Avoid short journeys - a cold engine uses almost twice as much fuel. Cycle or walk instead. · Remove accessories such as roof racks & boxes if not being used · Service your car regularly FLYING Flying can represent the biggest chunk of your carbon footprint. So don’t fly unless you have to! AT THE OFFICE · Persuade your boss to go green! · Only use the lights you need. Turn off lights in unused rooms. Better still; get your building to install occupancy sensors. · Turn off your computer monitor when you leave the office at the end of the day. · Don’t print unnecessarily, print double sided · Get a lift club going |
| 2. | How does the Eskom Subsidy work? Eskom Subsidy |
| 3. | How does the solar water heating technology work? Solar heating harnesses the power of the sun to provide solar thermal energy for solar hot water, solar space heating, and solar pool. A solar heating system saves energy, reduces utility costs, and produces clean energy. The efficiency and reliability of solar heating systems have increased dramatically, making them attractive options in the home or business. Most solar water-heating systems for buildings have two main parts: a solar collector and a storage tank. The most common collector used in solar hot water systems is the flat-plate collector. Solar water heaters use the sun to heat either water or a heat-transfer fluid in the collector. Heated water is then held in the storage tank ready for use, with a conventional system providing additional heating as necessary. The tank can be a modified standard water heater, but it is usually larger and very well insulated. Solar water heating systems can be either active or passive. Active solar water heaters Active solar water heaters rely on electric or solar pumps, to circulate water, or other heat-transfer fluids through the collectors. These are the three types of active solar water-heating systems: 1. Direct-circulation systems use pumps to circulate pressurized potable water directly through the collectors. These systems are appropriate in areas that do not freeze for long periods and do not have hard or acidic water. 2. Indirect-circulation systems pump heat-transfer fluids through collectors. Heat exchangers transfer the heat from the fluid to the potable water. Passive solar water heaters Passive solar water heaters Passive solar water heaters rely on gravity and the tendency for water to naturally circulate as it is heated. Because they contain no electrical components, passive systems are generally more reliable, easier to maintain, and possibly have a longer work life than active systems. |
| 4. | What are the environmental benefits of alternative energy? Alternative Energy Environmental Benifits |
| 5. | What is global Warming? Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and the oceans since the mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation. Global surface temperature increased 0.74 ± 0.18 ° (1.33 ± 0.32 ° during the 100 years ending in 2005. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes that anthropogenic greenhouse gases are responsible for most of the observed temperature increase since the middle of the twentieth century, and natural phenomena such as solar variation and volcanoes probably had a small warming effect from pre-industrial times to 1950 and a small cooling effect from 1950 onward. These basic conclusions have been endorsed by 30 scientific societies and academies of science, including all of the national academies of science of the major industrialized countries. Climate model projections summarized in the latest IPCC report indicate that global surface temperature will likely rise a further 1.1 to 6.4 °C (2.0 to 11.5 °F) during the twenty-first century. The uncertainty in this estimate arises from the use of models with differing climate sensitivity, and the use of differing estimates of future greenhouse gas emissions. Some other uncertainties include how warming and related changes will vary from region to region around the globe. Although most studies focus on the period up to 2100, warming is expected to continue after 2100, even in the absence of new emissions, because of the large heat capacity of the oceans and the lifespan of CO2 in the atmosphere. Increasing global temperature will cause sea levels to rise and will change the amount and pattern of precipitation, likely including an expanse of the subtropical desert regions. Other likely effects include Arctic shrinkage and resulting Arctic methane release, shrinkage of the Amazon rainforest, increases in the intensity of extreme weather events, changes in agricultural yields, modifications of trade routes, glacier retreat, species extinctions and changes in the ranges of disease vectors. Political and public debate continues regarding the appropriate response to global warming. The available options are mitigation to reduce further emissions; adaptation to reduce the damage caused by warming; and, more speculatively, geoengineering to reverse global warming. Most national governments have signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. |
| 6. | What do the Electricity Glossary and Terms mean? Ampere (amp): A unit of electrical current or rate of flow of electrons. One volt across one ohm of resistance causes a current flow of one ampere. Amperes are used by utilities and electrical engineers to measure electrical flow. Joule (J): A unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second (synonymous with watt-second). Kilowatt (kW): A standard unit of electrical power equal to 1 000 watts. The term "kilowatt" (in addition to the measurements of "watt" and "megawatt") is commonly used to describe the capacity of an electric generator, particularly in reference to small solar photovoltaic and other generating systems. Kilowatt-hour (kWh): 1 000 watts or 1 kilowatt acting over a period of 1 hour. One kilowatt-hour is equal to 1 000 watt-hours and is equal to 3 600 kJ. The primary difference between a kilowatt and a kilowatt-hour is that "kilowatt" measures the capacity of an electric generator and "kilowatt-hour" measures the actual amount of electricity it produces over a certain period of time. Megawatt (MW): A standard unit of electrical power equal to 1 000 kilowatts, or 1 million watts. Like watts and kilowatts, the term "megawatt" is used as a standard measure of electric power plant generating capacity. It is most commonly used for large systems like wind turbines, biomass plants, and coal, natural gas, and nuclear plants. Megawatt-hour (MWh): 1 megawatt acting over a period of 1 hour. One megawatt-hour is equal to 1 000 kilowatt-hours or 1 million watt-hours. The primary difference between a megawatt and a megawatt-hour is that "megawatt" measures the capacity of an electric generator and "megawatt-hour" measures the actual amount of electricity it produces over a certain period of time. Ohm: A measure of the electrical resistance of a material equal to the resistance of a circuit in which the potential difference of 1 volt produces a current of 1 ampere. Ohms are used by utilities and electrical engineers to measure the resistance of wires conducting electricity. Volt: A unit of electrical force equal to the amount of electromotive force that will cause a steady current of one ampere to flow through a resistance of one ohm. High-voltage electricity moves faster than low-voltage electricity, as seen in the difference between high-voltage transmission lines used to move electricity quickly throughout a region and lower-voltage distribution lines used to move electricity directly to customers. Voltage: The amount of electromotive force, measured in volts, that exists between two points. Voltage is used to describe the amount of power produced by a generator. |
| 7. | Is there really a Government White Paper published in 1998 which warned South Africa would run out of power in 2007? In December 1998, a report called "White Paper on the Energy Policy of the Republic of South Africa" was published by the Government. On page 41 of the report it states "...growth in electricity demand is only projected to exceed generation capacity by approximately the year 2007... long capacity-expansion lead times require strategies to be in place in the mid-term, in order to meet the needs of the growing economy". Read full report |
| 8. | How does the South Africa National Energy Bill introduced in Parliament in June 2008 affect me? Read the full report |
| 9. | What does 'load shedding' really mean and is it the same thing as a blackout or a brownout? Load shedding is defined as the removal of pre-selected customer demand from a power system, as a result of the occurrence of an abnormal condition, in a effort to maintain the integrity of the system and minimize overall customer outages. A blackout is defined as the emergency loss of the source of electricity serving an area caused by failure of the generation, transmission or distribution system and a brownout is defined as the partial reduction of electrical voltages caused by customer demand being higher than anticipated or by the failure of the generation, transmission or distribution system, resulting in lights dimming and motor-driven devices slowing down. |
| 10. | How much power does South Africa need to operate? According to Eskom (as of 20 January 2008), South Africa's peak demand has reached 36 700MW, while Eskom is able to supply 38 500MW. While this technically means Eskom can produce more power than required, Eskom also requires a reserve energy supply. International best practice dictates power companies must have the capacity to generate 15 percent over and above what is actually needed. |