Are these brownouts from the rat-tailed maggots?
The recent ‘Turn on the Gas’ initiative in the Western Cape is a controversial one. Due to the shortage of power, Eskom (in desperation) got creative. They’re offering trade-in rebates on your (working) electrical appliance when you purchase a gas appliance.
- Four plate LP Gas hob – R1300
- Four plate LP Gas stove with LP Gas oven – R2000
- LP Gas roll around heater – R300
Power outages are available in different flavours. A brownout is not simple bowel movement but instead a power outage during which some power is retained. But do expect bowel movement from the rat-tailed maggots in our water. If power is lost completely it’s called a blackout. These are words you won’t see in our local newspapers - okay except maybe ‘Die Sonn’. Short circuits are another kind of power outage btw, lasting a split or maybe few seconds. They typically occur when I connect up household appliances.
Adi and I traded in our electric oven for a Bosch gas stove and oven from Fridge Fix in Montague Gardens. We are going to trade in our heaters too - the trade in requires a minimum 1.5W heater for trade-in. Amazingly Eskom keep all the appliances stored with their original owners details. The target number - 100,000 appliances with names on them - an appliance graveyard. Don’t know when the offer will end - dealers themselves are unsure. Not all stores are participating in the program (participating dealers). Its a nightmare logistical problem for dealers - storing all the hand-ins.
It’s a controversial route for Eskom, Mail & Guardian released a scathing article ‘The Great Gas Con’ (http://www.mg.co.za) on how the poor are being used to fund Eskom and our governments shortfalls. Gas prices in SA are some of the highest in the world. In SA, gas is more expensive than electricity and the price is not regulated. Prices have increased several times in the last 3 months. Government expects to get regulatory control by early next year.
Crime watch
The four main gas suppliers are Afrox, TotalGaz, Easy Gas and BP. They claim (!!) the price of LPG is linked to that of crude oil and that the price is regulated by the Department of Minerals and Energy the maximum refinery gate price for LPG is R4,37 per kilogram - regulated by the department. But what suppliers charge us is their business. LOG retails for R9-R10. We pay between R13 and R18 per kilogram. Three times the gate price. Afrox has increased the gas price three times since March - by 40c per kilo in April, 55c in May and 38c at end-May.
Cost comparisons - boiling 500g of rice:
- Electricity - 16 cents
- LPG - 31 cents
- paraffin - 33 cents
What’s scarey: If we burnt our gas reserves in one big coal-fire power station, it would all be gone in 23 years. So gas is a short-term solution. Well - LPG anyway, it’s not natural gas (check out the worlds only flatulist).
Our gas stove is not yet used. It’ll be installed and setup by professionals early next week (no short circuits and no gas explosions please). But for us - gas stove’s heat instantly and gas oven’s burn hotter and retain moisture. Better steaks and better pizza’s :p