The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) has urged consumers to be efficient with electricity and adopt renewable energy sources.
A senior ZERA official who declined to be named told the Chronicle that efficient use of electricity was critical at a time when the country is battling power outages amid reduced generation capacity from local plants. Said the official:
People should try to be efficient with electricity in order to help ease the power outages countrywide. We are here to educate you on how to use electricity efficiently and we are encouraging you to use the right lighting bulbs in your homes.
We are saying no to using incandescent lights or bulbs as they do not save electricity. We encourage you to buy light-emitting diodes (LED) and compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) as they are more energy-saving than incandescent lights.
The ZERA official also urged households to use solar to generate their own electricity at home as it is also a good alternative source of energy, which is environmentally friendly.
Mr Hugh Mlauzi, ZERA Regional technical inspector, said the use of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) as an alternative to electricity was commendable. He said:
People should try to save electricity by using Liquid Petroleum Gas, which remains one of the best alternative sources of energy being used in urban and rural areas. That is why we are here to educate you on how to use gas at your homes.
Zimbabwe has been facing a power crisis for several years, with frequent power outages and load shedding being experienced in different parts of the country.
The crisis is attributed to successive droughts, old and inadequate infrastructure, lack of investment in alternative power sources, and financial challenges.