City warns residents against electricity saving devices

THE jury is still out on the legality of a geyser management device being marketed countrywide, which reportedly reduces energy consumption of electricity consumers significantly.

Windhoek residents – especially those who have installed the ‘Electro Smart’ device – have been breathing heavily since being informed that they might be penalised pending an investigation by the municipality.Door to door consultants for South African company Electro Smart have been doing the rounds since at least the start of the year, promising electricity consumers savings of up to 40 per cent on their electricity bills in exchange for the N$7 000 price tag of the units.The system reportedly works by automatically switching on or off home geysers, normally considered the most costly electrical item to run in a household, at times set by the owner.However, a number of the company’s customers have since asked for their money back as reports started circulating that local authorities considered the devices to be illegal.Asked about the situation this week, City of Windhoek spokesperson Elizabeth Sibindi said that consumers were free to install any equipment to their electrical installation.The only catch, she said, was that the work be done by an electrical contractor registered at the City, and that the works are inspected by the City.She said the City was currently awaiting a list of consumers where the units have thus far been installed from Electro Smart.Clients, she said, could in fact be penalised if there is any tampering with the electricity meters or with the municipal ripple control receiver unit, in other words, with any municipal property on the site.A senior municipal source also noted that consumers remain cautious when approached by suppliers of such devices, who reportedly sell these units at exorbitant prices.’This N$7000 or N$8000 that they’re charging is way more than what those devices are worth. You could just as well install a geyser timer to do the same thing at around N$500,’ the source said.Sibindi advised users to consult specialist advice first to make sure the promised savings are realised.’Electricity users must ensure that they use energy efficient appliances and conserve energy,’ she said.When contacted for his comment, Electro Smart’s marketing manager in Namibia, Marco Smit, said he was fully convinced that the City had no case to pursue.’There has been absolutely no tampering with their business. We went to the municipality ourselves to present our case. We’ve spoken to (Special Executive for Electricity) Ferdinand Diener himself,’ he said.The company, he argued, also provided the municipality with proof that they were registered and accepted by the South African Bureau of Standards, and the South African Electricity Supply Commission (Eskom).’I did my part, but eight months later, we’re still waiting for them to return to us,’ Smit said.