In 2012, the Electricity Regulations Act, 2006 required municipalities to have a system in place that could switch off hot water cylinders via a remotely controlled system. In response, Overstrand Municipality installed 6 400 geyser control units, mainly in Hermanus, Sandbaai, Kleinmond, and a few households in Franskraal.

The system works by switching off geysers during peak demand periods on weekdays, helping to reduce pressure on the electricity network and keep the lights on for everyone. Since then, many of these units have fallen out of regular use.

As part of Overstrand’s commitment to energy efficiency and helping to reduce load shedding, we have, at the renewed request of Eskom and the Minister of Energy, decided to reassess the load management system. A contractor has been appointed to initiate remote communication with the existing geyser load control units and determine the status quo of the system.

Once the assessment is complete, testing will begin in the last week of November 2025 to see what the “old” system is still capable of and explore opportunities for expanding its coverage. Affected customers will be notified in advance, and there is no need for any access to any homes at this stage.