SOLAR heating technology has seen more than 300 Zanemvula housing project houses fitted with solar geysers in Port Elizabeth‘s Chatty 3, 4 and 5 areas.

The pilot project is the initiative of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. It was started at the beginning of April and “it is envisaged that it should be finished by July”, said municipal spokesman Luncedo Njezula.

“We are testing solar heating technology because we want to see if it‘s going to be useful for our people.”

The feedback from the community regarding the solar geysers would help the municipality in ensuring that the technology worked in an effective and sustainable way.

Resident Thembakazi Matyunu hailed the project as “a good initiative”, saying it was for the betterment of all people in the community. “It feels good waking up in the morning and using free hot water to bath kids and get them ready for school,” Matyunu said.

Neighbour Nosipho Mango echoed Matyunu‘s sentiments, adding that with this system “I use less electricity in the house”. Mango, whose geyser was installed a month ago, said: “When it‘s cold I use hot water to do my washing. This project has helped all of us a lot.”

“We are living very happy lives now because of this initiative,” said another resident, Misiwe Qheshana.

“Our lives have been drastically improved by the introduction of this project.”

She said the water became lukewarm in inclement weather, “but lukewarm water is better than cold water”, she quipped.

Njezula said the project was also aimed at creating job opportunities for the unemployed in the area because local residents were being used to install the geysers.

“The residents will also be trained to perform maintenance duties on the equipment,” he said, adding that such a practice represented “a genuine skills transfer to residents of Zanemvula”.

Source: Herald Reporter 

Keep it Green 

Greencon 

Comments are closed.