Replacement Light Bulbs

Eskom is the electric company run by the government responsible for providing power to South Africa. They have started a new initiative to reduce energy costs and encourage energy conservation. They have started delivering free energy-saving light bulbs to every home. In a country overrun with corruption, the fact that a large corporation is taking steps to reduce energy consumption is encouraging. The way that electricity is sold has required them to use old-school tactics to make it successful.

In the U.S., the electric company keeps track of the amount of electricity you use via a meter and then sends you a monthly bill that you pay for via check or debit/credit card.

They hook your house up to electricity and maintain the power lines but they do not send you a bill at the end of the month. They use a debit system that will shut off your power automatically when your account reaches 0.

Each house has its own card that looks like a flimsy cardboard card that you would use on the subway and has the meter number that belongs to a house on it. You bring your used card to an electricity shop and give it, along with the amount of money worth of electricity you want to purchase in cash to the employee. The employee then inserts the card and the amount of electricity you purchased into a machine. The machine then prints out a new card that has your meter number and the amount of electricity on it. At your house, you insert your card into your meter and it recharges your meter with the amount on the card then punches a hole in it so that it is no longer valid.

This system works well for three reasons. First, the electric company does not have to worry about mailing bills at the end of the month which cuts back on costs. Since it is a debit system, you can only use electricity that you have already paid for so the only people who you need to answer to when there is no electricity are the people who use the house. And finally, a checking account or credit card is not required.

The problem with this system is that since there are no monthly bills being sent out, they don't have a regular medium to send propaganda and advertising through. Advertising is further complicated by the high illiteracy rate and people not owning TVs or radios. As a result, Eskom has to resort to old school techniques; they have people drive cars with loud speakers attached to them announcing any important information. As the use of modern technology becomes more widespread in rural areas, as it did in the U.S., we'll find out if this type of advertising becomes obsolete.