Rationing of Electricity in Maputo City Residences through Education and Awareness Actions

Abstract

The level of rational use of electricity consumption by households in Mozambique is very low. This paper assesses whether, with the implementation of education and awareness actions through the door-to-door method, is possible to change the consumption habits and rationalize residential electricity consumption in Maputo city, Mozambique. The data was collected through questionnaires, observations, and interviews related to the habits of electricity consumption, the use of electrical equipment, and consumption of household appliances. This was followed by awareness creation on the use of electricity. The results show that after the campaign, the level of knowledge of the measures of rational use of electricity by consumers was increased by 55.3%, the level of adoption of the measures learned was increased by 30.5% and the monthly household consumption was decreased by 16.8%. Household consumption depends on the electrical equipment, and replacement of at least one 60W incandescent lamp in each residence with a 15W fluorescent lamp could bring a significant reduction in energy consumption. For example, the annual consumption of each family can be reduced by 94KWh and 23GWh in the entire City. The low level of rational use of electricity in Maputo city is due to lack of knowledge of the measures and little adoption of the known measures, use of inefficient equipment, low availability of the efficient equipment in the local markets, high cost of efficient technologies, and houses that offer few opportunities for rationing. Rationing; Electricity consumers; Habits; Awareness; Maputo; Mozambique.