If you have some appliances, computers, and other equipment that doesn’t absolutely need power, you might want to switch them off. That’s the official sentiment from national power utility, Eskom.

The electricity provider has posted a notice on its website, and also issued an official emergency notice, stating that current electricity demand has forced it to publish provisional load shedding schedules. While it is not load shedding at the moment, measures are in place to implement it and prevent the electrical system from being overloaded.

Eskom’s notice says, “Eskom is now following the protocol in terms of its emergency procedures in order to secure the power system. We have alerted our key industrial customers and have required them to reduce their load by a minimum of 10%.”

It also provides certain (obvious) power saving tips. Customers should switch off their geysers, pool pumps, air-conditioning units, and non-essential appliances between the hours of 9am and 5pm – hours during which industrial power consumption is at its peak. Eskom also acknowledges the current summer heat in parts of the country, adding that people who leave their air-conditioners running should set them to 23 degrees, preventing the compressors from running full time.