The demand for power is steadily increasing and Eskom has asked householders to switch off geysers and other appliances during the evening peak hour.

Chamber president Janine Myburgh said on Tuesday it was clear that there would be no "quick fix" as Eskom simply could not generate enough power to meet the needs of the growing economy and maintain healthy reserve capacity.

It would be several years before new base-load power stations were in operation. "In the circumstances, it makes sense for companies to do energy audits and find ways to use less electricity.