Work together to save power and cut out the waste -- that is the message Deputy President Baleka Mbete had for South Africans when she launched an energy saving campaign at the Presidential Guest House on Tuesday.

"All of us must act together to reduce our unnecessary and inefficient use of energy... which is ... a lifeblood for our society and our economy," she said.

"The only way to make this strategy possible, however, is for all of us to work together to conserve electricity."

Mbete said an immediate way South Africans could help was through simple behavioural changes to halt unnecessary power use, or even wastage, of electricity.

Eskom, the national power utility, needed to increase power savings to allow maintenance of electricity plants in January.

For its part, government had refitted 4000 buildings, saving what the deputy president said was R56 million a year in electricity costs.

"For businesses, we are providing free technical support to identify ways to save electricity. We are also exploring tax incentives for more energy efficient production," she added in a speech prepared for delivery.

"For households, we have provided, through Eskom, a subsidy for solar water heaters and the distribution of energy-efficient light bulbs."

Government was also trying to "re-shape" electricity tariffs to encourage more efficient electricity usage.

Government planned to work with civil society, churches, organized business and labour to save power and allow society to benefit from a safe and security supply of electricity.

"We are all in this together -- reliant on one another -- and need to make every watt count."