As a result of insufficient generation capacity, Eskom has been struggling to meet the growing electricity demand. Due to the immediate nature of this problem, several short- to medium-term solutions have been implemented. These solutions include the utilisation of gas turbine power stations, load shedding and the Demand-Side Management (DSM) programme. This study focusses on evaluating the feasibility of each solution. By evaluating the performance 37 projects, it was found that the annual sustainability of industrial DSM projects is 83%. It was found that compared to the gas turbine power stations and load shedding, the DSM programme is a more feasible approach. Due to the immediate impact of gas turbine power stations and load shedding, it is still required to utilise these short term solutions. However, by improving the impact and sustainability of the existing DSM programme, the required use of gas turbine power stations and load shedding can be reduced. An alternative approach to the Energy Services Company (ESCO) model was developed to improve the impact and sustainability of industrial DSM projects. Two case studies were evaluated to estimate the impact of the alternative approach. Thereafter a simulation model was developed to simulate the expected impact. Results showed that the new approach can improve the sustainability of industrial DSM projects by to 9%. This will reduce the required utilisation of gas turbine power generation and load shedding, resulting in a net cost saving of R740 million to Eskom and a positive impact of R51 billion on the economy of South Africa.