Off the grid? No problem
Roger Whitlock (69) has found a way to beat load shedding - and now water rationing, too.
He is also considering installing a septic tank on his property, after a five-day blockage on the municipality’s sewer line.
A solar-powered car, you ask?
Well, that is on his bucket list.
Whitlock does not consider himself to be a doomsday prepper, but rather somebody who identifies a problem and tries to work around it.
“My biggest fear is the grid going down,” the Farrarmere resident said.
“ … If the grid were to go down, what would you do; there would be anarchy.
“Everybody thought Noah was a nut case, until it started to rain.”
The semi-retired financial planner five years ago decided to be better prepared for the future and to be prepared for any break in service delivery.
“Five years ago I had a power interruption that lasted 48 hours,” he said.
“We realised my freezer started to defrost and we had a lot of money invested in meat.”
That was the defining moment which resulted in Whitlock investing around R400 000 in solar panels, a borehole and a water heater system for his Starlight Street home.
He has 16 240w solar panels, which generate around 21kw hours of electricity a day.
He also has a solar-heated pool.
The 69-year-old said he only spends around R50 to R100 on electricity from the municipality a month.
“We do not know the price of electricity,” said Whitlock.
With a smirk on his face, he said his house was like an “oasis in the middle of Benoni” when load shedding was being implemented.
“If you have got a problem, apply your mind; something is better than nothing,” was his advice to people who are considering to go off the grid.
Also read:
Lakes and ‘fire pools’ to save Benoni during rationing
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