Seven tips to help you prepare for load shedding

We’ve got some easy-to-implement tips from Budget Insurance to get you ready for life with load shedding:

• Keep your property well-lit to help deter potential criminal activities when the power goes off with a few high-wattage solar powered lights for your garden – and a few LED lights for inside.
• Check the load shedding schedule and make sure to charge your phone before the power goes off or invest in a portable phone charger, so that you can call for help if necessary.
• If you need to manually open and close your gates when you get home in the evenings, arrange for an escort from your security company to meet you at the house.
• Alarm systems, garage doors and electric gates generally rely on electricity so make sure that these items all have good back-up batteries. It is also wise to add some extra burglar bars or padlocks to potentially vulnerable areas in and around your home, should any of your back-up batteries not make it through load shedding. 
• Keep a torch or a solar, battery powered light that is charged beforehand in multiple, easily accessible locations around your home. Be sure to also have plenty of spare batteries.
• Your fridge and freezer supplies should be okay without power over night if you do not open and close it repeatedly. If you’re worried about certain food items, prepare an ice-box for these.
• Make sure that all appliances – especially those that pose a fire risk if left unattended – are switched off when load shedding starts and gradually turned back on once power returns. This not only minimises the pressure on the grid when the power is turned back on, but also minimises the risk of damage to appliances due to power surges, or a fire risk causing a power outage to turn into a catastrophe.