The load shedding survival kit is here

South Africans, tired of power outages, often refer to the outdated Victorian description of living in ‘Darkest Africa’ as a humorous way of letting off steam about the latest round of load shedding.

However, despite the humour, the power situation remains extremely serious, and is having a significant impact on large and small businesses alike, not to mention its effect on basic domestic requirements like cooking food and – for learners – having light to study by.

The impact of load shedding is significant and negative, damaging both business growth and job creation. Considering that Eskom data recently confirmed that September 2022 had been the nation’s worst-ever month of load shedding, with a total of 1 503 GWh estimated to have been shed, and with 572 hours of the month’s 720 hours directly affected, things may well get worse before they get better.

Add to this the mixed messages coming from the utility – lowering the stage of load shedding, only for it to be escalated again, sometimes within hours – and the fact that it could take another 18 to 24 months for capacity to come onto the network and ease our power pressure, and it is clear that citizens need to find unique ways to overcome this challenge.

Naturally, the go-to method is to purchase a gasoline generator which, while expensive to run, will certainly help in keeping the lights on. However, there are many other downsides, apart from cost; they are incredibly noisy and also produce fumes that make them incompatible for use indoors.

However, EcoFlow has a range of battery-powered generators known as the DELTA Series, which are ideal for the current situation our country finds itself in. Unlike a traditional gas generator, DELTA operates with next to no noise, no fumes and no maintenance. Moreover, EcoFlow’s battery management system has a proven track record in challenging environments, regulating current, voltage and temperature in real time.

Depending on your specific needs, you can choose from a range of generators that have one thing in common – they will prevent a dark mood settling on you whenever the lights go out.

This is because the DELTA Series represents the latest standard of battery-powered generators and are compatible with a wide range of devices, allowing you to remain powered for hours, whenever and wherever you are.

Thanks to a large inverter load, the EcoFlow Delta is able to power the majority – in the range of 90% – of home appliances and other essential devices. This includes your kettle for making coffee, powering a router to ensure connectivity, charging your phone, or even operating heavy-duty tools under 1800W.

And this can all technically be done simultaneously, as it lets you power a number of devices at once, with the top of the range allowing you to deliver power to as many as 13. This battery station has six ports that are AC outlets, two that are USB C PD ports, four USB A ports and even a DC car port.

Most crucially, the EcoFlow DELTA Series utilises the unique new X-Stream Technology, which allows for it to recharge rapidly. In fact, by leveraging this technology, it is able to go from zero to full charge in as little as two hours, when plugged into a standard wall socket.

For South Africans facing ongoing rotational load shedding, the fact that Delta is able to charge some ten times faster than most battery generators in its price range is ideal, as it means you will be able to have its full charge restored before the next time the power cuts.

However, while this is the fastest, it is not the only way to charge the device. Solar panels can be used, although this takes several hours with full sun, and you can even charge it overnight – or on a long drive – using your car’s DC outlet to charge it over a period of around 11 hours.

Delta has a number of these battery solutions designed to meet a range of different requirements, but each could be described as a ‘load shedding survival kit’. For small businesses operating from home, there is the RIVER Max, which will allow your business to remain productive and meet its deadlines, by allowing you to run up to 10 devices at once. Moreover, it offers peace of mind during a blackout because EcoFlow kicks in automatically and will provide power to your operation in less than 30 milliseconds.

For basic home use, there’s the RIVER Pro, which also offers 10 connections and is compact and thus, easy to move from room to room. This allows you to operate TVs, lights and routers, helping you to avoid boredom when the lights are out.

The DELTA (1300) is perfect for ensuring that load shedding moments don’t get your entertaining days down. With 13 connections, it means you can cook for friends during outages, or entertain them indoors or outdoors, regardless. And because this one can be connected to a solar panel for charging, you can even take it camping with you.

So, although it appears that load shedding will be with us for some time to come, with its range of Delta offerings designed to meet virtually all home and work requirements, EcoFlow is ready to help light up your life.