According to Shafeeqah Isaacs, head of financial education at personal loan specialists DirectAxis, there has been an increase in enquiries regarding finance for standby or back-up power systems.
Before taking the plunge, however, he urges clients to make sure their preferred solution is fit-for-purpose, affordable and doesn’t break any laws or regulations.
Questions to ask yourself include: do you want to go completely off-grid or just run lights and a TV when the power goes out? Also: have you replaced your lights with LEDs and made sure your geyser is insulated and ideally on a timer? Steps like these will reduce your power consumption and save you money; they may also reduce your need for a fancy (read: costly) back-up system.
So what are your standby power options?
Generators are the most common solution, but they come with running and maintenance costs. Before buying one, ask the following:
- Does it match your requirements? Overloading could inhibit performance or shorten the life of the generator.
• Is the generator SABS approved?
• What does it cost to run and maintain?
• Where will you install it? Generators can be noisy and need to be well ventilated.
• Are there installation costs?
• Does a generator comply with your household?
You also need to make sure you aren’t breaking the law in respect of installation and noise. Standby generators, which are used to run a few appliances, generally don’t need to be wired into the household circuit and consequently don’t need to be installed by a professional electrician.
Back-up generators, which kick in when the mains power goes down, do need to be installed by a professional and must not break any municipal bylaws, which differ from municipality to municipality.
The other regulations cover the noise generators make – if yours is too loud, you can incur a fine.
Another increasingly popular solution are solar systems. As technology improves, they are becoming more efficient and cost-effective. However, the batteries used to store the energy will need to be replaced at a high cost. And again, municipal regulations must be adhered to.
A third option is an uninterrupted power system (UPS) or inverter which utlises the energy stored in large batteries to run essential equipment for a few hours. Larger systems can power lights, TVs, modems and household alarm systems overnight.
For tips on how to save electricity, click here.