Tips to cope with load shedding

With Eskom reintroducing load shedding, South Africans could be facing dark weeks ahead of the festive season. Eskom announced on Monday that the electricity system was “severely” damaged and would remain so until “at least” Thursday as a result of an unexpected loss of some generation units over the weekend.

Though load shedding was not expected, the system allegedly remained vulnerable due to historic factors such as inadequate maintenance and ageing of plants.

“The unexpected loss of additional units may result in load shedding at short notice.

“Eskom would like to appeal to residents and businesses to use electricity sparingly as we continue to manage the electricity system back to stability. Please switch off geysers as well as non-essential lighting and electricity appliances to assist in reducing demand,” said the parastatal in a statement.

It’s possible to minimise the frequency and effects of load shedding, while saving money and looking after the environment, according to Budget Insurance.

A good first port of call is to do a thorough power audit to see how and where you can save electricity:

1. Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs if you have not yet done so already. While they are more expensive than traditional incandescent bulbs, over the longer-term, you will see a difference in savings as the bulbs last longer.

2. Smart plugs are an effective way to help you maintain your power consumption and keep your home energy efficient with little input. Smart plugs can be set to switch off your appliances such as TVs and sound systems entirely as opposed to putting them onto stand-by mode, which guzzles power. Smart plugs typically have a companion app allowing you to set preferences, schedules and names for the devices.

3. Timers, or smart switches, whether for geysers, pool pumps or security lights will help you only consume electricity when these items need to be used. The geyser is one of the most energy-consuming items in the household and a smart switch allows this to be turned on or off when necessary.

4. Letting go of large appliances such as a fridge can seem counter-productive when trying to save money but newer fridges are far more energy-efficient than the one which has likely been part of the family for a number of years. Appliances are graded from A to G on their efficiency, with A being the most efficient and G being the least.

5. Get your entire household into the habit of actively turning off any lights and appliances that are not in use and not using any of them for longer than required.

6. There are some bigger ways to reduce a home’s electricity consumption and should be considered as part of a longer-term investment and cost-saving exercise. This includes putting in solar panels, switching out electricity-run stoves and ovens for gas and replacing air conditioning with ceiling fans and fireplaces. A prepaid electricity meter would also be effective to monitor your home’s power consumption and assist with budgeting for power on a monthly basis.

More easy-to-implement tips for those looking to ensure their safety when the lights go out:

• Put the proposed load shedding times somewhere handy so that your family will have enough time to prepare for the power outage.
• Get a few high-wattage solar powered lights for your garden, and a few LED lights for inside. Light is a deterrent to would-be burglars.
• Keep your cellphone charged, or invest in a portable phone charger, so that you can still call for help if you need to.
• If you need to manually open and close your gates when you get home, try to have someone come and meet you at your entrance, or arrange for an escort from your security company.
• Use padlocks, burglar bars and deadbolts to provide an extra level of home security that isn’t power-dependent.
• Alarm systems, garage doors and electric gates generally rely on electricity so make sure that these items all have good backup batteries.
• 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 overnight 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.

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