Start thinking about going off the grid cost effectively

Going completely off the grid is first prize, but can be as expensive as R300 000. It’s better to come up with a simple strategy that includes batteries, inverters, and gas products. That’s what local businessman Craig Kinsman advises to the community.

Inverter takes pure electric current (direct current or DC) and converts it into a form that is usable by devices, appliances, homes (alternating current or AC). With an inverter and solar-powered batteries, residents can keep themselves going for 4 hours during load shedding by Eskom.

Kinsman advises looking into a long-term strategy of incorporating solar panels into homes, which can be brought in over time and as budget allows.

With an inverter and battery in place, you can charge your phones and laptops, boil a kettle, and maybe watch some TV. However, it’s not enough to cook or run geysers.

Having seen how his adopted community (by marriage) in the Philippines deal with their own load shedding woes (it’s called ‘brownouts’ over there), Kinsman hopes to inform and educate his local community on how to sidestep the political chatter around Eskom and focus on becoming ready for our own electricity woes here in South Africa.