LOAD-SHEDDING SURVIVAL GUIDE

“Eskom says that the risk of continued load-shedding up until the end of March 2022 remains high and that South Africa could see a further 61 days of load-shedding between 1 April 2022 – 31 August 2022. However, load-shedding doesn’t have to leave us feeling powerless.” So says Orlando Luis, CEO of BRIGHTS Hardware who has put together a list of suggestions and product tips to help you see that there is light at the end of the tunnel and help you navigate your through ongoing power cuts.

Make light of it
Candles create a wonderful mood but there are far safer ways of lighting your home during power cuts that do not present the danger of a fire. Here are some solutions to help you survive load-shedding.

• • Battery-powered LED lighting
    There is a wide range of rechargeable battery powered light strips, lanterns, desk lights and torches available that make keeping the lights on during load-shedding easy. Li-ion Battery technology is great, so look out for Li-ion options. Most of these items have at least a 1 year warranty. Rechargeable LED lights are recommended, as batteries can become expensive. But just be sure to recharge them once the power is back on.
  • Self-charging LED globes
    Self-charging LED globes make keeping the lights on during load-shedding a seamless process as they stay on during power cuts. The globes hold charge for up to four hours and come in either a screw or bayonet configuration.
  • Solar lighting
    Like the rechargeable solutions, there is also a wide range of solar-powered lighting options on the market today. These vary from spotlights/security lights to solar lanterns, garden lighting and even pool lights. Solar-powered lighting is a great solution in a sun-rich country like ours, but remember to keep them out of shaded areas, preferably on a north facing wall to get a complete charge.

There is no cost to recharge them, and many are practically ‘set and forget’ and will come on automatically after sundown.

Working nine to five
With so many people working from home these days, load-shedding can be a huge inconvenience and dampener on productivity if you are unable to use your computer, devices or connect to the internet.

There are various options available to make sure you can keep working during load-shedding:

• • Portable power bank
    Portable power banks are a fantastic solution to ensure that you don’t run out of cell phone battery life. These compact gadgets can also charge other devices such as tablets, portable routers and speakers.
  • Uninterruptible Power Supply
    Equipping yourself with a UPS is the ideal way to ensure the smooth running of your home office and internet connection. In the event of a power cut, the UPS acts like a battery backup, taking over the power supply and ensuring a current to all your home equipment – keeping your computer, router, printer, speakers, microphone, and webcam operational.

A 600W, 12V unit is perfect for your home electronics. This unit requires one deep cycle battery. The next size up is the 1 000W 24V inverter that requires two deep cycle batteries. All of these have a 1 year warranty.

Taking load-shedding with a pinch of salt

Load-shedding often occurs during the times you would be preparing food for yourself or your family and boiling water or getting meals prepared during power outages is impossible without a gas stove or cooker.

Because of this, many people are choosing to convert from electrical to gas. Not only does this mean you can continue your dinner preparations during a power outage, but your electricity bill will also be reduced through the introduction of gas appliances.

Thankfully there are many different options available to consumers today, whether it is a large gas hob and oven or just a simple, portable table-top one or two-plate gas cooker and many more options in between.

The bigger picture
A great way to truly minimise the impact of load-shedding on your life, in addition to the ideas set out above, is to invest in a generator, inverter or solar energy for your home – if budget allows.

• • A generator
    There are many different models and options of generators to consider. Entry-level two-stroke generators, such as a 950W unit, are unreliable if the petrol/oil mixture is not correct, so BRIGHTS recommends starting with no lower than a four-stroke generator. The higher the wattage of the generator the more power it outputs and the more electricity it generates.

• • Inverters – because silence is golden
    Pure sine wave inverters with batteries are silent and they switch on automatically during load-shedding.

• • Solar energy
    Setting up a solar solution isn’t exactly cheap, but the costs can quickly be recovered, and you will be free of the frustration that goes with power outages. Start small with a few panels and deep-cycle batteries to keep the bare essentials running. You can build your solar installation up over time, adding additional solar panels and deep cycle batteries as time and budget allows. The bigger the installation, the more power it will generate, meaning you can run more lights and appliances from this solar energy, and run them for longer.

Product tips from the experts

BRIGHTS Hardware stores, of which there are nine dotted around Cape Town as well as an online store with speedy delivery, offer the below product suggestions for people looking to minimise the impact of load-shedding on their lives:

• • Rechargeable desk lamps ranging from R129.99 – R189.99
  • Leisure Quip rechargeable lantern – R89.99
  • 30-LED Flash Emergency Light – R109.95
  • 90-LED Eurolux emergency light – R299.99
  • 4-in-1 rechargeable Waco LED lantern – R199.95
  • Rechargeable Magneto LED solar light – R169.95
  • Eurolux 5W Self-charging globe – R99.95
  • LED light bulb – R99.95
  • Totai 2-burner stainless steel gas stove – R459
  • Ultra-thin Astrum power bank – R199.95
  • Peco solar 3-light kit – R5999
  • Travel-sized inverter – R449
  • UPS type 600W inverter – R2499
  • UPS type 1000W inverter – R2999
  • Lithium 300W inverter – R4999
  • Ryobi 4-stroke key-start 3000X generator – R6499
  • Ryobi 6500W key-start generator – R11499
  • 12V deep-cycle battery – R3199
  • Solar panel – R2799

These are just a few ideas of products that can be purchased to help you survive load-shedding. However, there are so many more! BRIGHTS Hardware has on-site experts in all our stores to provide advice on load-shedding survival – whatever your needs may be. Our knowledgeable staff can assist you with all the product insights and information that you need.