I’ve had a good couple of hours to revise the intro to this article. In fact, initially, the article was about something else entirely. Yip, it was Pulitzer-winning stuff. Caught up in a flurry of creative genius - assaulting the keyboard with a barrage of words, philosophical musing and witticisms – I did the unforgivable. I forgot to save.

And as punishment for this school-boy error, Eskom unleashed its almighty wrath. Yes, I was load-shedded. Mid-sentence. As the darkness descended, I let out a string of choice expletives, and decided that (stuff the glory and the prestige) there was a far more useful article I could be writing.

So, here you have it – a practical guide to surviving load-shedding.

Good housekeeping

Eskom keeps nattering on about turning your appliances off when you are not using them. This is actually a good idea. And not only because it saves electricity. If you leave your TV/computer/sound system on standby while you are not using it, you may have to fork out some serious cash the next time the power goes down. The reason for this is that when the power comes back on again a power surge could blow the sensitive electronic equipment.

Because alarm systems, garage doors and electric gates generally rely on electricity, a power cut could leave you locked in (or out) of your house. So, make sure that these items all have good back-up batteries.

If you don’t already have a Cadac gas cooker (the type you take camping) it is probably a good idea to invest in one, because there is nothing worse than being faced with a half cooked meal when you are ravenous. Considering that load-shedding is set to continue for a good couple of years, it may even be worthwhile switching to a gas stove.

Candles are very romantic, but unfortunately also not very practical. So, get your hands on some neon camping lights and keep them fully charged or a gas camping lantern. A head torch (while a little nerdy) is also quite useful – you can keep your hands free and the light generally follows the trajectory of your sight.

Keeping your food cold and yourself warm presents a slightly trickier problem. As long as the load-shedding doesn’t last for longer than a day, a chest freezer should be able to keep your food frozen through the down time. A good old-fashioned fireplace is your best bet for keeping warm, but a closed combustion wood fire makes a good alternative if your house is short of a chimney.

Solar power

You dream of independence from Eskom; you dream of being eco-friendly with solar power; and then you file for bankruptcy because solar powering your whole house will set you back a whopping R150 000.

But this doesn’t mean that you can’t solar power your geyser. Geysers make up for roughly 40 percent of most electricity bills. So, although getting your water heated by the sun will cost about R15 000, you should be able to make the money back within a few years.

Solar power can also be used as an emergency power source when the power goes down. You can buy roll-up solar panels from www.flexipower.com which cost anywhere between R4000 and R9000 and provide you with a limited power supply. Advantages of solar panels over other alternative energy sources are that they don’t require fuel or electricity (for charging), they are noiseless and can be stored easily. On the downside, their capacity for power generation is not very great.

Generators

Getting a generator can solve most of your load-shedding woes, but they are not without their problems. To begin with, they are very noisy, emit fumes and require quite a bit of (outside) space. They also require fuel (generally diesel) and with the rising fuel price, this could turn out to be quite a costly endeavour.

Not surprisingly, buying the cheapest one on the market is not always the best idea. In fact, it is probably safe to say that it is never a good idea. Opt for well-known brands like Honda, Yamaha and Jetman. At least, if your generator breaks down you will be able to get service and spares.

Before picking out your generator, you need to do a bit of home/office reconnaissance. Make a list of all the items that you need to power with the generator. Then write down the start-up (generally higher) and running wattage for each of the respective items. You should be able to find this information on the identification plate or in the owner’s manual. Add up the figures to get a total power requirement.

Generator power output is generally measured in VoltAmps (VA) or Watts (W). When the figures hit the thousands, these terms become KVA or KW. A rough guide to the VA/W conversion is that 1000VA (or 1KVA) equals 800W.

When choosing the size of your generator, it is better to opt for one which exceeds your total power requirement by at least 25 percent to prevent a power overload.

Generators with an electric starter are easier to operate than those with a pull cord option. Make sure that the generator comes with an automatic voltage regulator, which regulates the dips and surges in the power supply.

Prices of generators vary according to size. A 2KVA generator (which admittedly won’t do more than power a few lights and maybe the TV) costs about R2200; while a 4.2KVA generator will probably set you back R6500.

Uninterruptible power supply

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a device which maintains a continuous supply of electricity by supplying power from a separate source when the utility power goes down. Most laptops have a built-in UPS system which allows you to carry on working during a power failure. UPS devices need to be plugged in while the power is one, so that they can be charged.

Traditional UPS systems give you about 20 minutes of battery life, which will enable you to save your work and cost about R1800. It is a good idea to get one of these if you have a generator as it acts as a regulator in the case of power dips and surges.

You can also buy more advanced systems (R7600), which will give you backup power for a few hours. As with generators, you need to ascertain your required power output by adding up the wattages of the equipment you intend on plugging into the UPS. Although the backup time is dependant on the VA rating of the UPS, it is also indirectly proportional to the load that is connected to the UPS. The higher the load, the shorter the time.

It seems that, whichever way you look at it, Eskom-proofing your home is going to be pretty pricey. But, hey, if you factor in all those hours of productivity lost in the abyss of powerlessness, it may just be worth it.

Useful sites

www.sinetech.co.za
www.power4hour.co.za
www.flexopower.com
www.jetmansa.com
www.poweron.co.za