Eskom has confirmed that Unit 2 of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station was taken offline on 17 January for a five-month refuelling and maintenance outage, putting additional strain on the electricity supply and increasing the risk of power cuts.
By Matthew Hall, chief products officer at Rectron South Africa
After a record year of outages in 2021, Eskom will continue efforts to maintain and repair its infrastructure in 2022. Sadly, rolling blackouts, load shedding and load reduction have become a way of life for many South African residents who must manage staged blackouts on a regular basis.
However, alternative power solutions, such as solar panels, inverters, and batteries, have progressed significantly in terms of efficiency and cost over the last decade. Depending on your needs, there are many ways to reduce a home’s electricity consumption with solutions that can be customised to your cost, and preferences. To avoid being left in the dark, we have compiled a list of ways you can minimise the effects of load shedding and blackouts.
Invest in the right equipment to supplement costs
Eskom has applied to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) for a possible electricity price increase of 20.5% for its 2023 financial year, making alternative sources of energy appealing option to South Africans.
Solar technology, in particular, has more accessible and as electrical appliances continued to reduce their power consumption, installing a solar system to supplement your electricity bill has never been more appealing and easier to do.
With the current generation of solar inverters available today, users can install a solar system without the need for backup batteries and significantly reduces the overall cost. Ideally, this solution is for households or offices that consume more power during the day, allowing the user to maximise the electricity generated in the daytime as there is no way to store power. A pure solar generation allows the user to generate solar with much lower capital investment and will supplement existing power available, rather than replacing it.
Other solutions such as a UPS can be plugged directly into your devices and electrical systems. UPS are suitable for industries, offices and homes that need a constant power supply and cannot afford to switch off their appliances.
Be smart with your electronics
It is vital to turn off all electronics and unplug devices from wall sockets. Equipment can be damaged by sudden power surges so protect your devices by waiting until the power has been restored BEFORE you switch the plugs back on.
The list of items that could be affected includes cell phones, laptops, desktop computers, servers and LCD screens, all of which could be badly damaged when the power comes back on due to a spike in electricity flow. It is advisable to install surge protection equipment on sensitive electronic devices to avoid unwanted damage.
With the current number of lightning storms particularly occurring on the Highveld and interior parts of South Africa, unplugging devices can protect them from large surges should they be struck.
Plan for offline work
The shift between the load shedding stages and load reduction schedules has made it almost impossible for businesses and households to plan ahead and ultimately affecting their productivity.
For many South Africans, going off-grid might not be affordable and they may just be looking for solutions to ensure they can remain productive during load shedding. Once these hardware solutions have been installed within an office space or household, the adverse effects of load shedding can be completely sidestepped, ensuring you or your workforce remain productive and minimising business disruptions.
RCT T-1000s and RCT T-2000s Megapower Trolley from Rectron is focused on households looking to cover the full load shedding time. With a 12 and 24-volt inverter battery respectively. These alternative power solutions can connect multiple devices at once and can keep your laptop for, mobile routers, smartphones and TVs on and charged for several times over.
Long-term planning
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. As a backup or moving to an off-grid style solution, a photovoltaic system and a solar power storage unit, valuable solar electricity can be stored and used during times of load shedding.
Over and above the benefit of lower electricity bills, a solar power system makes a home more environmentally friendly and limits reliance on Eskom.
Whether you prefer a permanent professionally installed solution or an easy plug play solution, Rectron offers a range of power solutions that can be customised for a variety of situations and the needs of our customers.