We survived masks and lockdown restrictions during the pandemic, only to be confronted by a new challenge: load shedding. With Eskom’s aging infrastructure and the slow pace of the transition to renewable energy alternatives, load shedding is likely to become more frequent in the foreseeable future, and it will continue to affect the way we work, live, and play....
Over the years, South Africans have become accustomed to coping with occasional Stage 1 or 2 loadshedding, and have therefore only made minor concessions but, with Stage 4 and 6 now regular occurrences, we need to plan accordingly to minimise the stress and disruption to our lives....
From 1 July, you will be paying upwards of 15% more for your electricity, as municipal tariff increases kick in. Yet energy experts have cautioned that, without urgent intervention from the government and others, we will see load shedding intensify with Stages 6, 8, and even 10 a likelihood. Understandably, homeowners are considering alternative ways to keep the lights on....
With memories of the most recent bout of Stage 4 load shedding still fresh, Eskom is forecasting as many as 100 days of load shedding between April and August. Needless to say, that’s about as welcome as sour milk in your cereal and will have many South Africans trying to figure out how they can free themselves from Eskom's clutches....
“Faced with mounting energy costs, many homeowners think that going entirely off-grid is the only solution. Unfortunately, this is often too expensive. It’s, therefore, more feasible to make adjustments to your home’s energy consumption so that you can introduce solar energy solutions with a hybrid battery system that will augment Eskom or your municipality’s supply - rather than replacing it...