The Impact of Load Shedding on Consumers

Power outages continue to be a headache for South Africans. So how can we prevent load shedding from becoming even more disruptive and costly than necessary?

As if the regular power outages are not bad enough, now we have to deal with an even darker side of load shedding – blown out appliances and criminals targeting our homes when the lights are off and defences are down.

Having to sit in a cold dark house for hours will make anyone miserable, but our misery is being made worse by insurance companies refusing to pay for electrical appliances that are damaged by power surges when the lights come back on.

Avoid load shedding all together, including the disruption and costs, with Off Grid’s Load Shedding solutions. They provide backup power solutions that are both affordable and seamless to run; when the power goes out you are not inconvenienced and can continue to run your business, watch TV, surf the internet and all without worrying about when it’s coming back on again.

However, if your insurance company is giving you troubles, there are some quick, simple actions you can take to protect your appliances, the easiest of which is to unplug all electrical devices during a power cut.

According to the insurance company Santam, not only will this prevent damage to your appliances, but it will also help to minimise the risk of a fire caused by power surges. Santam also advises to install surge protectors that will protect your appliances.

The never-ending load shedding problem is a headache for everyone, but insurance companies and the police have also been affected. Police officers in the Western Cape have complained that they are unable to do their job effectively due to persistent power outages.

We all want to continue our normal lives when load shedding hits, this is where backup load shedding solutions are needed.