From how to fund your solar solution, to choosing the right-size gas geyser – we’ve got you covered with load shedding solutions to make life easier during power cuts.
From how to fund your solar solution, to choosing the right-size gas geyser – we’ve got you covered with load shedding solutions to make life easier during power cuts.
Desperate to keep their power on, more South Africans are scrambling to install inverters and batteries at home to beat Eskom load shedding. But, much like Sir Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion (‘For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction’), these ‘rapid solutions’ are putting increasing strain on the national power grid and could backfire.
At a recent Money Cents webinar, Daily Maverick looked at funding your solar solution (panels, inverter and batteries) via a loan from your bank or a rental subscription service.
It may not feel like it’s our job to reduce electricity consumption in a country in dire need of more built-generation capacity – and complaining about Eskom is a favourite hobby for many South Africans. But some local engineers discovered that a lot of the daily energy we use is unnecessary, thanks to old and inefficient infrastructure and a lack of awareness about what we’re using and when. Read on for insights and energy-saving tips.
The government’s recent announcement of a solar power tax incentive, coupled with the fact that rolling blackouts are unlikely to end any time soon, is set to propel solar power sales. However, these solutions are by no means cheap.
Whether you’re looking to protect your household’s hot water supply from the effects of load shedding and power outages, or simply looking for ways to cut down on your electricity bill, solar water heating might be the right option for you.
Deciding on the best system isn’t a simple matter. There’s a bewildering array of jargon to sift through and many elements to consider.
I thought of former Eskom chief André de Ruyter while cooking in the dark on Sunday night and planning to make beef burgers. This is the kind of burger you need after a day of fending off the slings and arrows of those who would destroy you. A no-nonsense burger made of fortitude, resilience and an unwavering conscience. It’s the Super De Ruyter.
How it will work is that individuals and households will be able to receive a tax rebate to the value of 25% of the cost of any new or unused solar panels that they have bought. This incentive does not include inverter or battery purchases.
The office says it has seen an uptick in complaints and in nearly half the cases, suppliers won’t cooperate with its investigations.
While fully off-grid solar power may be out of reach for most of us, there are more affordable ways to incorporate portable short-term solar products, as well as long-term partial solar installations to protect parts of your home from the effects of rolling blackouts.
The prolonged electricity crisis and Stage 6 load shedding has forced many South Africans to take responsibility for ensuring their own continuous power supply. Before you head off-grid, it’s worth taking a few beats to ensure your goods and your power supply are insured properly.
A new facility in Cape Town is providing clean cooking and renewable energy solutions that will serve low-income households across sub-Saharan Africa.
While there is a sliding scale of options available for South Africans to counter rolling blackouts, there are few affordable or viable grid alternatives for those living in informal settlements and RDP houses.
We can manage our cooking lives, in times of load shedding, in the same way that millions of our species have done for millennia. By using the light we have, when we have it, and the resources we have when there is no light.
Cooking by fire is a big food craze around the world, and in our neck of the global woods, Eskom is feeding the rush to return to our ancestral roots. This story is as old as time. All we have to do is remember who we are and where we’ve come from. The rest comes naturally.
Fluctuations in electricity supply due to rolling blackouts may not always immediately damage equipment, but without surge protection, they can gradually damage it over time.
With load shedding a permanent feature of South African life, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement this week that customers with rooftop solar panels will soon be able to sell excess power back into the grid is as welcome as it is overdue.
As with other alternative energy solutions, such as solar-powered home systems, it is important to consider a home’s energy needs before choosing the most efficient system in order to reap optimal cost-saving benefits.
Amid South Africa’s energy crisis, here are some ways to take control of household heating systems.
Even after your solar power system is installed, getting everyone in the house to use less electricity isn’t as simple a task as you might think.
More than 15 years of load shedding have brought numerous energy solutions to keep the lights on during power cuts. Rechargeable LED bulbs are among the more accessible solutions, but with so many options and so much jargon, how should you go about choosing the right rechargeable bulb for your home?
Load shedding has seen the emergence of several energy solutions to keep appliances on during power cuts. You’ve probably heard of UPS systems – they are among the more accessible solutions. But with so many options and so much jargon, how should you go about choosing the right UPS?
Anyone can buy individual solar cells in large-scale plants, like the one at Groot Constantia.
With AskMyStreet, users can find out about hyper-local issues beyond power outages. And perhaps even find love in a hopeless place.
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