How to beat load shedding at home... and other ideas
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.
New rules mandate energy-efficient motors — a win for SA’s strained power grid
As of June 2025, South Africa has activated mandatory regulations that affect a R3bn industry and will result in significant energy and cost savings – enough to power Nelson Mandela Bay for a year.
Solar geysers: everything you need to know to make the switch and save electricity
With the cost of electricity increasing, a solar geyser could be a good place to start to cut down on your power bill.
Inverter-buying surge could worsen power crisis, electricity experts warn
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.
How to use your home loan or a monthly subscription service to fund your solar power solution
At a 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.
How to reduce your electricity usage by at least 30% without sacrifice
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.
Four ways to fund your solar power solution
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.
Home power backup systems – electrical engineers answer your questions
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.
What’s cooking today: The Super De Ruyter Burger
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.
Government plans to offer tax rebates for solar panel installations at homes
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.
Consumer ombud warns on DIY solar installations and fly-by-night operators
The office says it has seen an uptick in complaints and in nearly half the cases, suppliers won’t cooperate with its investigations.
There are affordable ways to use solar power to brighten up those load shedding days
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.
How to ensure you are properly insured in the power crisis
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.
New Cape Town solar panel plant gives power to the ‘true agents of change’ — women
A new facility in Cape Town is providing clean cooking and renewable energy solutions that will serve low-income households across sub-Saharan Africa.
Rolling blackouts — here are your options and what they are likely to cost you
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.
How and what to cook when the lights go out
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.
How I beat the Load Shedding Blues
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.
Why surge protectors are important for your equipment, especially your computer
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.
Solar panel customers will finally be able to sell excess electricity into the SA grid
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.
Choose the right-size gas geyser to save on electricity and money
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.
Check your geyser – it’s an efficient way to save energy and slash your electricity bill
Amid South Africa’s energy crisis, here are some ways to take control of household heating systems.
Residential solar power systems: Soaking up the sun is rewarding, but it isn’t all plain sailing
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.
Load shedding 101 – what to consider when buying LED emergency bulbs for your home
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 101: Looking for affordable UPS power backup systems
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?
It’s sunny side up for savvy investors diving into solar power
Anyone can buy individual solar cells in large-scale plants, like the one at Groot Constantia.
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