{"id":5062,"date":"2023-08-31T12:04:45","date_gmt":"2023-08-31T10:04:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mype.co.za\/business\/?p=5062"},"modified":"2023-08-31T12:09:40","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T10:09:40","slug":"loadshedding-survival-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mype.co.za\/business\/loadshedding-survival-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Loadshedding Survival Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

Loadshedding has become South Africa\u2019s Number One \u2018Sport\u2019 as various Ministers and a parade of CEO\u2019s peddle the latest quick fix solution.<\/p>\n

Many of us cannot afford a decent Solar System<\/a> to keep the lights on and have developed our own coping mechanisms to make loadshedding just that tiny bit more palatable.<\/p>\n

Here are 15 tips from Straton Electrical<\/a> to help you survive load shedding risks, without the need of a generator or solar panels:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Tips to Survive Loadshedding. Straton Electrical<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \n
  1. Know your schedule: <\/strong>Make sure that you keep track of any scheduled outages in your area by downloading a reputable Eskom load shedding app on your smartphone. Alternatively, ask to be added to a group of friends who can keep one another updated on planned load shedding schedules.<\/li>\n
  2. Be security savvy: <\/strong>The sad reality is that criminals also study load shedding schedules to identify which areas will be vulnerable at specific times. Tripped and false alarms are great opportunities for opportunistic burglars. Be extra vigilant about access to your home and securing your perimeter.<\/li>\n
  3. Get back-up batteries for your alarm and gate system: <\/strong>Ensure that your alarm system is in a working condition and the back-up battery is fully functional to provide power to the system in the event of load shedding. Similarly, check that your garage door motor or electronic gate can function without power.<\/li>\n
  4. Make sure you have sufficient back-up lighting: <\/strong>Keep a torch or headlamp in your car if you arrive home at night during a power outage. Most smartphones have built-in torches or torch apps which come in handy during unexpected power outages \u2013 which bring us to the next point\u2026<\/li>\n
  5. Always stay charged: <\/strong>Ensure your cellphone, laptop and tablet devices are fully charged ahead of scheduled blackouts. Be sure to charge them again as soon as possible after the power returns. It\u2019s also a good idea to have an emergency phone charger and power bank close by. This comes in handy during extended power outages.<\/li>\n
  6. Plan to stay connected: <\/strong>Staying connected to the internet is a great way to keep in touch with what\u2019s happening as well as for regular updates, so ensure that your mobile data stays topped up. Remember to use devices sparingly during outages so that you don\u2019t drain the battery completely before the power returns.<\/li>\n
  7. Don\u2019t forget the benefits of gas: <\/strong>Invest<\/a> in a small gas bottle and lamp to for cooking and lighting. A gas lamp provides good quality lighting for a large area and a gas cooker can be a life saver during electricity cuts. It\u2019s a good idea to keep hot water in a thermal flask so that you can make hot drinks. Prepare meals beforehand if you know there\u2019s going to be a scheduled blackout during meal times.<\/li>\n
  8. Stock up on bottled water and pop some in the freezer: <\/strong>Some households depend on electric pumps for their water supply, especially in rural areas. Frozen bottled water will help keep food cold during a power outage and will also not spoil. Having a few extra bottles handy will ensure you won\u2019t run out during outages.<\/li>\n
  9. Keep the cold in: <\/strong>Leave your freezer and refrigerator doors closed as much as possible to preserve the temperatures inside. Did you know that a fully stocked freezer should keep food safe for up to two days and a refrigerator for four to six hours?<\/li>\n
  10. Unplug your cables as soon as the power goes out: <\/strong>Consider any electrical connection as live during a power outage as power can return at any time. Unplug any electronic devices or equipment or switch it off at the wall, including fixed telephone cables. This will help prevent damage or injury due to surges that may occur when electricity is restored.<\/li>\n
  11. Back up your data: <\/strong>If you save important data on our home computer, consider backing it up over the internet in case of a hard drive crash or unforeseen electrical fault. Online cloud-based backups are very convenient and are mostly automated, which means that you have one less thing to worry about.<\/li>\n
  12. Know your emergency contacts: <\/strong>Save emergency contact information on your phone but also keep a printed copy close by. This should include emergency services such as the fire department, police and medical services. Also include contact information of friends and family along with your insurance information.<\/li>\n
  13. Buy perishables in smaller amounts: <\/strong>With longer and more frequent blackouts, perishables like vegetables are more likely to spoil. So, shop sparingly. While your fridge\/freezer can preserve food for a few hours without power, the higher stages may not give the system enough time to reach optimal temperatures. While we often advise buying in bulk to save, in this case, less is definitely more.<\/li>\n
  14. Plan tasks around the schedule: <\/strong>Cook when you can so you don\u2019t spend money on takeaways or going out. Time your laundry so you don\u2019t end up with a half-washed load that needs to be rewashed when the power comes back. All these little expenses add up.<\/li>\n
  15. Gather the family together: <\/strong>Instead of having each family member squirrelled away in their own room, gather everyone together. You\u2019ll be using fewer lights and spending more quality time together.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nAre we missing any tips you would like to add?\n

     <\/p>\n

    Electric surges are one of the biggest causes of damage to your household equipment during a power outage. Installing a surge protection device can help minimise some damage in unforeseen situations. Have a surge protection device fitted to your electrical distribution board or at the power outlets to electronic devices. Contact a profession electrical contractor to discuss the process and costs involved.<\/p>\n

    Video:<\/strong> Loadshedding Survival Tips<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

    CLICK HERE to submit your NMB Business News.<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    More Info on Loadshedding Survival Tips here:<\/strong> Straton Electrical<\/a>
    \nTwitter<\/strong>:     https:\/\/twitter.com\/MyPE<\/a>
    \nFacebook<\/strong>:     https:\/\/facebook.com\/MyPEco<\/a>
    \nAddress:<\/strong> 13 Mangold Street, Newton Park, Gqeberha
    \nAuthor<\/strong>: Alan     Straton<\/a> from Straton Electrical<\/a>.
    \nImages:<\/strong> For high res version\/s of One image\/s<\/em> please contact     Straton Electrical<\/a><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Loadshedding has become South Africa\u2019s Number One \u2018Sport\u2019 as various Ministers and a parade of CEO\u2019s peddle the latest quick fix solution. Many of us cannot afford a decent Solar System to keep the lights on and have developed our own coping mechanisms to make loadshedding just that tiny bit more palatable. Here are 15 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5063,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[540],"tags":[545],"class_list":["post-5062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business-news","tag-straton-electrical","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mype.co.za\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mype.co.za\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mype.co.za\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mype.co.za\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mype.co.za\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5062"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/mype.co.za\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5069,"href":"https:\/\/mype.co.za\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5062\/revisions\/5069"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mype.co.za\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mype.co.za\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mype.co.za\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mype.co.za\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}