LOADSHEDDING SURVIVAL GUIDE

Don’t find yourself left in the dark–here are some practical ways to keep the power on that won’t break the bank 

- MAXINE PETERS

TO SAY our patience is constantly being tested would be an understatement, given that we've had loadshedding practically every day this year.

Rescheduling plans, spending more on buying food, sitting in darkness for hours on end - it's a reality with which South Africans are all too familiar.

Although there are constant talks from government about plans to get us out of the dark, they have yet to shed light on actual solutions.

Meanwhile, with no end in sight to the country's energy malaise, consumers are having to adjust to living with loadshedding.

While not many people can afford to cough up hundreds of thousands for solar panels and inverters to take themselves off the grid entirely, there are a number of options available to help you avoid being left in the dark for hours on end.

Here experts share how you can make small changes to "loadshed-proof" your home that won't cost a small fortune.

1 HAVE A BACK-UP PLAN 

A UPS, or uninterruptible power supply, is the quickest and cheapest way to keep smaller electronic devices like your TV, computer, modem, DStv and a few lights going during loadshedding. This gadget has rechargeable batteries that store electricity, so you’ll have a steady supply of backup energy when Eskom flips the offswitch. 

You can ask an electrician to connect your UPS directly to your main power board so it automatically switches on during loadshedding or you can plug the device you want to use straight into the UPS.