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Eskom as the largest South African electricity public utility company has become very unreliable for most of its customers as a result of its power shortages or power cuts. The company now cuts power for almost 5 hours some times or 4 hours. So, we know this has become a nuisance and to others counter productive for their businesses. So you’re probably looking for alternatives ways for Eskom just like most people.

Let us look at five simple ways you can implement permanently or temporarily to counter act Eskom’s load shedding schedules.

1. Use gas as one of alternatives ways for Eskom

The first and foremost ways to counteract Eskom’s load shedding is to use gas if you’re a small household or you don’t have enough money to permanently replace Eskom. So, with gas you will be able to cook, use gas refrigerator and lights. This depends on your budget, its possible to permanently replace Eskom with gas but you will obviously need other ways to charge your phones and laptops. This is where the second option comes in.

2. Batteries and Power Banks

So, if you chose to use gas its obvious you cannot charge your phones and laptops but you’ll be cooking, lighting and freezing your food. So, to charge your phones and other devices you will need to buy a power bank or a 12V batteries and an inverter which will be used as temporary replacement for Eskom’s utility.

You can also use an inverter to light your house and use other less demanding power devices. But since an Inverter uses batteries which supply it with direct current which it converts to alternative current, these batteries need to be recharged. So, to recharge them you will need a solar panel or you can use Eskom’s utility energy supply to charge them, once there’s load shedding, you then use batteries as alternatives for Eskom.

Now batteries and inverters might be good for a household for lighting but you might need to totally replace Eskom grid supply with Solar power system to forget about load shedding. This is where the following option of Off-grid Solar energy system comes in.

3. Off-Grid Solar Energy System

So, if you feel like Eskom has become a total nuisance and you want to replace it for good then you can go for off-grid solar power system. This again depends on your budget but it might require you to go a bit higher on budget depending on your daily consumption needs.

Note: Solar depends on the sun so you must make sure your home or business is not shadowed by a mountain or big trees.

You will need to calculate how much energy you use in a day by adding together power ratings of your equipments times the number of hours you use them in day. For any example if you use 5000W of equipment simultaneously then you will need to buy 5000W power inverter, solar panels and batteries.

To avoid making mistakes consult with your electrician or electrical engineer. Off-grid solar energy system has its own disadvantages such as low power energy at night, during rainy and cloudy days. But the good thing is its reliability is better since you will know your limitations before hand than with Eskom.

4. Fuel generator as one of the alternatives for Eskom

If your household power demand is higher than normal then you probably need a fuel generator. With a generator you can permanently replace Eskom or you can automatically switch it on when there are power cuts, and off when grid electricity is back. Depending on the size of it, you can run a home or an industrial place or company.

The disadvantage of it is its expensive but again prices depends on its size. The bigger it is the more expensive it is to buy it and to run it.

You should consult an electrician or engineer before buying one if you are not sure of your power consumption needs.

5. Wind electricity for household or industrial consumption

Another unpopular way of generating electricity for your home or business is wind electricity. This kind of electricity depends on the availability of wind and its speed. So the faster the wind the more electric energy your generator will produce.

Depending on your daily needs and the size of your home you can buy a bigger or smaller wind generator. But the bigger it gets the heavier its turbines will be thus the more wind it requires. So, you must make sure you live where wind is constantly available before choosing this type of electricity, otherwise you will suffer the same experience you did with Eskom.

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