Who can you count on?
Living through loadshedding has made many people start thinking seriously about how to live off the grid. After all, our modern lifestyle – including everything from entertainment to security – relies on electricity. Sitting in the dark for a few hours without being able to use your phone gets old really quickly.
Water outages can be even more inconvenient – something as simple as not being able to flush the toilet soon becomes unpleasant.
Be more independent
With our range of great deals on off-grid living essentials, you can prepare yourself for these outages- and carry on living much as if they hadn’t happened. Along the way, you can also reduce your utility bills – so you save twice!
Make your own electricity
In South Africa, we are blessed with plenty of hours of sunshine, which makes solar power a very viable option. Solar panels range in size from very small (ideal for charging a phone or powering a single security light) to much larger installations that can help power your entire home. Best of all, the sun’s energy is entirely free!
Don’t get left in the dark
Loadshedding has become a fact of life for most South Africans, and we’re getting used to planning our days around when the power will go off. Frequent disruptions to power can play havoc with devices, and there’s nothing more irritating than losing a document of spreadsheet you were working on when the current suddenly cuts out.
A UPS (uninterruptible power supply) can come in handy here – as well as protecting vital devices from power surges, it also provides ongoing power so that you can at least save your work. Larger models can provide several hours of power.
There is a light, and it never goes out
For a more comprehensive loadshedding solution, consider investing in an inverter. These devices work by converting AC power (mains electricity) into DC power (or battery power), and back again. In other words, you’ll never be left thunderstruck by loadshedding again!
While you have power, the inverter stores it in a bank of batteries. As soon as loadshedding kicks in, the inverter starts drawing that power from the batteries and converting it to AC power that your devices can use.
Depending on the size of your inverter and how many devices you connect to it, you should be able to last through a few hours without mains power whilst still enjoying using your laptop, TV, fans, phone chargers and other devices (just not anything with an element, like a kettle or GHD – they draw too much power).
Free water from the sky
This last summer was unusually rainy in many parts of SA – and a lot of that water will have simply flowed away into gutters and drains. With a JoJo tank from bidorbuy, you can harvest rainwater that you can then use to water plants, top up your pool or wash your car – all without adding a cent to your water bill.
Plus, if “water loadshedding” becomes a thing, you’ll still have water for essential household tasks (although you should boil it before drinking it).
Get off the grid for less
With awesome savings on solar panels, inverters, and JoJo tanks from bidorbuy, there’s never been a better time to declare your independence. To explore the benefits of off-grid living, click here.
