PROPERTY NEWS - Though our national power utility announced plans last year to hold off on the implementation of load shedding until middle January, when business has returned to normal operations after the holiday break, the risk of national power interruptions continues to exist well into 2019.
Regional director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa, Adrian Goslett, advises homeowners to keep a watchful eye on Eskom's load shedding schedule and follow the power utility's social media feeds for any announcements so that plans can be made if load shedding has been scheduled for your area.
If you know in advance of a power outage, you can use these tips from RE/MAX of Southern Africa to help you survive the darkness:
Switch appliances off at the wall
To avoid appliance failures, unplug all appliances to protect against electric surges caused by the power being reactivated. Even if no load shedding is scheduled for your area on a given day, it is advisable to unplug your appliances in case the utility announces one and you are unable to get home in time.
Emergency keys for electric gates
To avoid being locked out of your own home, make sure to carry the spare manual override keys for your electric gates and garage doors whenever you leave the house. You might also want to purchase a glow-in-the-dark key ring to put on your keys so that you're able to find them if your power gets cut in the evening.
Candles, torches, books and board games
These are a few of the items you'd want to stock up on to get you through the time you have to spend in the dark. These days, we all keep a torch in our back pocket in the form of our mobile devices, but your device may be running low on battery power. Keep a torch in an easily accessible part of your home.
Prepare snacks pre-blackout
If you can get home before the electricity cuts out, make a flask of boiling water so that you can enjoy a hot beverage while you wait for the power to come back on. Also stock up on snacks or foods that do not require any re-heating or cooking, like sandwiches or salads. If you've got any foods that could spoil, you could freeze a few bottles of water and keep these in your fridge or freezer to keep things cool.
Setting your morning alarm
If you need to wake up at a specific time, it might be safer to set your alarm on your phone or on a battery-powered clock over this period. If you do have an electric alarm clock, be sure to reset this if you've had a power outage during the day.
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