Load shedding has become a common practice of the power company Eskom in South Africa. That is what happens when there is not enough electricity available to meet the demand in a given area; this makes it necessary for Eskom to cut power to some of its customers. This is a process that Eskom uses as a last resort to balance the supply and demand of electricity in the area; that being said it is still very inconvenient and many consumers may be looking into a solution that is within their reach.
A simple solution to this issue is the purchase of an electrical generator, simply put a backup generator will keep the lights on when the power grid cannot. The best solution would be a permanent backup generator. Permanent electrical generators are larger units that are placed outside your home or business; they constantly monitor the incoming voltage from the power grid. As soon as that voltage cuts out the generator will kick in. These units are very capable of running an entire home or place of business depending on the size of the unit that you purchase. It is also important to remember that these units require a permanent fuel source, normally in the form of natural gas or propane.
If a permanent backup generator is not within your reach there is still an option that could work for you. Many manufacturers offer portable generators for personal home use. These units are much more affordable than their permanent counterparts and they are also easy to transport. Easily wheeling the units from one location to another is a very practical benefit to a generator of this type. It is important to realize however, these units are not in most cases capable of powering an entire home. This type of generator is more for powering the bare essentials than they are anything else. They will not enable you to power everything in your home but they will let you run a few appliances and some lighting. With these units it is very important not to run them indoors, most portable generators run of gasoline and in doing so they put off carbon monoxide (a very dangerous gas).
Either solution that you choose will put you that much closer to affectively managing the load shedding that is coming commonplace in areas of South Africa. Whether the permanent or portable kind a generator can be the difference between hours of darkness and a light to brighten your home!