PowerTips Edition 1 :: How much is enough when it comes to residential properties?

This is by far the most affected and frustrated sector of the market when it comes to load shedding and we have experienced over 7000 calls since the start of December from individuals seeking help and advice on what to do. The average price for a generator off a hardware shop for an average home is between R5k and R15k and requires the installation by a certified technician of a panel linking the generator to the house mains, at an extra cost of between R2500 and R4000 per installation. Running costs of about 1litre of diesel/petrol per hour can be expected.

Rentals start from about R2000 per day inclusive of running costs for the 8KVa diesel sets and frankly would not be ideal for the ordinary residential dwelling as this translates to about R90 per hour. A long term solution would be to consider a hybrid combination of solar panels, linked to 48V DC battery banks linked to an inverter and converting cooking to gas. The solar/battery installation is typically R70k in total and has a working life of at least 10 years. You would therefore recoup this cost in electricity savings over a 24 month period and be off grid and at peace with significant long term savings.

Give us a shout for all your residential power requirements. We are offering free generator unit inspections.