{"id":298680,"date":"2019-02-11T14:48:39","date_gmt":"2019-02-11T12:48:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=298680"},"modified":"2019-02-11T14:48:39","modified_gmt":"2019-02-11T12:48:39","slug":"how-much-it-costs-to-get-off-eskoms-grid-in-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/technology\/298680\/how-much-it-costs-to-get-off-eskoms-grid-in-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"How much it costs to get off Eskom&#8217;s grid in 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Eskom announced stage 4 load shedding on Monday (11 February) following the loss of six additional power generating units.<\/p>\n<p>Stage 4 load shedding removes 4,000MW of power from the grid and means that some South Africans may go without power for up 4.5 hours at a time.<\/p>\n<p>In light of these cuts, the\u00a0Western Cape Provincial Government has released a new <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westerncape.gov.za\/energy-security-game-changer\/news\/what-you-can-do-prepare-load-shedding\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">guideline<\/a> <\/strong>on the costs of preparing for load shedding.<\/p>\n<p>The guide\u00a0is aimed at preparing both businesses and individual electricity users, and aims to provide a number of alternatives to Eskom across a wide variety of price ranges.<\/p>\n<p>Below\u00a0BusinessTech looked at the proposed options as well as the other costs involved in moving from Eskom in 2019.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Cheapest and quickest options (R100 &#8211; R400)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a  data-lightbox=\"post-image\" href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Cellphone-battery.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-82647 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Cellphone-battery.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Cellphone-battery.png 600w, https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Cellphone-battery-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A small gas cooker should cost you between R400 &#8211; R500.<\/li>\n<li>A solar cell charger a car phone charger or a cellphone power bank should cost around <strong>R300<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Rechargeable lights (<strong>R200<\/strong>) can last for up to 10 hours when fully charged.<\/li>\n<li>Buying a surge protector plug for your television, computer and fridge will protect your appliances when the power comes back on. Depending on the number of sockets required, these range from <strong>R100 to R400<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Battery system (R15,000 &#8211; R50,000)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a  data-lightbox=\"post-image\" href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Lightbulb-e1544017021625.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-289486 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Lightbulb-e1544017021625.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Another possible option is the installation of a battery system which can keep a number of electrical systems powered for hours at a time.<\/p>\n<p>Most battery backup systems consist\u00a0of the following components:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A battery charger &#8211;\u00a0 Charges the rechargeable batteries from the AC mains power while there is no load-shedding.<\/li>\n<li>Inverter &#8211;\u00a0 Converts the DC battery power into usable AC power during load-shedding.\u00a0 Grid-tied inverters must be registered with the municipality and installed by a qualified person.<\/li>\n<li>Battery &#8211;\u00a0Stores the electrical power for later use.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Western Cape&#8217;s guideline estimates that the cost of a battery system can range from R15,000 on the low-end to R50,000 for a top-end installation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Low-end option &#8211;\u00a0R15,000 excluding installation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This option is suitable for very limited usage with an average load of 240W, according to the guideline.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This option will have a total of 2 x 100 Ah 12V batteries (R6,000). The inverter can provide 1 000 Watt (10.5A) continuously and 1.2 kWh energy (R9,000).&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>An example of the items you can run on this type of system include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Four to six LED or Compact Fluorescent lights (CFL) amounting to 24W for LEDs or 45W for CFLs;<\/li>\n<li>A TV and a decoder using 30W when off and 150W when in use;<\/li>\n<li>A cell phone charger using 0.5W not charging and 6W when charging.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Mid-tier option &#8211;\u00a0R30,000\u00a0excluding installation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This option is suitable for an average 3-bedroom house where the usage will be limited to an average load of 480W, according to the guideline.<\/p>\n<p>This option has a total of 2 x 200 Ah 12V batteries (R12,000). The inverter can provide 2,400 Watt (10.5A) continuously and 2.4 kWh energy (R18,000).<\/p>\n<p>An example of the items you can run on this type of system include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>10 to 15 LED or CFL lights;<\/li>\n<li>A TV and a decoder uses 30W when off and 150W when in use;<\/li>\n<li>One energy-efficient fridge\/freezer on, managed well, will consume 100W &#8211; 200W;<\/li>\n<li>A laptop uses 65W while charging.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>High-end option &#8211;\u00a0R50,000 excluding installation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This option is suitable for bigger houses, small offices and shops that want to be unaffected by load-shedding, and\u00a0will be limited to a load of 960W, according to the guideline.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This option has a total of 4 x 200 Ah 12V batteries (R24,000). The inverter can provide 4 000 Watt (17 A) continuously and 4.8 kWh energy (R25,000).<\/p>\n<p>An example of the items you can run on this type of system include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>All lighting and a TV will be operational;<\/li>\n<li>Multiple fridges and freezers can be operated but must be opened as little as possible;<\/li>\n<li>Laptops and a printer can be used.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong> Solar (R2,000 &#8211; R180,000)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a  data-lightbox=\"post-image\" href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Roof-solar.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-83713 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Roof-solar.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Roof-solar.png 600w, https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Roof-solar-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>According to the guideline you can expect to pay anywhere from R2,000 to R50,000+ for a solar and battery installation.<\/p>\n<p>An example of the possible costs systems available include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>One or two small solar panels and battery that will power 10-20 W will cost between R2,000 and R5,000. This is equal to a couple of lights and a cellphone charger.<\/li>\n<li>A large solar panel and a battery that will power 120W will cost between R9,000 and R16,000. This is equal to about 5 lights or a TV, or a fridge.<\/li>\n<li>A 1.5kW &#8211; 3kW solar PV system, with batteries, can power 280-305 W and will cost in excess of R50,000. This is equal to a few lights, a TV and a fridge.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>BusinessTech has previously <a href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/energy\/244765\/how-much-it-costs-to-move-the-average-home-in-south-africa-onto-solar-power-in-2018\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a> on the costs of moving your entire home onto a solar PV system.<\/p>\n<p>We found that despite decreasing in price over the last few years, solar energy systems can still be quite expensive when it comes to installation.<\/p>\n<p>Notably, the size of your home, as well as the amount of work that is involved for installation, will determine the cost.<\/p>\n<p>According to Cala van der Westhuizen, head of marketing and sales at Energy Partners Home Solutions you can expect to pay the following for a full-home solution:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The complete heating solution costs around for the average home \u2013 R35,000;<\/li>\n<li>The complete Solar photovoltaic (PV) system \u2013 R80,000 and upwards;<\/li>\n<li>ICON Home Energy Hub \u2013 between R100,000 \u2013 R180,000;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These installations also require additional maintenance \u2013 such as ensuring that the panels are clean \u2013 and you will likely end up changing the cells (batteries) every 7-10 years which will bring additional costs.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Read:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/energy\/298672\/what-stage-4-load-shedding-means-for-you\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What stage 4 load shedding means for you<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eskom announced stage 4 load shedding on Monday (11 February) following the loss of six additional power generating units.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":298736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9878],"tags":[1164,26,3024],"class_list":["post-298680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-eskom","tag-headline","tag-western-cape"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298680"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298680\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":298738,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298680\/revisions\/298738"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/298736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}