Eskom Eish

....recently upgraded the Flat Screen, Air conditioner and a new couch....when I should have got solar panels and new battery for the UPS.....because I just got load shredded.....:S

You are not wrong, Muhtiman!

Happily the cost of 'getting off the grid' completely is about half of what it cost 5 years ago so is probably well worth considering @ about R200k for a proper setup.

That may look a little expensive initially but when you consider that you may well be driving an electric car in the future and that electricity will cost at least 52% more in 36 months time when Eskom have forced through their recently authorised increases then 'off the grid' is certainly a proposition if you can amortise the outlay over 10 years.

I have occupied the same home for 25 years so can tell you that when I moved in I spent about R70 pm on electricity. My 200L geyser ran 24/7, I used the oven and even took baths!

Today we NEVER use the oven, shower only & actually manage quite comfortably (2x people) off a 50L hot water cylinder which is only switched on 10 minutes before showering. In addition all water consuming appliances have been replaced by units that are more water & energy efficient. Despite all of that my monthly power bill remains steady at about R1800 pm; so by my estimate it should be approximately R2,750 pm in the calculable future (36 months).

Add your power bill to your petrol spend and 'off grid' appeals.

Eskom have just helped South Africa commit financial or Economic suicide. all the good work done by the president and his investment team down the tubes in a few days.
I dont even think ESKOM are producing 1980s level of electricity and still cant cope with the capacity and that after borrowing 400 billion rand in the last few year.

i have an inverter system with 9 solar panels and 16 batteries connected ( these have a life span of 3 -5 years so be aware of that maintenance cost) . i don't call this off the grid because if my system hase a fault i switch back to ESKOM, but in times where they have genuine issues or load shedding my life goes on relatively unhindered.
i have replaced my geysers with Gas heaters gas lasts about 3-4 months.

Applied for a bigger transformer last year to keep the business going ,
Paid the extra deposit and installation cost in Nov 2017 and still waiting up to now for it to be done !!!

.....during the last forced electricity crisis designed to bleed the consumer and the treasury but was actually the biggest fraud committed that still has not been properly investigated ....I too invested in a system of inverters yet scrimped on poor quality batteries which were not really designed for long term storage.....they are now kaput and need to be replaced.....fortunately I had converted to gas years ago but have toyed with going semi solar.....however have learned that solar panels are a high demand black market item and a target for thieves who steal and trade them faster than flat screens......:S

Go on to this website www.waterpower4all.com
Now we have spoken to Eskom regarding this cheap method of power for some reason they don't understand the maths and will not support us. We can build a 10kw plant for about R300K
If you are interested please contact me

moose wrote: Go on to this website www.waterpower4all.com
Now we have spoken to Eskom regarding this cheap method of power for some reason they don't understand the maths and will not support us. We can build a 10kw plant for about R300K
If you are interested please contact me

.....the math will only work fine if you were a Gupta.....:oops:

The running of Eskom is a disgrace and was once a well run slick operation, when preventive maintenance became a nice to have rather than essential, that was the start of the downfall.

....ESCOM was never well run.....in the old days yes it was very slick....those boertjies really started the thieving rot....just that it was well protected and many got filthy rich on the spin off of tenders and coal contracts....yes well managed and one got what one paid for.....sickening is the thieving got worse in the new dispensation and openly public and taxation money was squandered in even more epic proportions
.....so very sad that it is greedy thieving has put us all in a mess....:sick:

Our power just went off ! Again for a few hours
Talk later about all the good tradesmen that took packages

*ESKOM LOADSHEDDING IS NO COINCIDENCE* as there are only a few hours left to have your say on Electricity price increase application. Eskom has applied for a further substantial increase in tariffs to recover their shortfall in sales projections. According to the law, the National Energy Regulator (NERSA) must ask for input from the public before granting any increase. We do not have much time to send comments or suggestions as the closing date is midnight tonight. So please click the link below to have your say now. eeco.co.za/eskom-increase-request/

*COPY AND PASTE THIS INTO ALL YOUR GROUPS AND CONTACTS - TIME IS RUNNING OUT*

We stayed at a restaurant waiting for our power to come back on until they were also cut off .....