With Eskom continuing to stage rolling blackouts across South Africa, more homeowners are considering investing in a standby generator than ever before.

The energy shortfall is certainly not a new topic, but as Eskom battles to regain its financial footing, and a lack of power plants remains a reality to South African residents, many are starting to look at additional ways of getting by without the need for traditional power sources.

While businesses have long seen the benefit of backup power solutions, these systems often seem like an indulgence when used in the home. The reality however is that a backup generator is a good investment for both businesses and homes, helping to keep the lights on and prevent the issues that arise when the power goes out.

Considering a Standby Generator for the Home?

Simply put, a standby generator is designed to act as a backup to regular power sources. These generators range in size and capacity, with smaller systems that are ideal for the home and systems that range in size to suit anything from larger homes to offices and even industrial sites. For the home, a decent sized generator can help to prevent the stress of a power blackout and ensure greater peace of mind for the whole family. Some of the reasons that you may consider backup power include the following:

• Safety and communications. Being without a landline or mobile phone charger is frustrating, but it can also affect your safety, too. Without a phone service, it becomes harder to reach anyone in the event of an emergency, and if computers and internet are also not working, communication is even more limited. Most alarm systems are designed to work on a battery backup in the event of power failure, but when the battery is flat, alarms are also affected during an outage.

• Food and medicine. Some people store medication in the fridge to keep a consistent temperature. Others require medical equipment that needs electricity to function. Food and other goods kept in fridges are at risk of spoiling when fridges are left off during a power failure, with spoiled meats adding even more potential for health risks and contamination. Backup generators are the best way to ensure that fridges stay on all the time – regardless of rolling outages.

• Lights, geysers and appliances. Of course, having no lights, a cold geyser and no working appliances is another major inconvenience that comes with lack of power. Some people are forced to find hotels or alternate accommodation when power outages last longer than a day. Others are forced to make do without power or heating – even in the cold winter times or hot summer times. Stoves, ovens, microwaves, kettles, coffee machines and other appliances may seem like a luxury, but when you are not able to use them, you soon realise how much they are used in everyday life.

While no-one can be sure whether the power situation in South Africa will improve or not, one thing is for sure – you can at least protect your own family and home with the help of a standby generator.