• Stick the load shedding schedule on your fridge so that your family will have enough time to prepare for the power outage.
• Invest in battery-operated touch-lights that can be attached to walls and doors.
• Charge electronic devices (cell phones, laptops and tablets) and battery-operated lights beforehand. Make sure you have car chargers for your cell phone and tablet. This way you can always make sure your phone is charged while driving before you reach your destination that has no electricity.
• When load shedding is implemented switch off and unplug all appliances. This will protect your appliances from a power surge when the electricity is switched back on.
• Use empty plastic cool drink bottles, fill them with water and place in your freezer. If the power is out for a long time, you can take them out and put them in your fridge to keep food cold until the power comes back on.
• Keep a gas bottle with a cook top, to heat up water just in case
• Be safe and avoid burglaries by having a back-up battery on your alarm system and electric fence.
• Get a gas stove (portable options also available) to cook food when there is no electricity.
• Install a solar geyser and get solar lamps to put outside in the garden- which can be brought inside until the lights come back on.
• Invest in an inverter. Depending on your needs and your budget, you can get generators that will keep the entire house powered or smaller ones to just keep the fridge and perhaps TV running.
• Have a good old South African Braai!
Sources:
https://ewn.co.za/Features/how-to-survive-load-shedding
https://www.health24.com/lifestyle/environmental-health/21st-century-life/how-to-survive-load-shedding-20140307