What the load shedding stages mean

By now loadshedding has managed to disrupt our daily routines, impact on profitability and generally cause confusion on a daily basis as to whether it will happen or not. The Northern News team is inundated with daily enquiries as to when and if loadshedding will occur.
Eskom has a dedicated web site, loadshedding.eskom.co.za where consumers can check the loadshedding schedule, only to be confronted with terms such as Stage 1, 2 and 3 and changing town names (search for ba-Mokopane). What does this actually mean?
Stage 1 is the least disruptive loadshedding schedule. It means that Eskom needs to shed 1 000MW to keep the national power grid stable. It typically includes a 2.5-hour power disruption every second day (usually Monday to Saturday between 05:00 and 21:00.
Stage 2 means Eskom needs to shed 2 000MW. You will experience a 2.5-hour power outage daily (but not on Sundays). Stage 3 means Eskom needs to shed up to 4 000MW and you will be hit by 2.5-hour blackouts up to three times a day including weekends.
Stage 4 means that Eskom needs to take drastic steps to shed more than 4 000MW to keep the national grid from collapsing.  It means irregular power cuts and basically means that you experience power cuts at any time and without warning.
So what can you do to minimize the impact of loadshedding?
Make use of solar power where possible.
Use gas stoves (get out the camping gear)
Use the excuse to braai!
Use battery-operated lights and place them strategically around the house.
Keep a torch handy. Find a small torch for your keyring or pocket.
Freezing ice packs and bottles will assist in keeping your fridge cold.
Consider buying a generator to run the vital appliances and lights.
(Soure: www.ewn.co.za)

Costing exercise
To get a beter idea of the cost of appliances and how much electricity they use on a monthly basis, visit http://www.eskom.co.za/sites/idm/Pages/EnergyCalculator.aspx.