Load shedding: ways to protect property

LOAD shedding has been implemented to ration the remaining emergency generation reserves, which have been depleted.

Marius Steyn, personal lines underwriting manager, says South Africans need to mitigate the damages caused by load shedding by being prepared prior to power going off.

“The reality is, load shedding has an immense impact on consumers and businesses alike – who must cope with the damage to appliances brought on by power surges or risk loss through theft, burglary as a result of faulty security systems,” said Steyn.

Mitigating risks that may be caused by power cuts:

Ensure that your alarm system is in a working condition and the back-up battery is fully functional.

Spare torch or headlamp: keep a torch in your car, if you arrive home at night during a power outage.

Have emergency contact information on your cellphone but also keep a paper copy safe and accessible.

Charge your cellphone, laptop and tablet.

It’s also a good idea to have an emergency phone charger (like a power bank).

Staying connected to the internet is a great way to keep in touch with what’s happening as well as for regular updates.

Use gas for cooking and lighting. Keep bottled water.

Unplug your cables, including telephone cables.

Make use of surge protection.

Back up your data.

“Household policies provide limited cover for power surges that could be associated with power cuts with the option to increase the cover for power surge at an additional premium.

“For example, if the insured amount for power surge is increased the policyholder could have peace of mind that unforeseen power surge damage to appliances,” Steyn says.