Load-Shedding & Backup Power Explained
Updated 2026-07-11
Load-shedding has been part of South African life for years, and the jargon around it — stages, schedules, transfer switches, kWh — can be confusing. This guide explains how it works and what backup power actually does about it.
How load-shedding stages work
Eskom sheds load in stages, each removing roughly another 1,000 MW from the grid. In practice, the higher the stage, the more often and the longer your area's power is cut:
| Stage | Rough impact on you |
|---|---|
| Stage 1–2 | Occasional 2-hour cuts, once or twice a day |
| Stage 3–4 | 2-hour cuts, two to three times a day |
| Stage 5–6 | Longer or back-to-back cuts, several times a day |
| Stage 7–8 | Frequent, extended outages |
Your municipality publishes a schedule by area block. Knowing your block and stage tells you when — and for how long — you'll be off, which is exactly what you need to size backup power.
What "keeping the lights on" really means
Backup power does not usually mean running your entire home. It means keeping your essential circuits alive: lights, Wi-Fi, TV, phone and laptop charging, and often the fridge. Heavy heating appliances — geysers, kettles, ovens, underfloor heating — draw so much power that backing them up is expensive, so most homes simply avoid them during a slot.
What each option keeps running
- UPS (uninterruptible power supply). The smallest option — a battery in a box that keeps your Wi-Fi router and maybe a laptop alive for a couple of hours. Cheap, plug-and-play, no electrician needed. Great for staying online; not for the whole house.
- Inverter + battery. Silently powers a set of essential circuits and switches over automatically. The mainstream home choice for beating load-shedding.
- Generator. Makes its own power from fuel, so it keeps going through outages of any length and can run heavy loads — at the cost of noise, fumes and refuelling.
- Solar + battery. Recharges from the sun each day, so it rides through even high-stage load-shedding while also cutting your electricity bill.
Not sure which fits? Our inverter vs generator vs solar comparison walks through the trade-offs.
The switch-over: automatic vs manual
When the grid drops, something has to connect your home to the backup source:
- Inverters and UPS units switch over automatically and near-instantly — you often don't notice the changeover.
- Generators need either a manual changeover switch (you flip it) or a more expensive automatic transfer switch. Either way, a registered electrician must install a proper changeover so your generator can never back-feed the grid — that's both illegal and dangerous to line workers.
Do it safely and legally
Any system wired into your home's DB board needs a registered electrician and a Certificate of Compliance (CoC). This protects you, your insurance, and utility workers. Never let anyone tie a generator or inverter into your home wiring without proper isolation and a CoC.
Where to start
Work out your area's typical stage and outage length, list the essentials you need to keep running, then use our sizing guide and buyer's guide to spec the right system — and browse installers in your city to get site-assessment quotes.