Between winter rain, gale-force winds, soaked transformers, trees toppling over and the occasional flooded road, electricity can disappear quite suddenly along the Overstrand coast and the locals have learnt to keep candles handy and charge their phones whenever Eskom looks suspicious.
That’s where backup power becomes less of a luxury and more of a lifestyle accessory. Solar systems are the golden child: quiet, clean and wonderfully smug during load shedding and unplanned outages. The downside? Hermanus weather can go from blazing sunshine to “Noah, fetch the ark” in an afternoon, so batteries are essential — and can be expensive.
Generators, meanwhile, are dependable but noisy. Nothing says “the power’s out” quite like the neighborhood chorus of growling petrol engines. Gas hobs and fireplaces remain local heroes, especially when the wind is rattling windows and the kettle still needs boiling.
And here’s the property angle: homes with solar, inverters, gas installations or backup systems are increasingly seen as premium buys. In a town where wind and rain prevail in winter, energy resilience has become a serious selling point — with just enough bragging rights built in!