South Africa faces the significant prospect of extended periods of load shedding for the immediate future, amidst challenges faced by Eskom to maintain its network and also meet the nation’s power demands.

Energy expert Ted Blom recently warned this that he expects a real likelihood of Eskom needing to implement stage 8 of load shedding before winter.

The increased occurrence of load shedding means that there are more alarm activation signals received by armed response companies than usual.

The only time any alarm system might not function correctly, is if there is a technical issue or the battery power is low.

Most modern alarm systems have a back-up battery pack that activates automatically when there is a power failure.

It is recommended to consider an additional battery backup pack, as load shedding puts additional strain on the battery.

Here are 6 practical steps that can be taken to ensure security is not compromised during any power cuts:

1. Always remain vigilant, and report suspicious activity in your suburb to the SAPS
2. Ensure that all automated gates and doors are secured
3. With the added inconvenience of the lights going out at night due to power cuts, candles and touch-lights are handy alternatives
4. Test the battery backup system and consider an additional battery pack for standby. Tests of alarm systems should ideally be conducted every six months
5. Power cuts can impact on fire systems and fire control systems, so these also need to be checked regularly
6. The more frequent use of gas and candles can increase the risk of fire and home fire extinguishers should be on hand

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