Anyone heard of loadshedding?

[Andz]

This is when we really feel we are in a third world country. Due to mismanagement, corruption, incompetence, take your pick, our country doesn't have the electricity generation capacity to meet demand.

What's their solution? Loadshedding aka we shut you off for 3 hours at a time to ease the load on the grid. Tonight it is 8-11pm so I'm typing this on my phone by torchlight, last night it was 6:30-9pm, the day before 4-7pm, it's inconvenient to say the least.

The annoying thing is that if you go into the city all the tower blocks are ablaze with light. There are also rumors that electricity is being exported to Zimbabwe and Mozambique while we sit in the dark. Look after your taxpayers first!

We're returning to darkest Africa and its really tiresome.


Sent from my iPhone 5S using Tapatalk

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

When I lived on Long Island, NY, (late 70's) during the hot summers, they would have the same thing.

It was called "rolling black outs" due to the demand for air conditioners, etc.

Down here, the infrastructure is a bit better and "we're NOT in season" so our population drops a bit. 1/4 to 1/3 of my neighbors leave for the summer and head back north.

 

[aclayonb]

I'm suddenly reminded of Atlas Shrugged...again...and again...and again... . They do it here in the States too but they call it brownouts so the not-so-educated populace thinks that too many people have the A/C on.

 

[Solarservant]

Install a solar system with battery back up.

The newer systems, which remain grid-tied (like the ones incorporating the Tesla Powerwall batteries) can be optimized to either do load/peak shedding to use power you have produced when the utility is charging you the most for their kWh's. They can also be configured as a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) system.

Wave of the future, happening now!

 

[lytehouse]

I'm usually starting dinner anywhere between 5 & 6, so shutting down the power at those times would be a real PITA.

 

[Federico]

I'm usually starting dinner anywhere between 5 & 6, so shutting down the power at those times would be a real PITA.

Sounds like a great excuse to grill or barbecue then :thumbup:

 

[aussiejules]

When we are up the river at the shack, during the hottest time of year, they do it, it can be for up to 8 hrs at a time. They deny it is load shedding but happens at the same time every year.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

If they turned off electric here for more than an hour on a regular basis, I'd simply crank up the generator which will run everything EXCEPT the main house A/C (3 ton).

I have portable A/C on wheels for in the house (and an A/C in the wall in the garage) that'll run off the generator..

 

[FIZZER6]

I'd simply use that as an excuse to nap! Seriously though, that would suck right at dinner time. Why don't they just restrict people from using dishwashers, clothes dryers and other high draw appliances during peak use evening hours and those homes who violate the restrictions get their power cut during evening hours. It's stupid you can't run your lights which draw almost zero power compared to appliances.

 

[Andz]

It sounds like others have had similar issues which cheers me up a bit. I remember back in the 70s they installed a device called a ripple controller in all the houses in our area so that they could remotely switch of the geyser at peak times, although if you're not actually using hot water it doesn't consume much to keep the water hot.

As for legislating not using high demand appliances, this is a lawless society at the best of times so that won't work. People just don't care.


Sent from my iPhone 5S using Tapatalk

 

[Motogiro]

In 2011 we had the Southwest black out. It was the largest black out in California history. 2011 Southwest blackout - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia According to the original report it was the fault of a technician but later it proved otherwise.
The radio stations were on emergency generators. Reports were saying it could be for three days! My wife who works 2.5 miles from home took 1.5 hrs to drive home. All the traffic lights were out. I told her she should have called for a ride and I would have just brought her helmet. Cell phones were still working although the networks were so loaded it took a few tries to make a connection. I started thinking that things might get rough in the community in 3 days. If water stopped getting pumped to us we'd have a hard time. I showed neighbors how they could get water from their water heater tanks. I put my Dewalt charger/radio that runs off power tool batteries outside so we could all listen to the reports. By evening all the candles in people's houses were lit. I visited one neighbor and he told me they had defrosted some pork chops for dinner but he threw the package in his garbage because the electric was off. We have gas stoves with electronic ignition....I asked him if he had a lighter.....:eyebrow: I lit his stove for him ...Lol!

I went back home and lit my killer little gas lamp for camping and made a nice pasta dinner with candle light and then prepared additional phone charging rigs direct from our car batteries so the phone would charge over night. Hit the sack and in the morning the electric was back on. I was relieved we had skirted another "Zombie Apocalypse"! :rockon:

Now the power companies are installing new meters that are networked. No meter readers here. I imagine they can turn the electric on and off by the meter's network address. This has to help when there are big power outages so that the systems can be soft started.

 

[aclayonb]

The power companies here keep trying to get me to switch to a remotely controlled system that they can turn on/off at their whim. A $20 discount to randomly lose power? No thanks.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

The power companies here keep trying to get me to switch to a remotely controlled system that they can turn on/off at their whim. A $20 discount to randomly lose power? No thanks.

They used to do that down here but stopped it! I think it was for an hour at a time. Even if you wanted it, can't get it..

And I have an old meter (from 1985), so its a manual, "someone has to read it" monthly meter. They couldn't turn it off without someone literally flipping a switch atop the light pole..