Consumers have been flocking to Game stores to stock up on generators and inverters as load shedding continues, resulting in a 27% annual sales boost for the retailer.
Game said inverters were a popular choice for people living in flats and townhouses, where noisy generators are not an option.
"For safety reasons, and due to noise levels attributed to the use of generators, most body corporates in South Africa do not allow the use of generators in apartment complexes – meaning inverters have become a popular option, especially as more people are working from home in 2022," said Neville Hatfield, vice president of merchandise for Game.
The inverters run on batteries, unlike generators, which use diesel. They also tend to be smaller, making indoor storage easy.
However, Hatfield cautioned that inverters have their limits and can’t be used for appliances that come with a thermostat or heating element, like kettles, fridges and microwaves.
The inverters have proven to be so popular that Game has introduced a residential 150Wh Mega Cube Ellies inverter that runs for three hours when fully charged.
On Monday, Eskom announced that it was implementing Stage 2 load shedding from 17:00, with the grid set to remain under strain for some weeks.
Find your load shedding schedule here.
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