You don’t need to close your doors when your power goes down. We face many challenges with power in South Africa. When load shedding hits, you don’t need to shut your shop and hotfoot it home. 

Load shedding is a sad reality, something everyone living in South Africa expects. You can take smart measures to lighten the burden when this happens and keep your business flourishing. 

It’s Time to Shine the Spotlight on These Challenges:  

• Blackouts challenge our physical security.  
• Our sensitive electronic equipment could get damaged during dips, surges, brownouts, and blackouts.  
• Our customers could become unhappy if we shut our doors or if the outages compromise their safety.  
• We must pay our staff, even when the lights go out. When power outages limit our means to make profit, this becomes a challenge.  

• Refrigerated goods could become spoiled during power outages. This is especially the case during hot weather and lengthy outages.  

You Have the Competitive Advantage if You are Forearmed  

Forewarned is forearmed, as the adage goes. You will have a competitive advantage when using the right equipment. Put into place devices that will keep the lights on and to prevent damage. There is no use waiting for someone to switch the magic lights back on.  

You Can Win with UPS Systems by Getting One Right Now  

Plug your devices into powerful UPS systems and save the day! You can get them in a wide range of capacities and sizes. Plug your computers, tills, and point–of–sale devices into them. UPS Systems are the answer for keeping everything running until the lights come back on.  

Line interactive UPS Systems are not dissimilar to your reserve UPS Systems. We equip them with extra multi-tap variable voltage autotransformers to make life easier. We have designed your Line Interactive UPS System with reliable battery power. You can run your computers even when the power goes down.  

A Wireless Card Machine Will Prove to be Valuable  

You can keep your cash flowing even when there is no power. Investing in a wireless card machine with a long battery life will assist and is perfect for contactless payments. This is a great alternative during the pandemic where physical contact should be avoided. 

Making the PHD Powerhouse Difference  

We are making a difference to businesses. We help you keep the lights on, and your doors open with a range of devices. Do not delay taking care of power issues. These are a reality and are here to stay, but your outage issues can be a thing of the past. 

We live our lives around the convenience of electricity. This includes everything from computers to household appliances. We need to take all the steps to protect our electric appliances and gadgets from harmful power surges. 

You will soon realise there has been a power surge. There are a few signs that may show your appliance or device experienced a power surge: 

• The lights of digital devices and clocks will flash 
• Devices stop working or are switched off 
• A burnt, acidic acrid smell will emanate from the device
• Surge protectors need resetting 

What is a Power Surge? 

• A power surge happens when power flowing through an outlet is not delivered at a constant. The power could fluctuate between120 volts and 169 volts.  
• Power does not flow constantly or evenly 
• Damaging power surges is greater than 169 volts.  

What Happens When the Power Surges? 

• When the power utility switches grids, power surges originate from this source 
• Power surges also happen when there are electrical malfunctions in transformers or transformer lines 
• Other power surges occur from lighting strikes. Gauteng is especially privy to lightning strikes 
• Power surges can occur within the home or office. When air-conditioning units and refrigerators turn on and off, small surges occur 
• There are brief power surges. The lights might flicker because the motors require extra energy 

Why Do Power Surges Cause Damage? 

Voltage surges over and above the usual operating voltage can cause an arc of electrical current. This occurs within the electrical device. Lighting strikes cause extreme power surges.  These often cause permanent damage suddenly. Smaller surges accumulate over time, causing damage to your electrical appliances. They do not do immediate damage, but over time the damage becomes noticeable. 

Use Surge Protectors from PHD to Prevent Electrical Surge Damage 

Invest in a surge protector to protect your appliances inside your home or office. PHD offers a wide range of top-notch surge protectors for all appliances. A surge protector diverts voltage surges, directing them safely to the ground. 

Many businesses and individuals have put systems in place for when the power goes. As load shedding gains momentum and is here to stay it is important to keep going and to keep the doors of all businesses open especially after the aftermath of the COVID19 pandemic. 

Thinking smartly and creating ways to make your business tick over is easily achievable if you are a little creative. It is time to think out of the box, finding ways to keep everything happening during blackouts, surges, dips, and brownouts. 

Small to medium enterprises are easily disabled from running smoothly daily when the power goes down and the negative impact can soon tally up to thousands of rands. 

There is good news, though and by preparing for the inevitable your business need not suffer. 

Apply These Three Tech Tips to Keep Your Business Going No Matter What the Power Does 

• If you have not already done so, there is little that can second a cloud backup and recovery system. There is no need to lose essential files and important documents ever again. Ensure you get a system going that will keep all your important information secure and up-to-speed – this can all be done in the cloud so that your entire team will be able to access files and information at any given time. This is the best way to share information, and now with many individuals working from home, what better way than storing and sharing information in the cloud? Teams are an excellent option for those working online and sharing everything from information to presentations and having meetings. 
• Backup systems such as UPS, generators, and other protective equipment are essential to protect delicate electronics and to keep the power on long enough to switch machines off and to save any work required saving. 

• Ensure you always have enough data on your cellphone so that when your internet is down you can simply switch over to your data. Buy LED battery lights with USB ports to keep your phone charged. Investing in MiFi is also useful for setting up a mobile hotspot. 

Businesses need to keep running regardless of what the power decides to do. At PHD we have come up with solutions to many SME power dilemmas. The powerful range of protection devices will assist in supporting and serving sensitive equipment and data in applications across the board with a focus on small to medium companies. 

“As Tourism Opens Its Doors in South Africa, The Need for Sustainable Tourism is Essential” 

South Africa is one of the world’s most exquisite travel destinations with its teeming wildlife, pristine beaches, verdant forests, majestic mountain ranges and enviable climate. These are all perfect drawcards for millions of tourists that visit each year. Sadly, COVID19 has had an extremely devastating effect on the tourism industry. More so now than ever before every penny should be counted. Sustainable efforts are seriously in need of being ramped up. 

How Sustainable is Your Establishment? 

Sustainable tourism is a brilliant tool for developing the tourism industry as the general idea is to highlight how everyone in the industry can contribute to making tourism more eco-friendly and how they can preserve the environment. 

Operating sustainably, tourism businesses need to look at conserving water and to minimise the carbon footprint of the establishment on the environment. These should be the top priorities of tourism establishments in South Africa. The key is being adaptable and changing the way we do things. 

The world is changing – this is apparent after being faced with a pandemic that no-one saw coming. To operate in a sustainable manner, waste should be minimised and wherever possible, water should be conserved. This will result in a reduction of an establishment’s carbon footprint on the environment. 

Energy and water are high on the list of consumption for hotels. For establishments to adhere to sustainability rules and regulations, hotels, bed and breakfast establishments among others are encouraged to use solar panels for heating and to use globes that are energy–efficient to cut back on electricity bills. 

How the Tourism Industry Has Put Pressure on SA’s Natural Resources  

Tourism puts immense pressure on the country’s natural resources. Tourism is responsible for generating 10% of the country’s GDP and responsible for employing one in every 10 people. According to World Tourism, the industry is responsible for almost 5% of global emissions, being responsible for around 4,6% of the global warming that takes place. 

Tourism puts huge pressure on the natural resources of a country and is especially the case in South Africa with the country experiencing severe droughts and challenges with the grid. 

The hospitality and tourism industries have a responsibility to practice sustainable tourism. Using solar power or even replacing all globes with energy-efficient globes is a small step in the right direction.  

A sustainability approach should, therefore, be instilled in all aspects of the tourism industry including the support of sustainable suppliers of foods and cleaning products.