I don’t know about you, but due to the level of Fort Knox keeping my house safe (and me safe when asleep and dreaming of everything except this guy) if the power goes out I am virtually locked in, and 100% locked out. Also, I find it rather sad that I have had to unpack my entire AfrikaBurn kit to haul out the headlamp and battery operated lights and flashy things. I do not look good in a headlamp. Seriously.

To avoid this horrific fashion faux pas, I could go Off The Grid.

What is that, you ask? Shame on you. It is the answer to all your prayers. It means KUWTK will never be interrupted again. It is Solar Power.

Solar power used to be expensive: “Five years ago a photovoltaic system cost R5 per kWh, compared to Eskom’s R0.50 per kWh. Today a photovoltaic system produces power at less than R1 per kWh, while Eskom charges much more than that,” says Tobias Bischof-Niemz, an energy engineer.

Right, we have clarified that it is essentially affordable, but the set up of your Off The Grid playground? Not too cheap.

That there is for a large house, and will supply power to most appliances. Fun times.

For a completely off the grid home you would have to drop R350 000, and then another R150 000 every ten or so years to replace the batteries. But, you would have sun-tracking solar panels, like sunflowers!

And in the long run?

Geoff Vickerstaff from Plan My Power said that even at a cost of over R200,000 per household, you will save money in the long run. “If you are to amortise the capital amount over 20 years, the cost is around R2,000 per month,” he said. “Taking into account your current electricity bills and the planned Eskom price increases, you would be cash flow positive by year 5, and you would come out at a huge monthly saving by the end of year 20.”

So basically you need to decide NOW whether you want to do the Off The Grid electricity thing or send your kids to private school.

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