The impact power outages have on your business
Electricity is key to running a successful business.
However, with the power outages happening in South Africa, we have come to see that it isn’t consistent or a luxury. Unfortunately, power outages have a significant effect on productivity and can cost a business thousands of Rands.
But, apart from electricity outages caused by load-shedding, you may experience your electricity going off because of weather issues, animals, vehicle collisions and spikes. It’s important to understand what the effects are so that you can find effective ways to ensure any electrical issues now, and in the future, don’t negatively impact your business. Therefore, read the article below to find the effects and what you can do to prevent or minimise them.
The results of power blackouts
Damages equipment
Equipment is expensive and unfortunately, with outages, your equipment can get severely damaged. This is frustrating, especially if you have to repurchase heavy machinery. Equipment gets faulty or damaged because of the electrical waves that take place during a power outage. If you don’t have an alternative power solution for when this happens, it can become costly for you in the long run. This is because you’ll have to replace the equipment again that was not budgeted for and can take your business a few steps back financially.
Lost of money
Keeping your customers happy whenever they’re dealing with your business is important. But, when you have to give them excuses or not deliver on your promise because of electricity issues, you will lose them. These days competition is tight. So, you need to ensure you are well equipped for those emergencies because they have the option to look elsewhere.
Decreases productivity
Unfortunately, nowadays, especially with things going digital, everything relies on electricity. So, if you experience long periods without electricity, your business’s bottom line will be affected. Your staff won’t manage to finish their work on time because they had no energy or they may have to redo work because their data was lost during the outage and cannot be retrieved. This just means your employees will take longer to do tasks, which in turn, affects production. This is bad for companies that are on high demand because you can’t contact your clients or customers telling them about delays. This will look bad for your company.
How to ensure this does not affect your business
Come up with a solid plan for production during an electricity outage
A solid plan will ensure you have a solution whenever an energy outage occurs, allowing you to continue with production.
To develop a solid plan, here is what you need to do:
- Have a committee that will delegate tasks when the power goes off.
- Identify all potential risks or what can be affected during an energy outage.
- Implement procedures that will help during an outage.
- Train your employees so that they know what is expected of them during an outage.
Have backup power
Many businesses have opted for power generation solutions that will ensure business runs as usual. Although these power generations in South Africa are expensive, they do help you to save and make more money in the long run. Now, if you’re wondering how power generators work, well, they convert mechanical or chemical energy into electricity. There are two types of generators; standby and mobile power generators.
- Standby generators are big and fixed power plants that take over when the power dies. They are expensive; however, you rarely get affected when there is an outage as it starts running immediately.
- Mobile power generators are a reliable source of energy that can be used anywhere and anytime. Because unlike a standby generator, portable generators can be moved and used where needed. This is ideal for businesses’ that work off-site and need a reliable power source.
When it comes to the size of the generator, you need to think about your business’s needs and the amount of power you need. Generators come in a broad range, so you need to know what is suitable for your business’s needs. Knowing the size will help you narrow down how much is needed. Once you know that, you need to understand what condition your site is in.
Ask yourself the following:
- Do I need a generator set for standby, primary or for an emergency?
- Does my business need a portable or standby generator operation?
- How much space do I have on-site?
- Am I interested in a single-phase or three-phase unit for my business?
If you’re still unsure, it’s best to call a professional and ask to have a site inspection so that you get the right size that meets your business needs.
Final thoughts
Unfortunately, we cannot prevent load shedding or electricity outages.However, you can find an effective solution that will help you and ensure your business runs smoothly even when the worst happens. So, make the right decision for your business and get a turnkey power solution offering you peace of mind in times of distress.