How long do you still want to fumble around in the dark?

This is a very loaded question for South Africans at the moment, and will be for the foreseeable future.

Just as we thought things were getting better after the last round of load shedding by Eskom, the lights went out, leaving us in the dark yet again!

Talking about the future, in an article as far back as December 2018, it was said by energy experts that South Africa would quite literally be in the dark for many years to come.

It also said that load shedding would subside around March 2019. Well, here we are, heading into a very uncertain April 2019, back in the black.

Eskom is however deeply in the red, and we all know why, yet we are the ones paying for it, in every sense of the word.

We might as well get our heads well out of the sand because the financial problems at Eskom will not improve, unless you’re planning on hanging in there until 2050 perhaps?

Maintenance costs billions, coal shortages won’t get any better, and since 80% of Eskom’s power generation relies heavily on coal supply, we might even be looking at a complete failure of our power system as a result of spiralling inefficiency.

We pay in how it affects our daily lives, how it impacts on lives that depend on power to keep critical medical equipment functioning and another hundred other things most of us don’t think about unless it affects us.

Small business is in dire straits every time black outs roll in, and in an economy that is prime, fertile ground  for entrepreneurs, especially with high unemployment rates, load shedding is sounding the death knell for many of these brave people striking out on their own.

Here’s a bit more food for thought from Times Live and Fin24 before we head briefly into the area that offers relief from the darkness, like no other in the natural world.

We need our heroes to step up to the plate now, and in the sphere of power supply, our heroes are those who are passionate about harnessing the never-ending, out-of-this-world power of our beautiful sun!

It takes locals too, like the team at Renaissance Solar, who know the lay of the land well enough to make sure that no matter how we start our foray into the world of solar power in Cape Town, it’ll start off on the right foot.

Even if all you do is start by investing in a solar hot water system or convert your existing electric geyser to solar, you’re about half way there.

If your use of electricity costs you 50% of your power bill, imagine what the future of your wallet will look like from the day you switch over to a solar hot water system?

If you want to take everything a step further and keep the power on for appliances, lights, laptops and mobile phones, the incredible return on investment will more than make up for what you put in initially.

Solar power has become more than just a pipe dream for ordinary South Africans.

With solar panels coming down in price every year and electricity going up every third month or so, it’s a no-brainer that solar power is in reach of anyone struggling to keep up with high electricity bills.

Renaissance Solar does so much more than offer high quality PV solar panels in Cape Town, from their base in Fish Hoek, and their association with Trust Solar, they also have their own secret recipe for offering low prices for that same high quality.

The team at Renaissance Solar know their stuff, and they’re down-to-earth people that will sit down with you to work out what your power requirements are, without putting any spin on it all that you can’t understand.

They’ll work around your budget and then introduce you to the best way forward for your first step into harnessing the power of the sun!

Whether you’re interested in grid-tie, hybrid or going completely and utterly of the grid, Renaissance lays it out for you in a language that you’ll be able to understand, so that you’ll be in a position to make an informed decision.

If you don’t have the ready cash to install a solar geyser or solar panels, take out that second bond, beg the bank or go down on your knees to the in-laws (even if it means you’ll have to mow their lawn for the foreseeable future), close your eyes, take the leap and make one of the best investments you’ll ever make in your life.

If you’re ready to take the future of your power supply into your own hands, let Renaissance Solar introduce you to a whole new world in which you’ll never fumble around in the dark again!

Oh yes, by the way, if you’re wondering whether the water from a solar hot water system will be warm enough for a luxurious shower, the answer is absolutely yes!

42 degrees is the comfortable level, even in winter, but just watch out in summer, or there’ll be a bit of scalding here and there!