it s winter season and we know power shortage is looming we also know that you are wondering how to prepare your house or your business for load shedding should it start to take place regularly follow this guide for ideas to consider when load shedding strikes in your area some of which are easy and affordable seven simple ways to prepare for load shedding check your load shedding schedule regularly so you have enough time to prepare avoid power surges nuisance tripping if you know that your area will be affected by load shedding switch off appliances geysers pool pumps air conditioners lights and other electrical equipment to reduce the risk of damage caused when the power comes back on if you can use a solar geyser and also solar lamps when lights are out make sure your computer laptop or phone is fully charged so you can still use themdraw some cash when there is still power as the atm will be offlinekeep your bottles in the freezer so they are ice cold when load shedding starts prepare meals in advance as it is possible to wake up to no electricity and will be stuck to make breakfast or might not make it home in time to cook supper do you know what the different stages of power shortage mean and how they can affect you well we ve got you covered with more information on load shedding schedules to help you plan your days and nights more effectively stage 1 to keep the national grid stable eskom needs to shed 1000mw stage 1 is the least disruptive of the schedules your area is likely to be hit three times over a four day period for 2 hours at a time or three times over an eight day period for 4 hours at a time stage 2 to keep the national grid stable eskom needs to shed 2000mw stage 2 double the amount of the load shedding planned in stage 1 meaning your area is likely to be hit six times over a four day period for 2 hours at the time or six times over an eight day period for 4 hours at a time stage 3 to keep the national grid stable eskom needs to shed at most 4000mw stage 3 increased by 50% of the amount of the load shedding planned in stage 2 meaning your area is likely to be hit nine times over a four day period for 2 hours at a time or nine times over an eight day period for 4 hours at a time stage 4 to keep the national grid stable eskom needs to shed at least 4000mw stage 4 double the frequency of stage 2 meaning your area is likely to be hit twelve times over a four day period for 2 hours at a time or twelve times over an eight day period for 4 hours at a time