Across South Africa, citizens will remember the rolling blackouts of 2014 and 2015 with varying shades of discomfort depending on whether they could, or could not, afford generators for their homes. When national utility provider Eskom was unable to match energy supply to demand, the result was a new term: ‘load shedding’, which basically meant planned (and sometimes unplanned) area-wide power outages[1]. The results included costs to the economy in general at the national level[2], and frustration at the individual level.

During the power cuts, which were frequently accompanied by power surges when the electricity finally came back on, many expensive domestic appliances were blown: fridges, kettles, toasters, decoders… Today, we trust, ‘load shedding’ lies largely in the past, particularly the rolling black-outs that took place regularly according to an actual schedule. However, no individual consumer ever wants to experience the misery of having their appliances taken out en masse by even ad hoc power surges.

DEHN, a globally active electrotechnical company offering comprehensive services, products and solutions in the field of surge protection, lightning protection and safety equipment, notes that in modern households, electrical appliances and systems make life easier. In today’s modern, hi-tech world, our creature comforts include:

• Tvs, stereo and video equipment and satellite systems
• Electric cookers, dishwashers and washing machines, fridges/freezers, coffee machines and so on
• PCs, laptops, tables, printers, smartphones – usually hooked up to the internet
• Heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems

Hano Oelofse, technical director at DEHN AFRICA, the local subsidiary of DEHN, points out that having insurance cover is not always enough to protect your family from the economic loss incurred by domestic appliances that are damaged or destroyed by power surges. He says, “Taking surge protection measures is arguably a simpler option than relying on insurance cover for your domestic appliances. While Eskom has said that there will not be load shedding this winter, there is a concern in that coal reserves are low[1]. And, in addition to financial issues that result from surges, as well as the time taken to process a claim, surges can often cause the loss of personal data. So, as they say, prevention is better than cure.”  

Step one: system protection

Consider all lines leaving or entering the building, including power supply, telephone and lighting lines, TV and satellite connections, connections for PV systems and so on.

• DEHNshield protects power supply technology.
• DEHNbox is used for telephone connections.
• DEHNrail and BLITZDUCTOR XT protect heating systems.
• DEHNguard surge arrestors protect further distribution boards, particularly low voltage.

Step two: protection of terminal devices

The next step is to protect all terminal devices, which are fed by several power supply systems, by installing surge protective devices at their inputs. These terminal devices include TVs, video and stereo equipment as well as alarm and video surveillance systems. The antenna amplifiers can be protected by means of DEHNgate.

Oelofse concludes, “DEHN has been offering protection against power surges for over 100 years and its offerings and services offer incomparable residential surge protection – which you could think of as being another layer in your personal insurance arrangements.”

For more information, contact DEHN AFRICA: +27 11 704 1487.