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Cape Town - Over the last few months, various businesses have expressed concerns regarding the impact of power outages on business sustainability, especially considering that Eskom emphasised that supply would likely remain constrained due to ongoing maintenance and pending the completion of new power stations.
READ: Eskom: It’s load-shedding or die
Businesses need to explore alternative measures to minimise the impact of load-shedding. "Whilst the majority of big businesses may have contingency plans to minimise the impact of load-shedding, the same cannot be said for most SMMEs, mainly as they do not have adequate resources," said Sanjeev Orie, CEO of FNB Business Value-Adds.
The reality is that SMMEs have no choice but to explore alternative energy sources as a sustained period without an income could jeorpadise the sustainability of their business," he said.
Orie recommends some of the following measures to minimise the impact of load-shedding:
Familiarise yourself with the load-shedding schedule
Understanding when and how long your area will be affected will help you plan accordingly so that you are able to coordinate your energy needs.
Load-shedding schedules are available across municipal websites as well as the national energy supplier; make it your business to have one at your disposal.
- News24 has compiled this list of sites that will help you.
- The City of Cape Town released this new schedule, valid from February 1, 2015.
Invest in a secondary energy source
Buying a generator could be a useful investment for your small business, especially if you are in the retail sector. Retailers may need to use surplus income generated during peak business periods to satisfy their energy needs for the year ahead.
Maximise retail spaces
If your business operates in a retail centre such as a shopping mall, explore sharing generator costs with other small businesses so that the financial burden is not heavy on your business. Work out an arrangement that will not have a major impact on each of the businesses’ cash-flow.
Cash-up at your earliest convenience
Waiting until close of business before cashing up could be risky, especially if you have no back-up power. Keep less cash in your register and, if possible, encourage clients to use bank or loyalty cards to limit the risk of handling cash.
Explore opening for longer hours after load-shedding
If you do not have back-up power, consider extending operating hours to recoup some of the business lost during load-shedding. There is obviously a lot that goes into making such a decision, but it is important to explore such a plan.
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