Earlier this year the Reserve Bank estimated that the cost of loadshedding to the economy is as high as R900 million a day.

Apart from the impact that loadshedding is having on the economy’s ability to grow, the cost of loadshedding is being felt directly through rampant price increases for groceries and other basic needs due to interruptions in supply chains and increased cost of production, with companies being forced to rely on expensive diesel generators.

Loadshedding has also impacted households in other ways. Appliances get damaged, alternative power solutions need to be bought, and children’s ability to study has been affected. This is according to online research provider TrendER/infoQuest which surveyed three hundred respondents, aged 18 years and older, across all provinces in South Africa.

Direct loss of goods

Three in four South Africans have had at least one home appliance damaged or destroyed as a result of loadshedding and a similar amount have lost the contents of their fridge at least once.

A third of those people working from home have been seriously affected by loadshedding and 16% have had a burglary due to their alarm not working. All of these figures are up significantly from 2022, reflecting the impact of higher levels of loadshedding.

Cost of alternative power

In addition to having to repair or replace household items, consumers are also having to finance ways to keep the power on in their homes. Purchasing or hiring of generators is the most common form of supplementary power, with inverters and solar power at similar levels. About 60% of South Africans have installed a gas stove. Overall, about 80% of respondents have made alternate arrangements of some sort to cope with loadshedding.

Changes in consumer behaviour

When it comes to grocery shopping and preparing meals, substantial behaviour changes have occurred. About three in four consumers are buying fewer groceries more often to reduce the risk of wastage of food, while two in three claim that the types of meals they prepare has changed dramatically. About one in two eat out more often due to loadshedding.

Work-life balance has also been affected with 48% saying that they now leave home earlier to get to work and return home later.

Loadshedding has also had an effect on the school performance of children, with 40% of parents claiming that their children’s performance has deteriorated due to them not being able to study or do homework because they have no power.

Security is also an issue during loadshedding and 56% of respondents have taken extra security measures in their homes to ensure that they are safe at these times.

Expectations for loadshedding over the next year

Consumers’ expectations for the future of load shedding are pessimistic, with 58% believing that it will get worse over the next year and only 30% believing it will improve. Females tend to be more pessimistic than males, while older South Africans are also more negative than those in the younger age categories.

On a positive note, 52% of respondents said that they tend to spend more time together as a family and communicate more when there is loadshedding.

“Compared with a year ago, South Africans are having to dip even deeper into their pockets to alleviate some of the consequences and challenges of loadshedding,” confirms Mogorosi Mashilo, MD of TrendER/infoQuest.

“This puts strain on the consumer in an already tough economic climate. All of these factors contribute to the “new normal” of the South African consumer in an environment that appears to be here to stay for the foreseeable future,”

This article first appeared in City Press.