Want a home battery? Be ready for the long haul
There is significantly more to
acquiring a Powerwall than just
buying and installing it.
By DARRYL DEVAR
problem of load shedding.
Z
esco’s recent announcement of festive
season alms, a 250% increase in electricity
tariffs, will have everyone scratching their
heads to find ways to reduce their electricity
bill. But the quest for a reliable source of
power still eludes many Zambians now that
our Dear Leaders have used all the water
to generate electricity that went who knows
where.
Elon Musk’s Tesla Powerwall home batteries
were sold out barely one week after the US
launch in May in a reception that took even
him by surprise. But Zambians will have to wait
until next year to buy one.
The battery charges on electricity generated
from solar panels or Zesco and supplies power
to homes when the sun or Zesco goes down.
This convenience comes at a price.
Contrary to public perception, the battery can’t
just be bought and plugged in, ending the
40
FARMERS GAZETTE
November 2015
A middle-class Zambian home’s electricity
consumption includes a flat-screen TV
(0.1kWh), lights (0.1kWh for each room), a
laptop (0.05kWh), refrigerator (4.8kWh a day),
washing machine (2.3/kWh each use) and
clothes dryer (3.3kWh each use).
A middle-class family of five with two adults
and three children will first have to reduce their
average daily power consumption to 15kWh for
th