RESPONDING TO THE CHALLENGES OF LOADSHEDDING AT THE HAYSTACK ON HOMESTEAD
Posted on Wed February 8, 2023.
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Our journey in responding to the challenges of loadshedding to ensure we maintain satisfaction for our guests, especially business and corporate guests on long and extended stays
In addition to other considerations, visiting guests to South Africa must decide which hospitality accommodation property provides the best option for a comfortable stay during periods of loadshedding. This is particularly true in the era of the Digital Nomad in extended stay and long-term accommodation who need require constant Internet access and technology. This is similarly true for corporate and business guests.
Loadshedding – a term introduced into the South Africa lexicon about the latter part of the year 2007 has gained notoriety in recent years because of its disruptive effects on business and personal productivity. It means the intentional interruption of electricity supply to various parts of an area, usually for a scheduled duration, to manage the overall electricity demand, thereby preventing the overloading of the electrical grid. The advent of loadshedding starts surreptitiously and occurs infrequently, but if solutions are not quickly found, it becomes a permanent feature.
In the years after 2007, loadshedding incidences were few and far between, so much so that during the 2010 Football World Cup tournament staged in South Africa, there was hardly a mention of a loadshedding interruption during the tournament.
The Haystack on Homestead commenced the operation of self-catering apartments in Edenburg, Rivonia in March 2015. These apartments were especially designed for extended stay and long-term accommodation for the corporate and business guests who were in Johannesburg for a period of time, away from their bases, and required a home-away-from-home environment. In 2015, no thought was given to install an electrical power backup system – there just weren’t many interruptions to the public utility electricity supply to justify the installation of such a system. The focus was the provision of exclusive hospitality facilities and amenities in a home-away-from-home environment.
Whilst episodes of loadshedding were infrequent during those early days, The Haystack on Homestead was nudged into exploring a backup power solution for its self-catering property in the second half of 2015. This was instigated by our frequent guest from Israel – a former-South African resident who visited Johannesburg for business and stayed with us for long-stays of over 3-weeks at a time every quarter. One day, he came back at about 18h00 to no power after a long workday and was quite miffed that he wasn’t alerted that there will be no electricity when he returned. This guest had made us home and had a daily routine of sitting outside on his patio, facing the garden in the early evening with his glass of Jack Daniels, whilst preparing his dinner using our self-catering facilities. He told us that he wouldn’t have come back to the guest lodge had he known there would have been no power on his arrival. He would have planned to have dinner out and stayed out as long as possible, until the power came back.
This encounter left a deep impression on us, as this guest had become part of The Haystack on Homestead family. We felt we had let him down by not making provision for backup power. That’s the hospitality way – you listen to your guests, especially those that make your property a ‘home-away-from-home’ and plan to upgrade your facilities and amenities when the opportunity arises.
After some research on backup power, we were presented with the option of a 38KVA Single-phase generator or a 50KVA Three-phase generator. Inverter/battery installations were not so common in 2015, presumably because they were still new in the market and relatively expensive. Moreover, generators have always been the first option when considering alternative power.
We opted for the 50KVA Three-phase generator option. Firstly, because we had a Three-phase installation on the property. Secondly, with air-conditioners installed in our units, along with the electrical hot water heating and electrical stoves, we thought bigger was better. The larger generator also appeared ideal for future expansion of the property. The investment was decided upon and installation of our 50KVA electrical back-up generator was completed around October 2015.
Loadshedding was however still infrequent until about around 2016, so much so that when the time came for the first generator service, the technician exclaimed that the generator had hardly been used. The service parts he brought with him were not utilized, as the installed parts had not reached the end of their service lives. Those were the days of almost constant electrical power.
As loadshedding became increasingly pronounced, our backup electrical generator was a ‘saviour’, as it enabled us to provide facilities and amenities that our guests had come to expect from us during periods of loadshedding and power outages.
Apart from fuel consumption and maintenance costs, electrical generators have a huge limitation – they are noisy. Though we bought a generator with a sound-proof canopy, the level of soundproofing was totally inadequate for its operation during the dead of night. Out of consideration to our residential neighbourhood of Edenburg, Rivonia, we decided to institute a generator use policy which restricts generator operation between the hours of 22h00 and 06h00.
The hours between 22h00 and 06h00 will normally be a period we assume our guests would have turned in and tucked themselves into their beds. This was however not always the case, as guests who were with us on business could not work during these hours. International business guests who liaised with counterparts in different time zones were restricted from communication during this period. Guests who were naturally productive during these hours had to sacrifice their productivity because it was just not convenient to work without electricity. Leisure guests who just wanted to lie in their airconditioned bedrooms, watching their favorite television programmes or surfing the Internet on our high-speed WiFi connection could not do so either. What an unpleasant and compromised guest experience - loadshedding meant no lights, no Internet, no television, and compromised property security during the periods when our security systems most needed to be working. The unpleasantness of hosting dissatisfied guests during periods of loadshedding can only be imagined. Whilst the cause loadshedding could not be attributed to us and certainly not unique to our accommodation business, we felt we owed our guests an investment in a system that would not compromise their promised satisfaction during their stay.
Sadly, and unfortunately, the security of power supply in South Africa has deteriorated quite rapidly in the past few years. Presently, loadshedding at various stages has become a daily experience for all. Loadshedding Stage 6 – which is about 10 cumulative hours without power during a 24-hour period became a frequent occurrence since 2022. During this stage, there would be at least one continuous 4-hour period without electricity in a day. There have been warnings of higher levels of loadshedding in the days and months ahead. This increased frequency and long duration of loadshedding periods leads to an enormous use of diesel, the price of which has increased continuously since the installation of our generator in 2015. Keeping the lights on using the generator has significant cost implications to the business overheads – costs which are not easily passed on by a commensurate increase in room rates.
The ongoing provision of the best possible guest experience remains the aim of any hospitality business – most certainly for an accommodation property suited for long-stay guests. Regrettably, loadshedding has become an expected occurrence in South Africa which affects the guest experience. Sooner or later, a responsive hospitality environment would have to decide to invest in solutions that ameliorates the deleterious effects of loadshedding on guest experience.
Towards the end of 2022, the management of The Haystack on Homestead decided to invest in an inverter/battery system which provided backup power during periods when we were unable to use the diesel generator – most especially during the quiet hours of the night. A few of our frequent guests were polled to find out what minimum facilities they would like available during periods of loadshedding. Top of the list was property security. The security installations securing the property perimeter and the internal alarm systems had to remain on. Next on the list was uninterrupted Internet access. Then came lights, televisions, and fridges. Fridges were important because long-stay and extended stay guests normally stocked up and utilize the self-catering amenities.
Our inverter/battery system was fully installed in January 2023 and powers our security systems, external and internal lights, WiFi Internet equipment, televisions/decoders and refrigerators during loadshedding. This system has managed to keep these facilities on during the dreaded 4-hour loadshedding periods during Stage 6. A great advantage of our inverter/battery system is that it allows for generator charging should the power grid fail for an extended period beyond the loadshedding schedule. The batteries can still be charged for use during the quiet hours of the night.
As loadshedding has become part of our daily experience, it has become necessary to develop a written backup power policy for The Haystack on Homestead. Guests are sent this policy before arrival, so they have an expectation of our operations during periods of loadshedding and power outages. Daily loadshedding schedule updates are also provided to our guests to enable them plan around when amenities that are not powered by the inverter/battery system are unavailable. These are mostly the self-catering facilities like Nespresso coffee makers, stoves, microwaves, kettles, toaster, etc. The use of in-room pressing irons and hairdryers are also restricted when the inverter/battery system is in use.
For guests who have an urgent requirement to use our facilities that are not connected to the inverter/battery backup power system, the ‘old reliable’ 50KVA generator remains on standby. Usage is however dictated by the
The assurance of uninterrupted power during loadshedding periods has been a great bonus to the guests of The Haystack on Homestead. The inverter/battery system operates like an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system. The lights never go off – you wouldn’t even notice the start of a loadshedding period.
Our investment in backup electrical power has rewarded us with satisfied guests, as shown in our latest Tripadvisor reviews. We hope to keep adapting, and aim to continue investing in guest satisfaction during these trying times of loadshedding – the hospitality way.
The Haystack on Homestead operates eight exclusive self-catering apartment suites that are suitable for short and long stay guests in the heart of Rivonia, Sandton. Our location, close to the various medical facilities like the Sunninghill Hospital, Sandton Mediclinic, Morningside Mediclinic and 200 Rivonia Medical Centre makes us ideal for guests coming for medical visits. Also ideal is our location to the various office parks and complexes in the Rivonia business district. The growing hub of Chinese and Asian businesses, restaurants and grocers in our Rivonia neighbourhood has made us a favourite place of stay for guests visiting from China, South Korea and India.
The tranquil gardens at The Haystack on Homestead are a welcome surprise from the hustle of the city life. Whether it is for a weekend stay, long stay or just a short break, our gardens will enchant you and make you forget you are still in the city. Take a dip in the pool, unwind on the pool deck, or just sit on the patio listening to birdsong and watch the sunset though the trees. Bring your charcoals, firelighters and meat and take advantage of the available braai facilities. In great weather, there is something for everybody to shed our current loadshedding blues.
Rates and availability for The Haystack on Homestead can be found on major local and international booking sites – Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, TravelIT, LekkerSlaap, etc. Stays of five or more nights may qualify for weekly rates not found on these booking sites. Best and negotiated rates and offerings are only available through direct contact with the property. Email enquiries may be sent to bookings@thehaystack.co.za. WhatsApp enquiries to +27 (0) 82 706 4014.
Our Locations
The Haystack on Cowley
52 Cowley Rd
Bryanston, Johannesburg
2191
Gauteng
South Africa
The Haystack on Homestead
13 Homestead Road, off 7th Avenue, off Rivonia Road
Edenburg, Sandton
2128
Gauteng
South Africa
