here are some tips:

firstly you can use a ups or an invertor with a whole lot of batteries to provide power to your home or office...it is a quieter but more expensive option...and when the batteries go flat you need power/generator to charge the batteries...some people dont have a choice because they live in flats so a generator is not an option...be carefull with batteries not to short them out...and remeber they are full of acid...make sure they are sealed and enclosed properly...and kept away from children.

i always advise my customers to use an online UPS to protect their computors...servers...and any sensitive electronic equipment (the one which has built in surge protection)... regardless of load shedding or not...connected directly to all the red or dedicated plugs.

i have one customer where i installed a big unit to run the entire office more than 10 years ago...they were having problems loosing data so i connected a big online unit it cost a lot of money but still to this day the UPS is running and they have had no problems with data loss due to dips and swells or surges in the electricity supply saving them lots of money in data loss and computor replacements

now with the load shedding you need to make sure that the UPS has a frequency tolerance of at least 45 to 55 hz if you want to run the UPS from a generator...and then you will ask why...well the cheaper generators have the buzz word at the moment "AVR automatic voltage regulation"...you do need voltage regulation but the problem is with the frequency which can go as high as 54/55hz when the generator is not under load...and some of them drop as low as 46 hz...if the UPS is old or not designed to with a high torence then it will just keep switching off line...

buy a couple of small 2 tube fluoresnt light fittings and switch it to 1 tube and you should get 3 -6 hours...dont buy the osram green camping light they are a waste of money the batteries dont last...and make sure the light has a charger which will not over charge if left on charge...electric world has a good light for around R115 on special.

whatever you do dont plug to plug your generator in your house...it is extremely dangerous it overides all the safety devices in the distribution and can cause a dangerous enviroment for electricians working on the lines..the cheapest most pratical way to do it is to fit a manual changeover switch with an ammeter to determine how much power you have available...lets say you fit a 5 kva which is the most common one for your house...if you have a annalog ammeter you can run the tv fridge etc...then if you need to run the pool pump and the kettle for example you switch off some of the appliance then switch on others watching the ammeter needle when it reachs the limit marked with a marker pen on the ammeter you stop...just remember resistive loads like the kettle...geyser...toaster are have consistant loads but fridges...pool pumps...have start up currents which you need to allow for... so dont let the needle sit on the line...allow 5-10 amps for start up or if you hear the generator battling reduce the load by switching off more appliances.
be even more careful with the positioning of the generator it will kill you slowly without you even knowing if the fumes get into the house...so whatever you do dont run the generator in a garage or next to a window...preferably get someone to extend the exhaust just above the roof height...heat will rise.

also be careful of generator installers...every one and their uncles are installing generators now like aircons...there are a lot of fly by nights making a quick buck...make sure the installer is registered or you will have safety problem...there are no regulations for generators yet only guide lines...but the cable selection and changeover panel and labelling need to be up to spec...warning the electrician that there is a generator connected to the DB.

you should be sorted if you have the following items at home:

a solar heated geyser
a gas hob
battery emergency lights positioned correctly...connected directly to the mains/generator with a switch for when you go to bed
an online ups or 2 with surge protection for sensitive electronic equipment and alarm connected to the mains/generator...
and if you can fit an additional battery for your gate motor
a 5 kva generator preferably diesel more expensive but should last longer and be more stable (i havent had a chance to test a diesel one yet for voltage and frequency stability) with an analog ammeter and a volt meter.

or if you have R80000.00 we can just fit a big unit and it will switch on automatically when the power goes off will run the house as if there was never an outage...just fill the diesel...and for a small fee we will service the unit at the correct intervals as per the running hour meter.

if you have a small office:

have a load assesment done...to determine the size of the ups required and the amount of batteries neede to keep the office running for the load shedding period of 2/3 hours or a generator to keep the ups batteries charged and so that you dont loose data...it is not advisable to run a generator directly connected to your computer

an oline surge protected ups with your computor...telephone...server...small printers connected..."not big printers" to keep the office running without any disturbances...an online is is more expensive but if you dont want to loose data it is a better choice especially for critical aplications.

fit emergency lights with at least 6 hours backup time and over charge protection


big companies

get a company to do a load assesment (recording over a period of time not less than 8 hours/1 day)which will give you a good idea of the power consumption and give you professional advice on ways to keep you up and running.