In South Africa, load shedding has become a common occurrence, leaving many businesses and homes without power for hours at a time. This can be a major problem for those with traditional intruder alarms, as these systems rely on lead acid batteries as a backup power source during power outages. However, there is a solution to this problem: replacing your lead acid battery with a lithium battery.
Lithium batteries offer several benefits over traditional lead acid batteries. Firstly, they have a much longer lifespan, typically lasting up to five times longer than lead acid batteries. This means that you will need to replace your battery less often, saving you both time and money in the long run.
A typical lithium ion alarm battery is rated for over 2000 charging cycles. Every instance of load shedding consumes one of those cycles. A comparable lead acid battery has a maximum of 700 charge cycles. It should be kept in mind that this value decreases by about 40% if the lead acid battery is drained of more than 50% of its charge. This will routinely happen when load shedding is above stage 4. Lithium Ion batteries have no such shortfall. This leads directly to saving money over the long term with a lithium Ion battery.
For a more in depth example, a lithium ion battery costs R1000 with 2000 charge cycles and a lead acid battery costs R400 with 700 charge cycles. That translates to 57 cents per cycle for lead acid and 50 cents per cycle with lithium ion. So changing to lithium ion translates to a 12% cost decrease. This is the best case scenario. If we see loadshedding as severe as last year then you can reliably cut the charge cycles of the lead acid battery down to 400 in which case it will cost you R1 per cycle, almost double the cost of a lithium ion. This is excluding the cost of having to pay a technician to replace a lead acid battery almost twice as often.
Additionally, lithium batteries have a much higher energy density, meaning they can store more energy in a smaller space. This is particularly useful for intruder alarms, as it allows for a smaller and more compact backup power source. This also means that a lithium battery is likely to last longer during a power outage, providing more reliable protection for your home or business.
Another benefit of lithium batteries is their ability to withstand extreme temperatures. Lead acid batteries can be damaged or fail to function in high temperatures, but lithium batteries are able to operate effectively in temperatures ranging from -20 to 60 degrees Celsius. This makes them a much more reliable choice for South Africa, where temperatures can reach extreme levels.
Finally, lithium batteries are also much more environmentally friendly than lead acid batteries. They do not contain toxic heavy metals and are fully recyclable, making them a more sustainable option.
In conclusion, replacing your lead acid battery with a lithium battery can provide significant benefits for your intruder alarm system during load shedding in South Africa. With a longer lifespan, higher energy density, ability to withstand extreme temperatures and eco-friendly properties, lithium batteries are a reliable and sustainable choice for powering your intruder alarm during power outages.
