Paula Henihan - blog

Another "load shedding" night in Nepal. Reading by candlelight and early bedtime has become the norm. The electricity outside the cities is either patchy or unavailable. In the cities it is rationed between districts, which means electricity is only available at pre-arranged times in alternating districts because the system in place cannot serve all areas at once. Some areas in Kathmandu get only eight hours of electricity per 24 hours. Surprisingly, it is out mostly during the dark hours.

Questions you ask before you agree to pay for a room in Nepal include; have you electricity followed by do you have candles, do you have hot water and do you have extra blankets.

However, with each negative there is usually a positive. Solar power water heaters and solar panels are really common here and fully effective. Battery storage for back up power is also used in guesthouses so as when the public grid fails some saved energy can be used for dim lighting and sometimes for wifi...Huzzah!