Banking institution FNB has announced that it is providing 10,000 units of generators at a significantly discounted price to small business and residential clients to alleviate the immediate impact of load-shedding.

This, it said, marks the first phase of the intervention forms part of the Bank’s long-term plans to help customers address energy constraints through alternative energy solutions.

The generators are available in various sizes (minimum of 2.5 KVA and maximum of 7.0 KVA) and clients can purchase these at the eBucks Shop.

Customers will be able to use cash, eBucks or any existing FNB facility to purchase their preferred generator and could qualify for up to 20% price discount depending on their rewards level.

The offer is available to both Personal and Business customer segments.

Sanjeev Orie, CEO of FNB Business Value-Adds said: “We believe that this is a timely solution as load-shedding is increasingly affecting businesses and consumers, and the generators we have secured will go a long way to helping our customers to plan better.”

“We have partnered with a leading supplier of alternative energy solutions and based on customer demand, we will increase our generator inventory levels in the coming weeks.”

“We are piloting a similar solution for larger FNB Business customers (generator sizes in excess of 150 KVA). The pilot will focus on the energy needs of larger enterprises and our intention is to embark on a full rollout over the next few weeks once we are comfortable with our piloting objectives.”

FNB said it is also in the process of scoring all current customers for new and/or increased credit facilities to facilitate the purchase of an alternative energy solution.

Since the beginning of 2015, the national energy grid has remained under pressure.

“It is important for the private sector to support efforts to minimise the impact of energy constraints on businesses as well as consumers.”

“From a FNB perspective, our long-term objective is to enable clients to easily access alternative energy solutions, including solar and gas, to reduce pressure on the national grid while boosting productivity among businesses and consumers,” said Orie.