It looks like our solar installation has not gone under the radar and everyone out walking their dog seems to be inquiring how much our system is costing. From my observation we are the 3rd property out of 72 to have solar installed. My neighbor had one installed 2 years ago and his is not visible from the road. He went off the grid due to having a large aquarium worth a small fortune and power cuts were killing his fish. The other house with solar is a small kit and by no means off the grid.
It looks like everyone is aware of the looming electricity price hikes next year and solar has to become a priority. When I tell them R250K as a ball park figure which is roughly $14-$15K they keep quiet. Unfortunately as we know you either have it or you don't and it seems very few have R250K kicking around. Solar kits are not that expensive and it depends what you see as a priority. I got rid of the extra family car a few years ago and other families should do the same because the savings once installed could be used to buy another car.
The problem is if you install a small solar system and are still part of the grid you are penalised for the top ups when dipping in and out the grid paying 3.2 X the normal fee. I would guess 99% of all the solar systems installed in South Africa are still reliant on the grid to some extent so these properties are stuck in limbo land now and have no choice, but to upgrade.
The big problem is finances as the middle/upper class do not have the funds they once had prior to lockdowns. There is very little disposable income with most household budgets deep in debt. The system I bought was a cash purchase which would be paid off in less than 36 months if paid against the monthly electricity cost. Even if you cannot afford this you have to find a way. There is financing available, but then the costs rise and you would be paying close to 50% more for what I have arranged.
The Government who is the electricity service provider/supplier should be promoting green energy instead of worrying about their dwindling revenue. Load shedding will return even though we have not seen it at home for most of this year. A different story at work though with power outages a daily occurrence. You would think that places of work should be a priority as this effects the economy directly and unemployment which is still rising.
