A 5KW solar system will still leave us relying on the grid so we need a 10KW system with 4 extra panels. This will cover the needs and more never having to worry about the power supply or load shedding ever again.
With the power supply in South Africa being under so much pressure with regular load shedding happening daily anywhere between 4 and 10 hours going off the grid is the best call. I have been delaying due to the thoughts of moving overseas but this is money well spent as it adds value to the property.
The aim is to be in Europe before the end of this year so that is still 9 months of not knowing where we will be in the coming months with the power supply. Financially this makes so much sense as electricity is rising by anywhere between 18 and 30% at the end of this month. Throw in the daily expense of buying fuel to feed the generator which is costing on average around $10 -$20 per day.
Reading between the lines things are going to deteriorate as the insurance companies have sent out letters they are not covering extended rolling blackouts. This is not load shedding as they expect these power cuts to become much longer which will mean a higher cost on back up power.
I found a 13KW solar kit for under $9K which is roughly the size I have been wanting as the need to cut ties with the grid has to be guaranteed.
My neighbor went off the grid 2 months ago and this cost him R220K or $12K which was 3 phase and homes run on single phase. I expect to have this done for under R200K or $11K which would leave wiggle room as there will be spare power available. The plan is to have 25% more power available than required so there is never any power shortages. Maybe even sell back to the grid is a possibility.
This may seem kind of crazy knowing I am going to be moving however whatever is spent now will only add to the value of the property. Throw in the fact that electricity prices are rising and this solar installation would be paid off within 20 months give or take a month or two.
I have two options as I could use the company my neighbor has used as he got a decent price for what he has or I can use my friend who I will chat with tomorrow morning. This may actually save me another 30% in costs as we have spoken about this project about 18 months ago where he will help advise and purchase the unit and install this for me.
Whatever route we go with I will learn so much that then I can use this wherever I am in Europe as this is a no brainer for the future. A 5 bedroom house requires around 14 solar panels so the aim will be to have 18 which should be sufficient.