Backup still worth the effort?

wingnut771 said:
Perfect! Now add that solar so it can actually start paying for itself.
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I took the booklet to a solar shop close to my home. They ordered the panels. I think I will get it in the middle of next month. I am not sure what I am getting I was a fitter, not an electrician. I just want to plug it in and see it work. Not think about it.
 
I went solar, off-grid in 2014. For me it was worth every penny and the best investment I have made for quality of life. I dont care about monetary balancing nonsense about how quickly you pay whatever off, although everything has paid for itself countless times over. I dont want to struggle with a generator when the grid is constantly overloaded and burnt the main supply line to the neighborhood again. Or struggle with cable theft for the third time the week. I supply my own. It works for me. If you cant do this or you cant justify doing it, that is fine too. I think it is a must. I dont use electricity with reckless abandon, and going solar changed how I approach my daily routine with energy use for the better.
 
Ross85 said:
If you are young and have a bond go solar but do it because you need the power and not because it will pay itself.
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"you need the power" is another way of saying it will pay for itself.

Look whether or not you will "break even" after 5 or 7 or 10 or 20 years is a complex question reliant on a lot of variables and will differ for different people. You sound like you're one of them who won't be able to get any kind of break-even.

But if you need electricity in order to function and Eskom can't provide, then what choice do you have?
 
Ross85 said:
Sell it and get yourself an inverter generator. You will never be able to burn through R45k worth of petrol no matter what people say.
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How do you eat an elephant

Small bites

At R20 an hour ie R40 a load shedding it will take just over 1k sheddings to eat that elephant

You don't need a R45k battery
You can get away with 25k for 5kwh 13k for 2.5kwh and 7k for a 1.2kwh

If just tv internet and some lights
And 1.2kwh is enough 175 load sheddings and the baby elephant is eaten

And 325 for the medium elephant

So 1 shedding a day under a year , 3a day just over 3 months

That is excluding the cost of the generator itself and the maintenance , just its petrol money

This is In the case of the guy with inverter already

Sure for other the cost of the inverter comes in coming closer to that 45k but even then with enough small bites you eat any elephant
 
Ross85 said:
Yea sure but I am retired I don't have a bond. So for me, it will be a personal loan and I can't justify it. I need my money for other stuff like food, medication and so on. My pills alone are R2k a month. Without them, I die faster so for me it is really not that important.
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Yea and a generator bill for old people on oxygen works out to R200-300 a day inverter dependant on the 10 hrs shedding days

cause they have to run it in shedding

So 6-9k a month

That beats the crap out of your pill bill of 2k

Each case has to be weighed and decided on its merits

Before you can say yay or nay

Paying endless petrol bills is just silly
 
Forum Reader said:
Can someone who installed solar 10 years ago tell us how much they saved?
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Anybody that installed solar 10years ago is most likely using free power by now

If you don't buy silly priced items you ROI most likely in like 7 years , less with eskom increases

So not just how much they have saved over the last 3 years or so how much they will save over the next 10years +

Agreed solar made little sense for SA when it was cheap and allways on

Agreed it hurts the wallet to install

Again if you can't eat the whole elephant , small chunks is the way to go

So when buying an inverter make sure it can take panels later
, The same with battery

Get a small one if the big units are too pricey

And ad some panels and what you save in power costs plough back into more panels and batteries

When it comes to roi
A buddy of mine ROI his by just mining with the spare power in like 3years over the price boom

So much so that he enlarged his system

He started with 10kw batteries and 12panels

Now up to i think 26panels 2 inverters and 30kwh batteries

If somebody spends more money than initial layout 3years later , it doesn't take a rocket scientist yo figure out it is worthwile

Lots of guys with big systems now

Started with little systems
Once you see it works it is easy to be convinced to deep dive
 
leon.davibe said:
Anybody that installed solar 10years ago is most likely using free power by now

If you don't buy silly priced items you ROI most likely in like 7 years , less with eskom increases

So not just how much they have saved over the last 3 years or so how much they will save over the next 10years +

Agreed solar made little sense for SA when it was cheap and allways on

Agreed it hurts the wallet to install

Again if you can't eat the whole elephant , small chunks is the way to go

So when buying an inverter make sure it can take panels later
, The same with battery

Get a small one if the big units are too pricey

And ad some panels and what you save in power costs plough back into more panels and batteries

When it comes to roi
A buddy of mine ROI his by just mining with the spare power in like 3years over the price boom

So much so that he enlarged his system

He started with 10kw batteries and 12panels

Now up to i think 26panels 2 inverters and 30kwh batteries

If somebody spends more money than initial layout 3years later , it doesn't take a rocket scientist yo figure out it is worthwile

Lots of guys with big systems now

Started with little systems
Once you see it works it is easy to be convinced to deep dive
Click to expand...
Do

You

Talk

Like

That

In

Real

Life

As

Well?
 
zeridine said:
I went solar, off-grid in 2014. For me it was worth every penny and the best investment I have made for quality of life. I dont care about monetary balancing nonsense about how quickly you pay whatever off, although everything has paid for itself countless times over. I dont want to struggle with a generator when the grid is constantly overloaded and burnt the main supply line to the neighborhood again. Or struggle with cable theft for the third time the week. I supply my own. It works for me. If you cant do this or you cant justify doing it, that is fine too. I think it is a must. I dont use electricity with reckless abandon, and going solar changed how I approach my daily routine with energy use for the better.
Click to expand...

everything has paid for itself countless times over.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Countless times? Really? What is your actual setup and how much did it cost you back then in 2014 and what is your average yearly consumption ?

p.s. I am sure solar investment is worth it if one has the money but I really doubt if it will recover countless times in 10 years. Probably break-even in 10 years.
 
surface said:
Countless times? Really? What is your actual setup and how much did it cost you back then in 2014 and what is your average yearly consumption ?

p.s. I am sure solar investment is worth it if one has the money but I really doubt if it will recover countless times in 10 years. Probably break-even in 10 years.
Click to expand...
I just add my diesel bill to my monthly running cost of being alive.
 
surface said:
Countless times? Really? What is your actual setup and how much did it cost you back then in 2014 and what is your average yearly consumption ?

p.s. I am sure solar investment is worth it if one has the money but I really doubt if it will recover countless times in 10 years. Probably break-even in 10 years.
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I don't think h/she is talking purely from a money perspective.
 
surface said:
:-( Citizens shouldn't really have to make their own plans for such a basic thing as electricity.
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We shouldn't.

My cuz in Zim has to make his own plans for water and electricity. He's actually self sufficient, would put to shame all the boys here.
 
wingnut771 said:
I don't think h/she is talking purely from a money perspective.
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I agree that it is not his main focus but what do you think he is talking about ? pay off his comfort ?
I dont care about monetary balancing nonsense about how quickly you pay whatever off, although everything has paid for itself countless times over.
Click to expand...
 
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