Solar as a service (rental)

Dianysis said:
@hellfire
Are you happy?
I am looking ay GoSolr
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So far so good.
Sub-contractor that was sent was Sparki. They came with a big team of 7 or 8 guys. They split up and some installed solar panels while others installed battery & inverter, and then they wired it all up. They also wired up a secondary DB for me (splits out to my pool, store room and play room).
They arrived before 8am, and left around 5pm. I think they would have been done a couple hours sooner, but we had load shedding from 12pm - 430pm so they had to wait for power to be restored in order to test everything.

That night, I realised one of my circuits wasn't working (wire had come loose above DB board), I called Sparki and the installers came back the next morning to find and fix.

EDIT: It's been a real game changer over the last 4 days to not be so affected by loadshedding.
 
joshuatree said:
From gosolr.co.za :

Currently our estimated lead time for installation post registration is as follows:

Gauteng: 6-8 weeks
Cape Town: 8 weeks
Garden Route: 2 weeks
Qqeberha: 2 weeks
Durban: 2 weeks
Bloemfontein: 2 weeks
Nelspruit: 2 weeks
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I also got that message when I emailed them, but my Gauteng installation was done in less than 3 weeks.
 
I'm keen to hear about the aftersales service/support as I assume if you have an issue you can only contact them to fix..
 
hellfire said:
Sounds like a GoSolr delay...
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I’ve had nothing but pain with them, took forever for a rep to reach out, once they did, the invoice was sent very very quickly and was paid quickly as well, and ever since I’ve heard nothing, it’s been 4 weeks now ( I’m in Durban btw). Getting through to them is a pain…
 
Gosolr - price increase

Get a solar system for your home from only R1740 per month
 
Have put my order in and paid 3 week ago. Got the "We're almost there" on 17 Jan.

The process so far was very good, but yes the waiting period is a bummer. Initially were told +- 4 weeks wait, but I was told last week that it can now take up to 8 weeks in CPT, which I hope is not going to be the case.

A few friends also joined off which one in up in JHB. He signed up a week after me I think, but he got a call yesterday with an installation date at the end of the month.

**Edit**

I spoke to guy in the neighborhood and he said he has the 5kW system, which he got in Nov '22 and he has been saving +- 60% on his electricity bill, which was R2200 per month. This obviously helps a lot to reduce the actual rental cost and the difference is in my opinion worth the convenience of not having load shedding.
 
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Hunted said:
Have put my order in and paid 3 week ago. Got the "We're almost there" on 17 Jan.

The process so far was very good, but yes the waiting period is a bummer. Initially were told +- 4 weeks wait, but I was told last week that it can now take up to 8 weeks in CPT, which I hope is not going to be the case.

A few friends also joined off which one in up in JHB. He signed up a week after me I think, but he got a call yesterday with an installation date at the end of the month.

**Edit**

I spoke to guy in the neighborhood and he said he has the 5kW system, which he got in Nov '22 and he has been saving +- 60% on his electricity bill, which was R2200 per month. This obviously helps a lot to reduce the actual rental cost and the difference is in my opinion worth the convenience of not having load shedding.
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Quite an extensive waiting period.
Paid my installation fee on the weekend, still awaiting an installation date, but they appear to be inundated. So your friend in Joburg is expecting a 5 week wait between registration and installation?
 
Hi all. Is there anybody here that could advise what the escalation clause is in the GoSolar contract as well as the expected purchase price of the system after 3 years.

"Yes. After three years you will be able to purchase the installation at a price set in your contract."
 
Anyone found any similar alternatives to GoSolr? I filled in the contract online about a month ago and they have been shocking in terms of getting back to me. No invoice received as yet, also have concerns over timescale for installation and the new price increase. Wanted to see if anyone was using another solar "Rental" provider.
 
I've come across solar.co.za and solarepc.co.za but they do rent to own, not pure rental.
 
I also filled out the form and am now waiting to send a document stating the replacement value of the equipment so I can speak to insurance.

I'm really torn - maybe the MYBB members who know this **** much more than I do can help.

I like the idea of almost zero upfront cost and them being responsible if anything breaks. The price is reasonable and factoring in savings will probably come to less than I pay for my internet.

Although a poster mentioned they could increase over and above the interest rate? That's a bit scary. Also as a new venture and model, I worry about being an early adopter.

Buying outright, I could do but it would take a chunk out of my savings. How much would a relative system to GoSolr medium be in Cape Town? Probably 150kish?

I'm also very curious to see what government is planning with regards to subsidies, and feeding into the grid, which wouldn't be possible with GoSolr.

Also not sure about a bond/loan as I don't technically own the house, it's in my parent's name and I live in a cottage next door. So that may be a hassle.
 
dazzazzad said:
Buying outright, I could do but it would take a chunk out of my savings. How much would a relative system to GoSolr medium be in Cape Town? Probably 150kish?
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Probably a bit less, but pretty on the mark. 30k for 5kw inverter, 45 to 50k battery for a good battery, 8 panels at like 3k a piece, plus about 20 to 40k labour and registration fee in CoCT.

dazzazzad said:
I'm also very curious to see what government is planning with regards to subsidies, and feeding into the grid, which wouldn't be possible with GoSolr.

Also not sure about a bond/loan as I don't technically own the house, it's in my parent's name and I live in a cottage next door. So that may be a hassle.
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Yup that is correct. I don't think they will even install if it's not your property. There is a clause in the gosolr contract that says any benefit the system can provide in terms of tax rebates, feed in tarrifs, etc is solely to the benifit of gosolr.
Basically if there is any way you can financially benifit from their system, you have to pass on all the benifit to gosolr, and you are obligated to assist them in any way. Whether that be paying for a new meter to feed back to the grid or doing paperwork etc.

The whole contract is so onesidedly benifical to them (gosolr) my lawyers took one look at it and told me to finance or cash, I'm wasting my time with Solar as a Service.

Although a poster mentioned they could increase over and above the interest rate? That's a bit scary. Also as a new venture and model, I worry about being an early adopter.
Click to expand...

The contract mentioned a 5% annual escalation and they slipped in a good 10% for the larger systems instead this year (4000 to 4400 a month). Gonna get very expensive very quickly if you consider that escalation over a 5 year period.
 
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