Top home solar companies in South Africa
Amid increased levels of load-shedding in recent months, demand for solar and backup power systems in South Africa has seen a flurry of suppliers enter the market.
While there are myriad legitimate providers to choose from, many “fly-by-nights” are also looking to make a quick and easy buck from desperate South Africans.
The consumer ombudsman recently reported a surge in complaints relating to the sale and installation of solar panels and generators in the past 12 months.
While 48 of the 134 complainants for which the ombudsman had concluded investigations received some compensation for their grievances, the total paid-back value was a modest R277,273.
That works out to an average of about R5,777 per complainant, which is very little compared to the cost of a backup power system capable of carrying a typical household through load-shedding.
In addition, 46% of the ombudsman’s cases had to be terminated due to a lack of cooperation by the suppliers.
“This is of great concern to us as it means that complainants did not receive any redress,” said ombudsman Magauta Mpahlele.
“This outcome proves that there are high levels of non-compliance around the Consumer Protection Act in this sector.”
Solar equipment and installations are no cheap matter, so buyers must conduct thorough research before choosing a preferred supplier and installer.
Faulty equipment or an improper installation could also result in serious damage to your home, such as a fire caused by an electrical short or a roof collapsing due to being unable to support the weight of the equipment.
Ill-informed consumers also risk buying sub-par equipment at overinflated prices that might not perform as promised.
The City of Cape Town recommends verifying that an installer is qualified and certified should be the first and foremost step in acquiring a legal and safe solar system.
It advises consumers to ask for references and proof of electrical Certificates of Compliance (CoCs) or professional engineer sign-offs on previous installations, among other mitigations, to avoid disappointment.
As is often the case with many products and services in the free market, a cheap purchase in the short term could become an expensive one down the line.
Therefore, it is essential to consider factors like warranties, maintenance costs, and technical support when choosing your preferred provider.
Below are five reputed South African solar equipment companies, some of whom offer installation, while others help you build a system and send a qualified installer to your home.
Alumo Energy
When considering the feedback of previous customers, Alumo Energy should be one of your preferred options.
At the time of writing, the company had a five-star rating from 208 Google Reviews and 22 Facebook reviews.
It also comes highly recommended by one of MyBroadband’s own qualified electronic engineers who has dealt with the company first-hand.
Alumo offers straight-up purchasable systems, but its standout product is a rent-to-own system.
A rent-to-own setup lets you get a solar or battery backup system, and protection from load-shedding, without a substantial up-front capital investment — while saving money on your electricity bill.
It also ensures long-term support and warranties against manufacturing defects, lowering your financial exposure.
Alumo’s rent-to-own packages start from R1,884 per month for a Bronze system that can support three hours of runtime with several essential appliances, including a TV, computer, fridge or freezer, kettle, 10 LED lights, microwave, and CCTV security system.
Alumo Energy currently operates in Gauteng and the surrounding areas.
Alumo Energy installation team arrive at customer’s home
Hohm Energy
Randburg-based Hohm Energy offers a managed solar marketplace that handles all the various stakeholders involved in acquiring a solar system, which greatly simplifies the process.
The company started out as a solar installation and engineering subsidiary in 2013 but transitioned into a climate-tech startup that uses software to generate bespoke client solar proposals and automate workflows to speed up sales and deployment.
In its current guise, Hohm Energy works with the entire network of relevant accreditation bodies, OEM product suppliers, financiers, insurers, sub-contractors, solar system providers, and maintenance teams on behalf of the buyer.
The company offers a five-step tool on its website that guides users through the entire solar purchasing, installation, and after-sales process.
This starts with choosing a system based on your needs, moves into matching with accredited solar installers in the user’s area, finalising the system design from an engineering proposal, and booking installation.
Hohm Energy also includes an all-inclusive maintenance plan for the products taken up via its portal.
AWPower
AWPower was founded in 2015 by a group of industrial-, mechanical- and mechatronics engineers with a passion for working in the renewable energy sector.
It services customers in Cape Town and the surrounding areas.
The company sells and installs off-grid, grid-tied, and battery-only systems for load-shedding backup to households, offices, and industrial customers.
One of its specialist services is integrating solar systems with electric vehicle charging stations.
Interested customers can find the company’s extensive list of home and business projects on its website.
Here, visitors will also find a useful sizing tool that calculates what type of solar system they need and how much it could cost.
Rooftop solar installation by AWPower.
Goslr
Goslr is available in the greater Cape Town, Gauteng, Durban, Garden Route, Qgeberha, Bloemfontein, and Nelspruit areas.
It primarily offers rentable systems for which it charges a fixed monthly subscription fee on an evergreen contract, with an equivalent once-off setup fee.
Goslr’s Medium package is priced at R1,740 and is suitable for households with a typical monthly electricity bill between R1,500 and R3,000.
For that price, you get eight solar PV panels, a 5kW hybrid inverter, and 5.1kWh battery storage.
This system delivers about 15-25kWh of electricity per day, enough to cover between half to 80% of the average South African household’s demand.
It should also allow continuous usage of essential appliances, including lights, TV, Internet routers, fridges, alarm systems, and kettles and microwaves for short periods during load-shedding.
Like Alumo Energy, it will perform all necessary maintenance and repairs free of charge and clean panels once a year to ensure the best possible generation.
MetSolar
Roodepoort-based MetSolar’s extensive suite of services includes professional design and engineering, procurement, construction and maintenance including full operational services, technical support and training.
The company says each of its systems is tailor-made by using tried and tested solar power technology and features only top-quality products.
MetSolar’s supplier standard warranties on panels include 25-year production guarantees, while inverters carry minimum warranties of 3-5 years, which can be extended to 10 and 20 years.
The company has experience with systems ranging in sizes from 3kW to 5MW, with prices starting at around R80,000 for all services up to commissioning and issuing of a Certificate of Compliance (CoC).
One of its most impressive residential installations is a 76kWp rooftop solar system in Gauteng, with three 20kW hybrid inverters and 120kWh of Freedom Won battery storage.
MetSolar’s massive 76kWp solar power installation for a family estate in Gauteng.
One Energy
One Energy Group was established in 2011, and said it is the largest renewable energy franchise network in South Africa.
It boasts over 13,500 successful installations as of the end of 2022.
Franchises offer energy auditing, water heating, grid-tied solutions, off-grid systems, battery-and-inverter setups, and solar photovoltaic systems.
One Energy offers a range of pre-specced packages, ranging from a 3.6kWh lithium-ion battery and 5kW inverter for R84,500 to a full off-grid system for R284,000.
All its packages include full installation, the COC, and VAT.
Rubicon
Rubicon is one of South Africa’s major distributors of solar and energy systems, including the Tesla Powerwall and Megapacks.
While it does not handle installations, Rubicon provides a calculator for sizing your system to generate a quote based on your self-generation and backup requirements.
The company supplies the components and uses certified partners to install systems in homes in the following cities and their surrounding areas:
- Cape Town
- Durban
- Gqeberha
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Polokwane
- Vredendal
- Beaufort West
Rubicon’s headquarters in Cape Town
Solar Advice
Solar Advice offers both on-grid and off-grid solar and backup systems. It also sells a wide range of panels, inverters, and batteries from its online store.
Like the other providers on this list, the company’s website (solar.co.za) features a simple configuration tool that lets you size a system by adding or removing components.
It also offers numerous guides with in-depth details about buying and owning a home solar power system and other energy products.
At the time of publication, Solar Advice boasted a Hellopeter rating of 4.5 out of 5, based on 168 reviews.
It has received high praise for its professionalism, transparent and competitive pricing, clear communication, and fast installation turnaround times.
The company can also assist with applications for financing agreements with interest rates from 14.75%.
One of its pre-configured systems combines six solar panels, a 5kW hybrid inverter, and a 5.12kWh battery pack for R109,989.45, with installation included.
That comes to a monthly price of about R2,602.23 when financed over five years.
Freedom Won
Freedom Won was officially founded in 2012 after completing its first electric vehicle conversion — a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
This Jeep served as a test bed for the then relatively unknown Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery technology that later took the world by storm.
The company lays claim to being the largest energy storage manufacturer in Africa.
During 2021 Freedom Won ramped up to an output of nearly 20MWh per month. Its footprint extends across Africa and further afield into several other key markets.
SolarAfrica Energy
SolarAfrica Energy was founded in 2011, initially operating as NVI Energy. It rebranded to SolarAfrica Energy in 2014 and has established five offices in Mauritius and South Africa since then.
Among its major projects in the commercial space includes the funding and installation of the largest battery system in Africa — a Tesla Power Pack at the Singita Luxury Lodge and Reserve — and the Ford Silverton plant’s 13.5MW solar carport, one of the largest in the world.
The company specialises in solar financing through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), but also offers residential installations.
In addition to capex-free solar and battery storage systems, SolarAfrica supports wheeling electricity from offsite solar farms and electricity trading, allowing customers to buy cheaper power from renewable sources.
It also offers gas-to-power integration with solar and is currently developing a utility-scale biogas plant.
SolarAfrica’s solar carport at the Ford Silverton plant in Pretoria
SolarEPC
SolarEPC provides renewables construction and engineering services, as well as fully-funded PPA and rent-to-own systems to businesses and households.
Its commercial and industrial-scale solar power projects have capacities between 50kW and over 10MW, while home and small business systems range between 5kW and 50kW.
The company has signed numerous PPAs with several companies and residential areas across South Africa.
SolarEPC also offers rent-to-own systems on a five-year contract, with prices starting at R3,299 for a Cobalt package that includes eight 455W PV solar panels, a 5kW inverter, and 5kWh of battery storage.
The top-end Platinum package comes with 14 455W panels, a 16kW inverter, and 15kWh of battery storage, for R6,999 per month.
Customers have the option of adding an extra panel at R120 per month or a 5kWh battery for R800 per month.
A fully off-grid SolarEPC 350kW solar installation for Colour Magic Printing in Roodepoort.
Wetility
Wetility is a solar and battery solution provider for homes and businesses that offers customers several ways of financing their systems.
It promises expertly designed, sourced, installed, and maintained solar photovoltaic systems. This includes 24/7 dedicated monitoring and support on every element of the installation.
Payment options include PACE™, which lets customers install a system for zero up-front cost and pay for their electricity usage under a lease or power purchase agreement.
You can also elect to pay off the system in monthly instalments, supported by leading financiers.
Wetility says you can also select to add it to your home loan and commercial finance agreements.
Loading ...