The Best Solar Setup to Beat Load-Shedding Without Overspending (2026)
You do not need to power your whole house to stop load-shedding mattering. You need to power the right things, for long enough, and the difference between those two goals is tens of thousands of rand.
Decide what you are actually protecting
There are two very different installations, and they get quoted as if they were the same thing.
Essential loads only. A sub-board carries lights, plugs, Wi-Fi, the fridge, the gate and the alarm. Everything heavy stays on the grid and goes off when the grid does. This is the affordable version and it covers what most people actually miss during an outage.
Whole-home backup. The entire house transfers to the inverter. Nothing changes when the grid drops, including the geyser and the oven, which is why the inverter and battery both have to be considerably larger.
Ask any quote which of the two it is. A cheap quote is often the first one described as though it were the second.
What keeps the essentials running
Lights, Wi-Fi, a fridge, a TV and phone charging typically draw a few hundred watts continuously. The fridge cycles, so the average is well below its nameplate.
On that basis a 5kW inverter with 5.12kWh of storage carries the essentials through a long outage comfortably, and will still have capacity left. The inverter size is set by the surge when the fridge compressor starts, not by the running load.
Add a geyser or an oven and both numbers move sharply. A geyser element alone is typically 3kW to 4kW, which is most of a 5kW inverter on its own.
Why a hybrid beats a backup-only system
An inverter-and-battery installation with no panels will carry you through outages, and it will do nothing else. It costs money, it saves none, and the battery slowly ages whether you use it or not.
Add panels and the same hardware earns its keep every day: it cuts your daytime import, charges the battery for free, and still covers the outage. The array is usually the cheapest part of the system and it is the part that turns a grudge purchase into an investment.
This is why we do not sell backup-only systems as a default. The marginal cost of the panels is small and the return is continuous.
What it costs
Complete matched packages, live prices including VAT. Installation and balance of system are quoted for your site.
| Package | Inverter | Battery | Panels | Price incl. VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deye 5kW | 5kW | 5.12kWh | 5 | R51 430 |
| Sunsynk 6kW | 6kW | 5.12kWh | 6 | R54 570 |
| Sigenergy 5kW | 5kW | 9kWh | 5 | R79 640 |
| Sigenergy 8kW | 8kW | 9kWh | 10 | R104 220 |
Where people overspend
- Buying whole-home backup when essentials would do. The geyser is usually the single reason a system doubles in size. A timer and a well-insulated cylinder often solve it more cheaply than an inverter upgrade.
- Sizing the battery for days of autonomy. Outages are hours, not days. Size the battery for your daily evening cycle and the outage cover comes free.
- Skipping the panels. The cheapest-looking quote is often the one that saves you nothing after the outage ends.
- Undersizing the inverter to hit a price. The inverter is the component you cannot easily change. Save on battery capacity instead, because that you can add later.
Frequently asked questions
What size inverter do I need for load-shedding?
For essential loads, 5kW is usually ample. For whole-home backup including a geyser and an oven, plan on 8kW or more, and confirm the changeover is wired for the whole house rather than a sub-board.
How long will a 5kWh battery last during an outage?
Running lights, plugs, Wi-Fi, a TV and a fridge, comfortably through a long outage. Running a geyser or an oven, a small fraction of that. Duration depends on the load, not on the inverter size.
Do I need solar panels, or just an inverter and battery?
Technically you can install inverter and battery alone. It will cover outages and save you nothing. Panels are usually the cheapest component and they are what makes the system pay.
Will the changeover be seamless?
On a hybrid inverter, yes, quickly enough that most appliances and lights do not notice. Sensitive equipment such as a desktop computer is worth checking at commissioning.
Next step
Work out your size with the sizing guide, size the battery with the evening peak method, or use the system designer.
