Wondering if solar can actually save your home money?

A home solar system uses photovoltaic panels to convert sunlight into electricity, which powers your household appliances. Any excess energy can be sent back to the grid or stored in batteries for later use.

Savings depend on your household's energy usage, system size and how much of your consumption you can shift to solar. Some ZenSolar clients have cut their electricity bills by up to 92%, but we size every system to your actual usage rather than quoting a generic figure.

The payback period, the time it takes for energy savings to cover the system's cost, typically ranges from 5 to 10 years, depending on system size, installation costs, and local incentives.

Yes, you may still receive a bill for fixed service charges and any electricity you use from the grid, especially at night or during cloudy days.

Going off-grid is possible with a large enough solar system and battery storage, but most homeowners remain connected to the grid for reliability and backup power.

Solar panels generate less electricity on cloudy days and none at night. Battery storage can help provide power when the sun isn't shining.

Most roofs are suitable, but factors like roof orientation, shading, and structural integrity affect solar panel performance. A professional assessment is recommended.

Solar panels typically last 25 years or more, while inverters may need replacement every 5 to 15 years. Regular maintenance can extend system life.

Solar panels require minimal maintenance, usually just periodic cleaning and annual professional inspections to ensure optimal performance.

South Africa's SARS solar rebate applied only to individual taxpayers who installed new, unused panels between March 2023 and February 2024, and it has since closed. Ask us about current financing options that can still reduce your upfront cost.

There's no single answer, it depends on your daily electricity use, roof space and how much of your usage you want solar to cover. ZenSolar's System Sizer tool gives a starting estimate, but your final system size is set after a site assessment that looks at your actual usage, roof orientation and available space.

Yes, if your system feeds power back to the grid, national rules require Small-Scale Embedded Generation (SSEG) registration with your municipality or Eskom, regardless of system size. A stand-alone backup system that never exports to the grid usually doesn't need SSEG registration, and ZenSolar handles the registration as part of installation.

Yes, every grid-connected solar installation in South Africa legally requires a Certificate of Compliance confirming the work meets SANS 10142-1 wiring standards, issued only by a registered Installation Electrician or Master Installation Electrician. If your home's overall electrical installation doesn't already have a valid COC, the electrician must issue one covering the whole property, not just the solar addition.

Yes, and the reason is cost control. Eskom's tariffs have risen by an average of about 11% a year over the last ten years, roughly two and a half times inflation. This year's approved increase is 8.76% for direct Eskom customers and 9.01% for municipal customers (NERSA).

Cost depends on system size, battery capacity and finance option, so there's no single upfront price. ZenSolar's own residential bundles start from R1,750 a month on rent-to-own for a 5kW FoxESS system with battery, rising to R2,750 a month for a 10.5kW system and R4,150 a month for 15kW, financing changes the upfront number significantly compared with paying cash.

Yes, but it needs body corporate or trustee approval and a check for shared-roof or shared-electrical constraints. ZenSolar has experience structuring proposals for body corporate sign-off.

A battery-only system (inverter and battery, no panels) stores grid power for later use but doesn't reduce your Eskom bill. A full solar system adds panels so you generate your own daytime power, which is what actually cuts your bill, some ZenSolar clients have cut bills by up to 92% this way.

The 25%/R15,000 SARS rebate that closed in February 2024 applied only to individual taxpayers' own-home panels and is not available for new installations. Section 12B accelerated depreciation is a separate, ongoing business tax allowance and doesn't apply to a homeowner's personal residence, speak to a tax practitioner if you run a home business drawing power from the same system.