See what solar could save your business
Get a free ROI assessment and see exactly what you’d save, before you spend a cent.
Estimate your return
01 / Solar savingsIllustrative cash-flow model
Are you calculating for a home or a business?
How to read this result
This illustration does not predict future tariffs, production, finance, tax or savings. Tax treatment is a model, not advice -- confirm Section 12B eligibility, timing and VAT with a registered accountant. Those inputs need a property-specific assessment.
Request this illustration as a report
Headline results are above. Send the inputs so ZenSolar can review them against the property, or book a call. The booking link does not include your personal details.
Too many businesses buy solar on a sales pitch, not their own numbers, and end up with a system that underperforms or never pays back. We believe every business deserves a real answer on ROI before they sign anything.
Know your real payback period.
With a full energy and ROI audit built from your own bill and usage, you get an honest number, which means you decide on facts, not a sales promise.
Avoid a bad-fit system.
With a proper consumption assessment before any quote, we size for your actual load, which means no underperforming installs and no wasted spend.
ZenSolar builds the model from your own bill, then checks it on site. We can do the same for you.
Your next 3 steps
Step 1: Run your numbers, bill, consumption, location. Step 2: Get your ROI model, savings, payback period, system cost. Step 3: Book your assessment, bring your numbers to a free consultation for a real system plan.
It models an illustrative cash-flow comparison between your current grid cost and a solar-assisted cost, using the tariff, consumption, location and system inputs you provide. It is an estimate, not a promise of returns, and doesn't replace a full site assessment.
It's only as accurate as the assumptions you enter, tariff escalation, panel degradation, and self-consumption all vary by property. ZenSolar's free on-site (or virtual) assessment replaces these assumptions with your actual bill, roof and usage data before any system is proposed.
A ZenSolar solar energy specialist reviews your inputs and contacts you to arrange a free energy consumption assessment, either at your property or virtually if you're outside ZenSolar's current coverage area.
Payback time varies by tariff structure, daytime self-consumption rate and your location's sun exposure, so there's no single realistic figure that applies to every business. This calculator models your own numbers rather than relying on an industry-wide average, and ZenSolar's free assessment refines that estimate further using your actual usage data.
Specific yield (kWh produced per kWp of installed panels per year) measures how much energy a system actually produces at your location, accounting for sun hours, shading, tilt and system losses. It varies by province and site, which is why using an accurate figure for your specific location meaningfully changes the ROI result, the calculator lets you adjust this assumption directly.
Yes, the 'Tariff escalation' advanced assumption lets you model future increases instead of assuming prices stay the same. 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).
VAT-inclusive vs exclusive changes your effective system cost, and the calculator's illustration remains a cash-flow model regardless of purchase type. A financed system, like rent-to-own, replaces a multi-year cash payback with an immediate month-to-month saving instead, since there's no upfront capital to recover.
If the system is grid-tied and can export power, yes, SSEG registration with your municipality or Eskom is a national requirement regardless of size, and ZenSolar includes this in the installation process.