Solar installation FAQs

Your ideal set-up is mainly determined by your budget, your average consumption, the appliances and equipment you want to run, and your intended usage (i.e. to supplement your energy supply, or to allow you to be mostly self-sufficient). You can then choose a package that best meets your needs, or our sales team can help you find your perfect solution.

Costs vary depending on the size and nature of your set-up. We’ve designed a number of packages to accommodate a variety of budgets and requirements – see our Products page.

We can also build custom solutions or back-up-only packages (without solar panels). Contact us to get a no-obligation quote.

In Cape Town, the average electricity consumption for a household is around 1 000 kWh per month or 33.3 kWh per day (based on data from 2020/2021).

Savings can be anywhere from around 30-90% depending on your usage and the type of solution you have in place. Investing more in a solar set-up means less reliance on the grid, which equates to greater savings on mains electricity.

Almost any roof can support solar panels, but the best roofs for solar are those that face north and are not shaded by trees or buildings. If your roof isn’t ideal for solar, you can still benefit from solar by installing the panels on the ground. Solar panels can also be installed on flat roofs by using special mounts and fixing systems. If you don’t have a roof, panels can be installed on a sunnier part of your property. This comes with an additional cost which is quoted to you beforehand.

Typically installation is over 2 days for a normal-sized house. Day 1 will be for the battery and inverter setup and day 2 for the solar panels (weather dependent).

Once the quote is approved we’ll require an 80% deposit upfront with final payment due immediately upon completion of works. Finance options are also available, contact us to discuss.

Yes, solar panels are tax deductible in South Africa for both businesses and individuals. For businesses, you can deduct the value of your new solar power system as a depreciation expense from your company’s profits. This means that your company’s income tax liability will be decreased by the same value as the value of the installed solar system. For individuals, you can claim a rebate to the value of 25% of the cost of new or unused solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, up to a maximum of R15 000 per individual. This rebate is only applicable for installations done from 1 March 2023 to 29 February 2024.

You can check how much electricity is being generated, stored and drawn from your solar panels, battery and the grid anytime via both your inverter and a dedicated mobile app.

Panels have an expected lifespan of 25 years. Inverters and batteries will last around 10 years.

Lithium batteries have higher terminal voltages, more cycle life, and a longer lifespan than lead acid and gel batteries. Lead acid and gel batteries are cheaper however, they have shorter lifespans, lower efficiency, and higher maintenance.

Installing a solar power system can increase the value of your property by around 3% to 4%, according to some sources. However, this may depend on the type and extent of the system, as well as your location and electricity rates.

Installing battery storage in your home does not necessarily mean that you can disconnect completely from the electricity grid. Generally speaking, going off-grid is not practical for the average urban consumer because it might be difficult to store enough energy to reliably cover your use during cloudy days in winter. There are also likely to be significant extra costs, for example, you may need special additional equipment like the installation of an air-conditioning system for the battery enclosure.

Every household is different. In the same way that you match the number of solar panels to your household’s energy requirements, your battery storage capacity also needs to be matched to your needs. Typically, residential battery storage systems range from 3 to 12 kilowatt-hours (kWh) in size. For small-scale commercial installations, the storage can be up to 200 kWh.

The kWh size of your storage system will be influenced by:

• your budget
• where you live, your house orientation and the type of house
• your average household energy consumption
• the time of day when household energy consumption occurs
• the size of your solar panel installation and the energy generated by those panels
• ambient weather conditions
• how you intend to use your battery (i.e. to supplement your energy supply, or to allow you to become entirely self-sufficient)

An inverter is a device that converts direct current (DC) electricity into alternating current (AC) electricity. Home solar systems use inverters to convert the DC electricity generated by the solar panels into AC electricity, to be used by the different appliances and equipment in your house.

Solar panels require very little maintenance. Once they are installed, you will only need to clean them occasionally to keep the surface free of dirt and dust. It is good practice to perform a yearly solar inspection to check the condition of your system.

The frame and mounting system are anodised aluminium, they are coated in an anti-corrosive agent. The inverter is manufactured for exposure to the environment and provided the electrical components are manufactured to a high quality they to are built to withstand all weather conditions.

Solar panels are designed to last for many years, with most manufacturers offering 25-year warranties. Usually, solar panels degrade at a pace of 1% annually, meaning your solar panels would still be 75% efficient after the 25 years warranty period.

Typically, you should clean your solar panels at least once a year. More frequent cleaning is required if your area suffers from dust or pollution. Clean panels are more efficient at generating electricity, so it’s important to keep the surfaces clean.

Solar panels do generate electricity in the Winter, however, they are typically not as efficient as they are in the Summer. This is due to the fact that during Winter, the sun is lower in the sky and the sun rays hit the panels at an angle, rather than a straight forward line. Nevertheless, the solar panels keep working efficiently as long as they receive sunlight on the panel.

Solar panels will still generate electricity on cloudy days, however at a much lower and less efficient rate than on sunny days. This is because the sun’s rays are diffused when they pass through clouds. Typically, solar panels would still be able to generate a significant amount of electricity on cloudy days that will be enough to power your home or business.

Solar panels do not generate any electricity at night, but they can still be used to power your home or business. When connected to a battery system, the complete solar panel system can store electricity generated during the day and the batteries can supply it at night.

Yes, absolutely. The installer of the equipment must be able to issue a compliance certificate. This is to ensure that the installation is safe, as well as, within the scope of relevant regulations. All our packages come with a COC included in the price.

No. Grosteel quotes all the inclusive costs for product supply and system installation.

kW stands for kilowatt or 1,000 watts and is used as a means to measure power. kWh stands for kilowatt per hour and is also used as a measure of used energy.

Panels – 25 years
Inverters – 10 years
Batteries – 6000 cycles or 10 years