Load-shedding-proofing your home: what to check before you buy

Since 2022, load-shedding has shifted from occasional inconvenience to a daily cost. Homes with proper backup have climbed in value. If you're buying in 2026, here's what to inspect, and what it all means for your running costs.

Why it matters to your purchase

A full solar-plus-battery setup typically costs R120,000–R350,000 to install new. If a house already has one, and it's in good condition, you're buying that value — often at a discount because buyers don't always know what to ask for.

Check these during the viewing

1. What exactly is installed?

• Solar panels — how many, how many watts each, what roof direction?
• Battery — brand, capacity (in kWh), age, warranty remaining?
• Inverter — hybrid or backup-only? Hybrid inverters can both back up during load-shedding and feed solar into the house during the day.
• Installer and installation date — matters for warranty.

Common quality brands to recognise: Sunsynk, Deye, Victron, Fronius, Solis (inverters); Pylontech, Hubble, BYD, Freedom Won (batteries); Canadian Solar, JA Solar, Longi, Jinko (panels). No-name brands are fine if they've been running for 2+ years without issue.

2. Is it certified?

Solar installs need a Certificate of Compliance (CoC) from a registered electrician. Ask the seller for it. No CoC = the install wasn't legally signed off, and you may struggle with insurance claims or building plans later.

3. Has the municipality been notified?

In Cape Town, Johannesburg, Tshwane, and eThekwini, solar systems over a certain size (usually 350W per phase) need municipal approval and often a bidirectional meter. An unregistered system can cost you fines and a forced-disconnection.

4. What does it actually run?

Ask the seller to show you what the backup system runs during an outage. Some setups run the whole house, others are essential-circuit only (lights, plugs, fridge) and leave stove, geyser, and aircon off. Both are fine, you just need to know what you're getting.

5. Battery condition

Lithium batteries degrade at 1–3% per year. A 5-year-old battery with a 10-year warranty is in its second half of life. Ask for the monitoring app or portal login and check:

• Current state of health (SoH)
• Daily energy cycled vs. original capacity
• Any error warnings or recent replacements

Alternatives to full solar

If the house doesn't have solar, here's what else to look for:

• Gas stove + gas geyser: two major wins. You cook through outages and shower with hot water. Gas lines in the wall cost R5,000–R15,000 to install.
• Inverter + battery only (no solar): R25,000–R70,000. Runs lights, router, laptops, fridge for 4–8 hours. Charges from grid when power returns.
• Generator: R12,000–R40,000. Cheap to install, noisy and needs fuel. Diesel is more reliable than petrol.
• Portable power station: R8,000–R25,000. Runs essentials for a few hours, plug-and-play, no installer needed.

Running costs after you move in

A good hybrid solar setup in SA (6 kW panels + 10 kWh battery) typically drops your municipal electricity bill by 60–85%. Real example: Cape Town household, R2,500/month pre-solar becomes R300–R700/month post-solar. Payback time: 5–8 years depending on municipal tariff.

If the house you're viewing has this and the seller isn't boasting about it in the listing, they may have underpriced. Ask for the app login and look at the last 6 months' production.

Questions to ask the seller directly

1. Is the solar / inverter / battery setup included in the sale, and is there a separate inventory list?
2. Can I see the CoC and any municipal approval paperwork?
3. Who installed it, and is there a service contract?
4. Can I log in to the monitoring app?
5. What was the average monthly municipal electricity bill for the past 6 months?
6. What's the warranty status on the battery and inverter?

A seller who can answer all six without hesitation has probably looked after the system well. A seller who is vague or says "the installer has all the info" should give you pause — get the full story before you sign.