Thinking of moving off the power grid?

Moving towards the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, there's no denying that the concept of going green is well established within the cultural zeitgeist. Power saving alternatives like solar, wind and hydroelectric have been around for decades.
 

Despite the promising prospects of moving towards greener solutions, one of the biggest perceived hurdles to these types of power sources has been the unsustainable cost barrier. Yet as the years have gone by, fast-growing technology streamlines the process, pushing the barrier to entry lower, and making green power more accessible.
 

As homeowners in South Africa have continued to see a substantial rise in costs and unreliable services from traditional energy providers such as Eskom, greener energy is quickly becoming the next best alternative commodity. Before deciding to make the move yourself, here are some important considerations to ruminate upon.

Consider your energy bill

Although property owners in South Africa may indeed load-shedding (depending on certain criteria) enjoy annual savings by switching to alternatives, the savings can end up being marginal in cases where limited knowledge plays a factor. 

As such, the best approach includes a breakdown of monthly and yearly energy costs. These costs are dependent on a mixture of internal and external factors. 

Internal factors would include your and your family's approach to energy consumption, whereas external factors would be dependent on several factors. These include the temperature of your location, access to sunlight, and the whether or not you can feedback reserve power back to the grid.

Before homeowners decide to buy into alternative power solutions, it's essential to understand which ones produce the most efficient energy and why. Out of the many various alternative options the most efficient form of green power, especially for property in SA, is solar.

Examine your property's access to sunlight

The more direct access solar power has to sunlight the better. Yet some parts of the country might see more cloud cover during the year than others. Areas like Johannesburg and much of the Western, Northern, and Eastern Cape are prime locations for solar power owing to an average of over 250 hours of sunlight per month.

More immediate considerations would be branch and tree cover within your property. The more obscured the sunlight is to the solar panels on the roof the less effective the charge and overall power-saving attributes. Alternatives to installing on your roof may include sunny spots on your property but keep in mind that the further the panels are from the home the less effective.

Tally up your installation costs

Solar power systems are uniquely tailored to your home setup. Thus, once you've made an accurate calculation of your monthly expenditures and how much energy you consume, you'll be able to have a better understanding of the particular system you need to install.

As such, there are a few types of systems you may wish to consider:
 

• Off the grid - these types of systems run on batteries that store excess energy build up that is not being utilised. These generally work independently from the national grid.
• Grid-Tied - Often more popular for commercial usage, this system supplements your energy with the solar power you produce. The system has no batteries and thus offers no relief against load-shedding or regular power cuts. 
• The Hybrid System - essentially the same make-up as the off the grid system, this system only differs in the fact that it offers feedback to the power grid. Most popular among residential areas and homeowners, this option provides you with the freedom of using the grid as well as a backup system for power cuts.

Let's provide an example to help break down the costs. Say your home requires an average feed of 22kw. This will most likely translate to a system that will cost between R100k to R150k. Leasing options are also available at around R2500 to R3000 a month. 

While this initial cost can set you back several years before a recoup on investment, the peace of mind the system provides is overwhelmingly beneficial. Solar panels systems require little maintenance and are guaranteed to last at least 20+ years depending on the provider.

Take note of government incentives

Even though Eskom is attempting to push through a bill that will see homeowners pay tariffs on privately produced energy, you are still able to claim incentives, tax subsidies and cost to install claims.

For more information on how to apply, click here.

Additional credits can also be claimed depending on the location you live. Some places in South Africa have higher solar rankings based on the sunlight they receive. The higher the ranking, the more subsidies you may be able to enjoy.

One thing to take note of within South Africa is that these incentives may not last. As solar energy becomes cheaper so too will the government reduce the level of available incentives?

Read more about Eskom's bid to tariff privately produced energy

Alternate strategies to going green

Sometimes it simply works out that green power options are either too costly, or they may not suit your home environment. With that being said, there are other ways in which you can continue to be energy efficient.

Here are a couple of options to examine.

• Make small yet effective quality of life changes such as switching to using LED bulbs which have shown to be 70 to 80% more efficient than standard bulbs.
• Alternative to solar options are wind turbines which are commonly used in wide-open plains such as farms. However, if you own enough real estate, a wind turbine can be perfect to power a portion of your home.
• Build a solar oven since kitchen cooking appliances consume a lot of energy. By building your oven you can save on your cooking bill by having your food heated by the power of the sun.

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