HOW TO GO SOLAR

Like any addition to your house, solar is complicated and expensive – very complicated and very expensive – but the market has innovated in the last year and there’s help for both.

“A good 5kW installation for a three- or four-bed house can set you back around R150 000. Though it will probably pay for itself over five years even at current electricity prices, the initial cost is out of many people’s reach,” says Matthew Cruise of Hohm Energy. But South Africans know how to maak ‘n plan. Installers are marketing rent-to-own installations. Game, Makro and Builders are now offering loans up to R250 000 for installing solar, banks encourage you to use asset-based loans and access bonds.