Gauteng · Local solar and inverter installers
How much does inverter backup cost?
Two numbers decide it: how much you want running at once, which sets the inverter, and how long you want it to last, which sets the battery. Decide both before anybody quotes.
Why there is no rand figure here
Each installer prices their own jobs, and the one who takes yours quotes in writing before any work starts. We are not going to copy a figure off another website or an industry average instead. You would plan around it, and it would not be the price of your system.
What we can tell you is what moves the price and what to ask, so the quote you get makes sense and two quotes can be compared line by line.
The longer answer
Most backup installs put only the essential circuits on the inverter: lights, plugs for the fridge, wifi and TV, sometimes the gate and the alarm. The geyser, the stove and the pool pump usually stay on the grid, because they would empty a battery fast. The more you put on backup, the bigger and dearer both the inverter and the battery get.
An inverter connects into your DB board. It needs a proper changeover and earthing, and the installation should get a Certificate of Compliance from a registered electrician. A plug-in unit that runs off a wall socket is a different, smaller product.
Already have an inverter and want more hours? Adding or upgrading batteries is usually a smaller job than starting again, as long as the new battery suits the inverter you have.
What decides the price
| What you want to keep running | The whole price, more than anything else. A system to keep the lights, wifi and fridge on through load shedding is a different object from one meant to run a geyser and a pool pump. Give every installer the same list or you are not comparing quotes. |
|---|---|
| Batteries | Usually the single biggest line, and the one that varies most between quotes. Storage is priced per kWh, so ask for the kWh figure rather than the brand name. |
| The inverter | Its size, and whether it is hybrid, grid-tied or off-grid. An inverter sized for the panels you have today but not for the ones you will add is a cost you pay twice. |
| Which circuits | Every circuit moved onto backup means more wiring work at the DB board, and more load on the inverter and battery. Agree the list of circuits before the quote, not on the day. |
Ask before they start
- Which circuits will be on backup?
- How many hours will the battery run those circuits for?
- Is the changeover, earthing and the CoC in the price?
- Can panels be added to this inverter later?
- Can I have it itemised: panels, inverter, batteries, mounting, cabling, labour, CoC?
- What is the battery in kWh, and what is the usable depth of discharge?
- What are the warranties on the panels, the inverter and the battery, and are they the manufacturer's or yours?
- Is SSEG registration included, and who submits it?
- Is that including VAT?
Questions people ask
How much does an inverter and battery cost to install?
It depends on the size of the inverter, the usable kWh of the battery, and how many circuits go on backup. Ask for the inverter, the battery and the installation as separate lines, and whether the Certificate of Compliance is included.
What size battery do I need for load shedding?
Add up what you want running and for how many hours, and that is the battery in kWh you need, after its depth of discharge. An installer should do that sum with you. Compare quotes on the usable kWh, not the brand.
The job, and other price questions
Tell us what you want running
Takes under a minute. A solar installer near your area phones you back and quotes before any work starts. There is nothing to pay to be put in touch.