Many South Africans are turning to solar power to provide electricity to their homes and businesses during load-shedding. The initial expense of installing a solar photovoltaic (PV) system delivers value for money by making you less reliant on the national grid. It also creates savings in the long term by reducing your monthly electricity bill. However, the sudden surge in demand for solar PV installations has led to a flood of new businesses entering the market, offering a confusing range of system components and brands.

A solar installation can be costly. Depending on the size of the system you need, especially the number of batteries, you could easily spend between R50,000 and R300,000 to secure a reliable electricity supply. 

With that in mind, there are 3 main factors to consider when planning a solar installation:

• How many solar PV panels and batteries will your system need, and what size inverter, to enable your home or business to run seamlessly on solar when the grid fails?
  
  
• How do you find a qualified, reputable installer who can assess your needs accurately, help you design your system, and install and maintain it for you at an affordable price?
  
  
• Will you need finance to pay for the installation?

It can be a daunting task trying to work all this out on your own, but luckily you don’t have to. Avo Solar from Avo SuperShop offers you a 1-stop solar solution.

Avo SuperShop’s solar solutions  

Avo Solar provides a start-to-finish service to make solar installation simple. This begins with a call or an email to the Avo Team, who will schedule a time to discuss your options and help you through the following steps:

1. Initial needs analysis

The Avo Team will conduct a simple assessment on your needs. They will 

• Establish if you will be paying cash or need finance, 
  
  
• Confirm your residential address and contact details, 
  
  
• Check that you have an existing certificate of compliance for your premises, and 
  
  
• Confirm a package selection. 

2. On-site inspection

An Avo-approved service provider will do an analysis of your home or business to design a system that will meet your needs.  The on-site inspection results will allow Avo to adjust your package selection and provide a quotation on the entire package, which includes all applicable components, installation, consumables and a supplementary compliance certificate. 

3. Finance application

Avo Solar will support you if you need finance. You can apply for MFC asset finance to finance your installation. MFC can help you buy a solar-energy solution from approved providers to ensure a safe, hassle-free experience. This is stand-alone asset finance, so it doesn’t matter whether you have a home loan with Nedbank. 

Or you can use your existing Nedbank home loan – whether it’s for a new development, a sectional title or free-hold property, or a building loan. You can use the money available in your NedRevolve facility or apply for a readvance or a further loan. The resulting minimal increase on your home loan instalment should be offset by a decrease in your monthly electricity bill.  

4. Insuring your system

Nedbank offers an innovative alternative-energy insurance policy from as little as R99 a month for each R100,000 insured. The policy covers panels, batteries, inverters and all other accessories in case of the following:

• Theft or burglary.
  
  
• Malicious damage.
  
  
• Fire, lightning or explosions.
  
  
• Floods, storms, wind, water or hail.
  
  
• Earthquakes.
  
  
• Subsidence and landslip impact. 

5. Installation and activation

Once your system has been financed or paid for in cash, our experts will schedule the best time to install it. Your chosen installer will manage the entire process, from sourcing and setup of system components to ongoing operations and maintenance. 

Nedbank’s alternative, affordable load-shedding solutions

If you’re not able to install a solar energy system in your current home – for example, if you’re renting or live in a block of flats – Avo also offers plenty of portable, affordable solutions to help you cope with load-shedding. They can be delivered to your door anywhere in South Africa.