There is no single price
Anyone who gives you one fixed price for "a solar system" is guessing. Two homes on the same street can need very different systems, because they use electricity differently. A small household that wants the lights, Wi-Fi and fridge to stay on through load-shedding needs far less than a large home that wants to run a geyser, a pool pump and an oven.
So the useful question is not "what does solar cost?" but "what will a system sized for my home cost?". That starts with your monthly bill and the list of things you want to keep running.
What drives the price
The battery. The battery is usually the largest single cost. Its capacity, in kilowatt-hours, decides how long you can run your essentials, and its quality decides how many years it lasts. A bigger battery costs more but carries you further.
The inverter. The inverter must match your loads and your array. A hybrid inverter, which manages panels and battery, costs more than a simple grid-tied one, but it is what lets the system keep working during an outage.
The panels and mounting. Panels are a smaller share of the total than many people expect. What can move the price is the mounting and labour: a difficult roof, multiple roof planes, or long cable runs all add work.
The electrical work. Splitting essential circuits onto a backup supply, and connecting everything safely to your distribution board, is skilled work that has to be done properly.
How much of your bill you want to cover. A system that offsets a large share of your usage costs more than one that just keeps the lights on. Both are valid; they solve different problems.
System sizes, in plain terms
Solar systems are usually described by the size of the panel array, in kilowatts (kW), and the size of the battery, in kilowatt-hours (kWh). A small backup system might be a modest battery with no panels at all. A medium home system might pair a 3 to 5 kW array with a battery sized for a few hours of essentials. A larger home might go well beyond that. The right size is the one that matches your usage, not the biggest number on a brochure.
How to read a quote
A good quote lists the panels, the inverter, the battery, the mounting, the labour and the electrical work as separate lines, with brands and model numbers. It states the lead time, what is included, and what is not. It tells you what the system is designed to do. If a quote is a single number with no detail, ask for the breakdown. If it promises a payback period with no reference to your actual usage, treat it with caution.
Paying for it and payback
Most households pay cash, finance the system, or build it in stages. Payback depends on your current bill, how much of it the system offsets, and the tariffs you pay. We do not publish a payback figure because it is different for every home. What we will do is show you, in writing, what the system is expected to produce and how that relates to your bill.
Getting a real number for your home
Send us your monthly electricity bill, the circuits you want to keep on, and a photo of your roof. We will prepare a written quote for a system sized to your home. See also our pages on solar PV installation, battery backup and inverters, and our guide to how solar and battery backup work.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Why is there no single price for a solar system?
Because no two homes use electricity the same way. The price depends on the size of the system, the battery you choose, your roof, and how much of your bill you want to cover.
What is the biggest cost in a solar system?
The battery is usually the single largest line item, followed by the inverter. Panels are a smaller share than most people expect.
Can I start small and add later?
Yes. Many households start with battery backup and add solar panels later, or start with a battery-ready inverter and expand. Planning the system in stages can spread the cost.