Solar is the one New Year’s resolution you can keep – for the sake of your well-being, your pocket and the planet!
We are already well into the New Year and hopefully you are already sticking to your resolutions in order to help you enjoy a happier, healthier and successful 2023.
We all know that the thing with resolutions is that they get difficult and tricky. Old habits and routines are powerful. We get distracted. The daily grind intrudes.
You’ve just returned to work and your routine resumes. Everything is going well, until Eskom announces Stage 6 load shedding “until further notice”, and to add insult to injury, NERSA approves an 18.65% increase in electricity costs.
All of this just for you! So much for a happier 2023. How are your resolutions looking now?
Matthew Cruise, Head of Business Intelligence for Hohm Energy has highlighted that we are likely to be dealing with prolonged levels of load shedding for at least the next decade as more and more power plants are taken offline and there is no grid capacity or budget allocation for new wind generation to come online.
Clearly, there is only one way to make sure you begin, and end, 2023 with your resolutions intact and the lights on: make this your year to get solar and become energy independent.
“With Stage 6 load shedding now a reality, solar power is no longer a nice-to-have or something to add to your one-day wishlist,” Cruise says. “Now is the time to secure, and augment, your power supply so that you can avoid the impact of ongoing load shedding and save on escalating electricity costs.”
What are we dealing with?
Eskom announced the move to stage 6 load shedding between 4pm and 5am on 11th January after seven of its generating units broke down. This after 1 000 MW was removed from the grid when Koeberg unit 1 was taken off line, as well as the loss of a substantial 3 000 MW from breakdowns at Kusile and Medupi Power Stations. Unit 1 is expected to remain offline until midyear, at least.
Stage 6 allows for up to 6 000 MW of the national load to be shed. What this means for you as the consumer is 12 stints of load shedding over a four-day period. The schedule is hugely disruptive, with load shedding of between two and four hours at a time.
And it’s only going to get worse, cautions Cruise.
“Eskom needs to keep breakdowns below 13 000 MW to reduce load shedding, but it is already struggling to do so,” he says. “As a result Stage 7 load shedding is a likely scenario in the coming weeks and months”.
While Eskom grapples with its capacity generation, South Africans have no choice but to make their own plans to keep the lights on and ensure a minimum of continuity of their lifestyle.
Enter Hohm Energy
“Solar has become big business in South Africa but be cautious of fly by night, pop-up companies that lack the credentials, experience or financial backing to get the job done,” says Cruise. “Hohm Energy is a solar marketplace solution that connects homeowners with vetted solar installation teams and uses only Tier 1 product that comes with a 10-year warranty for the battery and inverter”.
Hohm Energy is a turnkey solar platform that offers a reliable and competitive solution for residential solar needs countrywide.
As it already has proven and established relationships with major banks, including Nedbank and Old Mutual, as well as mortgage originator Ooba, Hohm Energy is well-placed to facilitate a bespoke solar system with a financial package to meet consumers’ needs.
There’s also financial benefit, with a best quality at price guarantee from Hohm as the equipment is sourced in bulk from reputable suppliers, and at a discount which is passed onto the end user.
Why now?
“Right now, we are in the sweet spot for solar installation,” states Cruise confidently.
“Over the past 15 years we have seen a consistent decline in the costs of solar kit, until last year when demand saw prices starting to increase marginally. Buying at the bottom of the price curve, which is now, is highly recommended as prices are likely to start increasing in South Africa further this year, with the demand for solar installations skyrocketing.”
“So right now, there is an urgency to make the move to go solar before these costs rise even further, and with Stage 6 load shedding and the recent increase from Nersa it is simply a no brainer!”
Recent technological advances also mean that we won’t see new iterations of batteries and inverters for the next five years or so. This is the time to invest in the latest technology available at the best prices.
“If you miss the solar boat now, you run the risk of being caught in a supply bottleneck when demand picks up over the coming months,” cautions Cruise.
The shift also makes massive financial sense – and in fact to not go solar is arguably nonsensical.
“Nersa just announced that the Eskom will get to increase their price of electricity by 18.65% in April this year, this is excluding the increase that municipalities will also get, meaning we will most likely see the price of electricity to the consumer increase by no less than 25% total in 2023!” says Cruise, pointing out that electricity costs will increase exponentially over the next few years but you can offset this by installing a solar system this year.
“A solar system with a ten year warranty bought this year offers a guaranteed return on your investment within four to five years,” he adds. “Where else can you invest money now that will assure you of such a substantial investment return within a short period of time?”
Added benefits
Not only is solar a sound investment, it also provides welcome relief from the ongoing load shedding that has sadly become part of life in South Africa. Your decision to take action and install solar not only guarantees you energy independence but may contribute to helping Eskom balance its expense sheet so that it can afford to complete projects to solve the country’s energy crisis.
“By using solar power wherever possible, you will help reduce the load on Eskom’s grid. Eskom is already scrambling to find diesel to power its open-cycle gas turbines during load shedding,” explains Cruise.
As reported, the embattled parastatal spent double the allocated R7 billion in the previous fiscal year on diesel. “This is money that could be better spent on other operational costs and projects,” Cruise says.
Sustainability
Lastly, an investment in solar this year will also be good for the planet. Cruise elaborates that “solar energy has one of the lowest carbon footprints and Hohm Energy endeavours to build an aggregated global solar matrix to accelerate the transition to clean energy”.
Receiving the power for your house from the solar rays that hit your roof greatly reduces your carbon footprint by reducing the need for that power to be produced from fossil fuel and assists in the fight against climate change.
If there’s only one resolution you need to honour, it should be to go solar. It is not only going to guarantee your energy independence and therefore preserve your lifestyle and work habits, but also is a necessary factor in your needs hierarchy which you absolutely cannot do without it.
It is now the perfect time to go solar and to ensure your personal goals are not eroded by not securing your basic right to electricity.
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