If Eskom\u2019s constant shifting from stage 1 to stage 6 and back again (often within a single day -and now talk of Stage 7!) isn\u2019t enough to push me over the edge, I don\u2019t know what is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After writing off solar for many years due to its seeming unaffordability, I decided recently to look into it again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s time. I needed to find a way to get out of my deeply dysfunctional, co-dependent relationship that I \u2013 and most other South Africans \u2013 have with our least favourite parastatal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First things first: I\u2019m not a member of that elite club. You know the one: that 1% deep within the 1% who can afford to pay cash upfront for their solar installation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On their Plett holiday house. That they use for one week a year. In contrast, I needed a permanent solution in exchange for a monthly fee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m a work-from-home mom, so I\u2019d need power throughout the day but for a relatively small Joburg home. Should be simple to organise, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The problem, I quickly realised, is that we\u2019re in the middle of some kind of giant \u2018solar rush\u2019. It\u2019s like the gold rush, only with fewer pans and more panels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t have the time to sift through all the available solar suppliers in South Africa, and \u2013 let me tell you \u2013 in 2023, there are a lot them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m also not a solar expert, so how do I know who\u2019s a genuine, quality provider and who\u2019s part of the bakkie brigade selling cheap panels that break a month after they\u2019re installed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After about a week of online research that left me completely overwhelmed, I finally came across something that stood out in a sea of seemingly endless options: an online solar marketplace called Hohm Energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I saw them via their very funny YouTube ad<\/strong><\/a>, where the female protagonist breaks the news to her partner that she\u2019s ready to take the next step in their relationship\u2026 <\/ins>which to her means installing solar in their house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond the fact that the ad made me laugh, Hohm caught my eye because they\u2019re not solar installers themselves. Rather, they pitch themselves as a \u201csolar concierge\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But what is that? Sadly, it doesn\u2019t mean an ice–<\/ins>cold G&T and a sun lounger while I wait for my solar to be installed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s almost as good though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As South Africa\u2019s first solar marketplace, Hohm connects solar customers with accredited solar providers and product suppliers. For me, that means they take away the stress and hassle of me selecting a solar provider myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a first step, I had to put in my home address, and Hohm then asked me a bunch of questions about the type of solution I needed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The process was simple and easy to follow and included nifty little calculations like how many solar panels I\u2019d need for a certain number of hours of backup power. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Based on my responses, I then got a customised price proposal from their vetted suppliers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, I had to fill out my finance application, which was actually the simplest step of all. Hohm have teamed up with major finance brands such as Nedbank, FNB, BettaBond, Capitec and Ooba, which meant I could tag my solar finance onto my existing home loan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve always thought that if I sell my house in future, I\u2019d get a far better price if there was solar installed \u2013 so it\u2019s well worth the monthly addition to my mortgage repayment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Although in my case I had an existing home loan, if you don\u2019t have one Hohm also offers a standalone finance product via MFC (a division of Nedbank), and you don\u2019t even need to bank with them to qualify. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They also offer a very affordable solar subscription product powered by GLINT, available exclusively on the Hohm platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Generate a free online solar proposal with solar subscription through GLINT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n From there, all I needed to do was arrange a site visit for the option I selected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Two weeks later, the installation was done, and I was up and running with my inverter, batteries and panels. That\u2019s it. Goodbye loadshedding \u2013 don\u2019t let the door hit you on the way out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n