How Much Solar Do You Need to Beat Load-Shedding?
Load-shedding turned solar from a "green" nice-to-have into essential infrastructure for South African homes and businesses. But the most common mistake is buying the wrong size — too small to carry your load, or an expensive over-spec. This guide shows how we size a system at SST, from Rustenburg to sites across the country.
Two numbers that matter: kW and kWh
Every solar-and-battery decision comes down to two figures. Power (kW) is how much you draw at once — run a kettle, geyser and a few plugs together and you might peak at 4–6 kW. Energy (kWh) is how much you use over time — a typical home uses 15–30 kWh a day.
Your inverter must handle your peak power, and your battery must store enough energy to ride through the outage. Getting one right and the other wrong is why systems disappoint.
Work out your load in three steps
Before quoting, we help you size honestly:
- List what must stay on during load-shedding (lights, Wi-Fi, fridge, TV, office equipment) — that is your essential load.
- Decide what you would like on if budget allows (some plugs, a small aircon) — your comfort load.
- Add up the running watts to get peak kW, and estimate hours of use to get kWh needed per outage block (Eskom Stage 6 can mean 4-hour slots).
Typical South African system sizes
As a rough starting point: a small home keeping essentials alive through outages often lands around 5 kW inverter with 5–10 kWh of battery. A family home wanting most of the house covered is typically 8 kW and 10–15 kWh. A small business, shop or office usually starts around 12 kW and 15 kWh and scales from there.
Add solar panels on top of the battery and you shift from just backup to genuine savings — the sun recharges the battery daily and cuts your Eskom bill, not just your downtime.
Backup vs hybrid vs off-grid
Backup (battery + inverter, no panels) keeps you running through outages but does not lower your bill. Hybrid (panels + battery + grid) is the sweet spot for most SA sites — solar by day, battery through the evening and outages, grid as a fallback. Off-grid (no Eskom at all) suits farms, lodges and remote sites, and is where our containerised stations shine.
Frequently asked questions
Can solar run my whole house during load-shedding?
Yes, if it is sized to your load. Most homes choose to back up essentials plus key comfort items rather than heavy loads like geysers and ovens, which keeps the system affordable. We size it to what you actually want running.
Do I need panels, or just batteries?
Batteries alone give you backup through outages. Adding panels turns the system into daily savings — the sun recharges the battery and offsets your Eskom usage. Most SA customers choose a hybrid system for this reason.
How long will the battery last through an outage?
It depends on battery size versus your load. A 10 kWh battery running a 1 kW essential load lasts roughly 8–10 hours; running 2 kW it lasts about 4–5 hours. We match battery capacity to your typical Stage 4–6 outage blocks.
Do you install solar in Rustenburg and North West?
Yes — Rustenburg is our base. We install across North West and deliver commissioned, remotely-monitored systems anywhere in South Africa.
Ready to take the next step?
Talk to the SST team — survey, quote and support, end to end.