Get rid of those pesky price hikes by switching to solar power

When it comes to relying on the services of state-owned enterprise and utility provider Eskom, you might just be better off investing in going off-grid with solar power.

Solar power is not just an alternative energy source that converts sunlight into electricity, but it is also a renewable energy source which is sustainable and has little to no negative impact on the planet.

With that in mind, here are some of the cost benefits of cutting Eskom out of your life.

Setting up: Initial costs may be high, however compared to Eskom’s annual price adjustments you are more likely to score especially in South Africa’s economy which is strained and often results in huge price hikes by the utility provider.

Solar power allows you to pay less for electricity usage as sunlight is free and, your only initial cost is for the installation of solar panels.

Why should you go solar? Switching to solar power not only reduces your monthly electricity bill, but increases the Rand value of your home.

What about my businesses? Need to get a tax-cut from the tax man?

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) offers a number of incentives for taxpayers which allows companies to deduct the cost of their solar power system from their profits – this is done as a depreciation expense and is a great option, especially for home businesses.

Paying it off: While initial costs may be high, these are soon paid off over a couple of years thanks to the money saved by reducing your electricity bill. In some cases, you get to enjoy the benefit of free electricity in as little as 4 years.

Loadshedding protection: Loadshedding is often brought about minutes before anyone has time to protect their appliances by switching them off.

The result has seen countless appliances damaged owing to surges and power cuts.

With solar, you won’t be negatively impacted by loadshedding, nor will your freezer defrost.

Let Eskom pay you: Depending on where you live you may be able to feed energy back into the national grid.

Choosing to do so means you will receive credits from Eskom for selling your excess solar power – keep in mind that it could take up to 7 years for you to start seeing profits.

But this is not yet the case in KwaDukuza municipality.

Cash-strapped municipalities have been slow to adapt because they rely on electricity revenue and only a handful currently allow producers to feed electricity back to the grid.

For breaking news follow The North Coast Courier on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.