SOUTH AFRICA · FREE CALCULATOR
Solar rental vs buying
See the full cost. Know what you’ll own.
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Example figures. Enter your VAT-inclusive quotes — no sign-in needed.
Setup: R 0 · Upkeep: R 1 500/year
The example allows R1,500/year for servicing, insurance and replacements when buying. This is a placeholder, not a maintenance or battery-life forecast. Adjust it to your quotes.
Modelled payments over 5 years
- Rental — continuing afterwards
- R 101 468
- Cash purchase + upkeep allowance
- R 107 500
Rental payments are R 6 032 lower over this period.
Rental: payments continue, no ownership. Purchase: you own and maintain the equipment.
Payments only. Electricity, financing and resale value excluded.
Assumptions and yearly breakdown
These are payments, not savings. Grid electricity, loan interest, time value of money and resale value are excluded. Compare equivalent systems and include extra ownership costs in your allowance. For fixed monthly rentals; per-kWh charges need a separate usage calculation.
12 rental payments each year, increasing on each anniversary and rounded to cents. Setup is paid once. Buyout or removal happens at the end. Real contracts may increase on a different date. Upkeep is held constant; it is not an annual inflation model.
| Year | Rental | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | R 18 000 | R 101 500 |
| 2 | R 37 080 | R 103 000 |
| 3 | R 57 305 | R 104 500 |
| 4 | R 78 743 | R 106 000 |
| 5 | R 101 468 | R 107 500 |
Compare the system, too.
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Before you commit
Rental, rent-to-own or buying?
Rental / subscription
You pay to use the system. Do not assume monthly payments eventually transfer ownership.
Rent-to-own
Look for a written ownership date, total instalments and any final payment. An optional buyout is a different arrangement.
Buy outright
You pay the installed price and own the equipment. Budget for maintenance, insurance and eventual replacements.
Six checks before you sign
Ownership
Who owns the equipment now, and exactly when would it become yours? Get any final payment in writing.
Total payments
Ask for the full schedule, VAT, annual increases, setup charges and any per-kWh fees. A low first month is not the full cost.
Leaving or moving
Get dated buyout, cancellation, removal and relocation quotes. Check what happens if the next homeowner declines the contract.
Useful output
Compare the same panel capacity, usable battery storage, backed-up circuits and expected grid purchases. Ask who can change operating settings.
Support
Check servicing, insurance, battery replacement, exclusions and repair response. Buying transfers more upkeep to you; rental may include services.
Proof of savings
Ask for a household-specific estimate including the remaining electricity bill and subscription. Backup availability has value, but is not bill savings.
Is GoSolr rent-to-own? What about buyout and cancellation fees?
GoSolr’s published general terms retain its ownership (clause 13) and describe a separate purchase option after the third anniversary (clause 22). They refer to individual Contract Details for buyout and de-installation amounts. Monthly rental alone does not establish an automatic transfer.
Check your signed version and request a dated written quote. We cannot verify an individual customer’s buyout or removal bill from a social-media post.
Read GoSolr’s published terms (PDF, clauses 13, 14, 22–24)Buying a house with rented solar?
Ask the seller for the signed agreement, equipment list, payment history and provider’s transfer conditions before accepting it. Have your conveyancer record who pays any buyout or removal cost, and whether you are taking over an ongoing obligation. A system on the roof is not proof that the seller owns it.
Why might a solar battery stay at 85%?
If 85% is the active minimum state of charge, only the top 15 percentage points are available before that limit is reached. As a simple illustration, 15% of a nominal 10 kWh is 1.5 kWh before losses and other limits. This is not a diagnosis of a particular installation.
Sunsynk’s documentation distinguishes timed charge levels, grid charging and load priority. A high reserve can restrict battery contribution while solar may still serve daytime loads. Ask the responsible installer to review the timers, backed-up circuits and actual grid-import history against your backup needs.
Read Sunsynk’s system-mode explanation