Roof & shading survey
We measure the usable roof, check its orientation and pitch, and look at what shades it and when — a tree, a chimney or the neighbour’s wall changes the layout entirely.
- usable area
- orientation
- shading
ch07 – ch08power stack
Sun in.Everything on.
A solar system is only as good as the numbers it was sized on. We measure the roof, check the shading, read your actual usage and then size panels, inverter and battery to that — not to a package off a shelf.
energy · flowch07 – ch08
Sizedon your real usage
Wiredboard & changeover
Stage 8is the design case
07
channel 07
ch07 · power stackSolar power systems
There are three honest questions behind every solar quote: what has to keep running when the power goes off, for how long, and what will the roof actually carry. Everything else follows from those.
Panel layout & mounting
Panels laid out for the roof you have, mounted and sealed on the correct rails for the roof type, and cabled down to the plant room on a planned route.
- rails & brackets
- sealed penetrations
- dc route
Inverter sizing
Sized on what runs at the same time, not on the total of everything you own. Mounted where it can breathe and be serviced, not buried behind boxes in a hot cupboard.
- peak load
- ventilation
- serviceable
Battery bank
Sized on how long you need to ride out an outage, and what you are willing to run during it. We would rather talk you into fewer batteries and honest expectations than the other way around.
- hours needed
- essential loads
- expandable
Changeover & DB work
The board side of the job: essential circuits separated, changeover wired so it switches without you touching anything, everything labelled and tested under load.
- essential circuits
- automatic changeover
- labelled
Monitoring
Where the inverter supports it, monitoring set up so you can see what the panels made, what the house used and what the battery has left — instead of guessing.
- generation
- consumption
- state of charge
08
channel 08
ch08 · power stackSolar streetlights
A standalone solar light has no cable back to anything. That makes it the cheapest way to light a long driveway, a yard or a complex road — because the trenching, not the light, is usually the expensive part.
Standalone poles
Pole, panel, battery and light as one unit, on a base sized for the pole height and the ground it is standing in.
- all-in-one
- pole & base
- no cable run
Driveways & yards
Lighting along a driveway or across a yard where running mains cable would mean trenching the whole length of it.
- long runs
- no trenching
- yard lighting
Farms & smallholdings
Sheds, gates and working areas lit without extending the farm supply to every corner of the property.
- gates
- sheds
- working areas
Complex & estate roads
Internal roads and walkways lit on their own supply, so the lighting bill does not sit on the body corporate meter.
- internal roads
- walkways
- off the meter
Lighting with the cameras
Light placed with the camera plan rather than against it — a light glaring into a lens costs you the footage you installed the camera for.
- camera-aware
- no glare
- coverage
Servicing & replacement
Batteries and panels on solar lights do age. We service and replace units, including lights that were installed by someone else.
- battery replacement
- panel cleaning
- existing units
09
where the power goes
array → inverter → battery → loadArray to plug point
load-shedding stages
Stage 8 outside.Sized properly, your side of the meter does not notice.
diagram is illustrative · your system is sized on the actual survey
Panelsroof space & sun path
Inverterwhat runs at once
Batteryhow long you need it
Sign-offwiring, changeover, coc
09
before we quote
helps · not requiredWhat we need to know
The first one on this list matters more than all the others. A solar quote without a bill behind it is a guess.
- Your latest electricity billOr the units used per month. This is the single most useful thing you can send us.
- What must run during an outageLights and plugs, or also the geyser, the pool pump, the borehole and the aircon.
- For how longAn hour or two of load-shedding, or a full day off the grid.
- Roof type & ageTile, IBR, corrugated or flat concrete — and whether it has been re-done recently.
- Where the DB board isAnd roughly how far it is from the roof and from a space that could hold the inverter.
- Space for the equipmentA garage wall, plant room or store where an inverter and batteries can be mounted and ventilated.
Do not have all of that? Message us anyway. The survey exists precisely so that you do not have to work any of this out yourself — it is free, and there is no obligation at the end of it.
10
straight answers
Questions
It can, but that is rarely the cheapest answer. Most systems are sized to run the essentials — lights, plugs, WiFi, TV, fridge — and to leave the heavy loads like the geyser, stove and pool pump on the grid. Tell us what you actually want running during an outage and we will size it for that.
A grid-tied system reduces what you buy from the municipality while the grid is up, but goes down with it. A backup system with batteries keeps your side of the meter running when the grid fails. Most homes want some of both, and the split is a cost decision we make with you on the survey.
Yes, if the system is planned that way from the beginning. Choosing an inverter with room to grow and cabling for a bigger array costs a little more at install and saves a lot when you expand. Say so at quote stage.
Only if you want power when the grid is down. Panels alone will lower your daytime consumption but will not keep the lights on in an outage. If load-shedding is the reason you are calling, then yes.
That is the design case we work to. Whether it holds depends on the battery size and what you are running — which is exactly why we ask what must stay on and for how long before quoting.
The electrical side of a solar installation — the board, the changeover and the wiring — is fixed electrical work. We issue a Certificate of Compliance for the work where the installation calls for one. Ask us what your specific job needs.
It depends on the size of the array and how much board work is involved. We give you the expected time on the quote so you can plan around it, rather than a number now that we cannot stand behind.
Something not covered here? Ask us directly — or see the general questions.
free quote · no call-out fee to lookGet this
Get this
quoted.
For free.
Send one message with roughly what you need. We come out, look at it properly, and come back with a written price — no charge for the visit.
contact card
067 539 7520whatsapp · fastest reply072 532 9559call · we return missed callswandile.n@hitechconsulting.co.zaemail · for quotes & orders89 Impalalelie Stflorauna · pretoria north
Residential & commercialhomes · complexes · offices · farms