What a solar quote should contain

Most people comparing solar quotes end up comparing the bottom line, because it's the only number that's the same shape on every quote. One says R118,000. Another says R96,000. The second one looks like the better deal.

It might be. It might also be a different inverter, half the battery, no surge protection and no Certificate of Compliance. You can't tell from the total, and a lot of quotes are written so that you can't tell from anything else either.

A good quote lets you see exactly what you're buying, who is putting it in and what happens if something goes wrong. Here's what it should contain, where markups tend to hide, and the questions to ask before you sign.

The Short Version

An honest quote names every component by make and model, lists the protection and compliance work as separate items, shows labour on its own line, says who issues the Certificate of Compliance, and spells out warranties, payment terms and what's excluded. If you can't point to each of those on the page, ask before you pay anything.

What a Good Quote Includes

1. Your house, not a package

The quote should show it was written for your property after someone visited it: your address, your supply (single- or three-phase, and your main breaker size), your roof type and which way it faces, and where the inverter and battery will go. A quote written without a site visit is a guess with a price on it.

2. Why the system is the size it is

A line or two linking the design to your bills and how you use power. What you asked for (backup, a lower bill, or both), roughly what the panels should produce in a year, and what the battery should carry you through. Treat any production figure as an estimate, not a promise, but a quote with no reasoning at all should make you ask how the size was chosen.

3. Every component, by make and model

Not "5 kW hybrid inverter" or "Tier 1 panels". The quote should give:

• Panels: brand, model, wattage, how many, and the total array size in kWp
• Inverter: brand, model, rated power and phase
• Battery: brand, model, chemistry (almost always lithium iron phosphate now), how many modules and the usable capacity in kWh, not just amp-hours
• Mounting: the system being used and that it suits your roof type

The inverter matters most for paperwork. City Power only approves inverters that carry the right grid-connection certificate, so check the model is on its approved list before you accept.

4. The protection and balance of the system

This is the part of the installation you'll never look at, and where rushed jobs cut corners. It should be itemised, not bundled into "sundries":

• DC isolators between the panels and the inverter
• Surge protection on both the DC and AC sides
• A battery fuse or breaker, and the cable sizes
• AC isolators and any changes to your distribution board
• Earthing
• Labelling at the inverter, battery and distribution board, including shutdown instructions

5. Labour, on its own line

Installation, commissioning and any scaffolding or access equipment, with how many days on site. Labour hidden inside component prices is the easiest way to make a quote look cheaper than it is.

6. Compliance and paperwork

• The Certificate of Compliance, and the name and registration number of the electrician who will issue it
• Your SSEG application to City Power, and who prepares it
• A single-line diagram, the component datasheets and the commissioning form, handed to you at the end
• Monitoring set up with the app login in your name, not the installer's

We explain why the CoC matters in what a Certificate of Compliance does and doesn't mean, and what City Power asks for in SSEG registration in Johannesburg.

7. Warranties

Each manufacturer's warranty in years (and, for the battery, any cycle or energy limit and whether it depends on registering the product), plus the installer's own workmanship warranty. The quote should also say who handles a claim if a component fails.

8. Price and terms

• Each line priced, with VAT shown
• How long the price is valid, and whether it can change with the exchange rate
• The deposit, who it is paid to, and when the balance is due
• The lead time from accepting the quote to installation
• What is excluded, in writing

9. Who you are dealing with

The company's registered name, VAT number, the electrical contractor's registration, and proof of public liability insurance. Some installers also hold a PV GreenCard, SAPVIA's quality mark for solar installations. It's a good sign, though not a legal requirement.

Where Markups Hide

There's nothing wrong with an installer making money on a job. What matters is that you can see how. These are the lines that make that hard:

• "Solar kit" or "system package" as one line. You can't compare it with anything, and you can't see if the battery is the size you asked for.
• Components with no brand or model. "5 kW inverter" can mean a R7,000 unit or a R22,000 one.
• Large "sundries", "consumables" or "balance of system" lines. Some of this is genuine. When it runs to tens of thousands with no detail, ask for the breakdown.
• Labour folded into component prices. It makes the equipment look expensive and the work look free, and it makes a like-for-like comparison impossible.
• Compliance "on request" or not mentioned. If the CoC and SSEG application aren't on the quote, assume they aren't in the price.

Component prices are easy to check online these days. Asking for components at cost, with the supplier's invoice, and a separate fee for the design, installation and project management, is a fair request. An installer who's comfortable with their fee won't mind showing it.

Red Flags

• No site visit. Nobody can size a system or price your distribution board from a photo of your bill.
• A battery much bigger than your evenings need. Many systems sold during load shedding were sized for Stage 6. Your quote should be sized for how you use power in 2026.
• "You don't need to register with City Power." You do.
• No named registered electrician. Solar installation is electrical work, and it has to be done and certified by a registered person.
• Pressure to sign today. Component prices don't change overnight.
• Full payment before installation. Deposits are normal, because components have to be ordered. The balance should be due once the system is installed and the CoC issued.
• Mixing battery brands, or adding new modules to a much older bank. It can shorten the life of the whole bank and affect the warranty.

Questions to Ask Before You Sign

1. Who is the registered electrician issuing the CoC, and what is their registration number?
2. Is this inverter model on City Power's approved list?
3. Who prepares and submits my SSEG application, and is it included in the price?
4. What does the battery warranty cover, for how long, and do I need to register it?
5. What is your workmanship warranty, and who do I call if something goes wrong in year two?
6. What exactly is excluded from this price?
7. Can I have a line-by-line breakdown, with components shown separately from labour?
8. Who is the deposit paid to, and what happens to it if the installation is delayed?
9. Will the app and monitoring be set up in my name?
10. What will be handed to me when the job is finished?

The answers matter less than how they're given. A good installer answers these quickly and in writing.

Comparing Two Quotes

Put them side by side and line up three numbers before you look at the price: the array size in kWp, the battery's usable kWh and the inverter's rated power. If those don't match, you're not comparing like with like, and the cheaper quote may simply be a smaller system. Then check each quote against the list above for what's included and what's missing. The difference in price usually lives in the gaps.

For a sense of what a fair total looks like for your size of system, see what solar actually costs in Johannesburg in 2026.

How We Help

If you already have a quote, send it to us with a recent electricity bill. We'll check whether the system is sized for how your household uses power, whether the components work together, whether the protection and compliance items are there, and whether the price is in line for what's being supplied. You get it back in writing, and there's no obligation to use us.

If you'd rather we quoted, every CleanVolts quote is written after a site assessment and names every component by make and model. [Components are supplied at cost, and our design and project management fee is its own line.] The installation and CoC are done by a vetted registered electrical contractor you contract directly. We work across Blairgowrie, Linden, Randburg, Ferndale, Northcliff, Fairland, Emmarentia, Greenside, Parkhurst and the suburbs around them.

Send Us Your Quote

Get a second opinion before you sign. Send us your quote, or get a solar quote from us.