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.
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.
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.
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.
Not "5 kW hybrid inverter" or "Tier 1 panels". The quote should give:
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.
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":
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
The answers matter less than how they're given. A good installer answers these quickly and in writing.
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.
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.
Get a second opinion before you sign. Send us your quote, or get a solar quote from us.