Cost estimator

What should a tradesperson cost in South Africa?

Pick a service and your province for an indicative price band. Wide ranges — every job's different, but these are the brackets quotes usually fall into. Real quotes from local pros are always free on Handi.

Province affects pricing — Cape Town and Joburg run 5-10% above the national baseline; rural areas can be 10-15% below.

Indicative price in South Africa

Solar & Renewable Energy

R18,000 – R32,000 per kW installed

full grid-tied / hybrid system

Per kW installed for a hybrid grid-tied system (panels + inverter + battery storage). Off-grid systems cost more. 5 kW is the typical 3-bed household sweet-spot.

Guide only — actual quotes vary based on job complexity, access, materials, and urgency. Always get 2-3 quotes from verified local pros before committing.

Typical solar & renewable energy jobs & what they cost

Concrete examples at the national baseline. Bands reflect normal variation — the same job can sit at the low or high end depending on access, materials, and urgency.

5 kW hybrid + 5 kWh battery
R110,000 – R170,000

Most popular residential package. Covers essentials through 4-6 hour load-shedding.

3 kW grid-tied (no battery)
R55,000 – R85,000

Daytime usage only — no load-shedding backup. Cheapest payback path if you're home during the day.

8 kW + 10 kWh battery
R170,000 – R240,000

Whole-home backup for a 4-bed household. Will run aircon and oven through outages.

Battery-only add-on (5 kWh lithium)
R45,000 – R72,000

For homes already with grid-tied solar. Adds load-shedding backup without re-doing the panels.

Inverter replacement (5 kW)
R22,000 – R38,000

Inverters last 8-12 years. Often the first thing to fail in older systems — sometimes worth upgrading.

A note on these numbers

Bands come from rates published in our pricing guides, mixed with what we see Handi-za providers actually quoting across the country. They're starting points — not a fixed price list. Job-specific factors (access, height, asbestos, after-hours, time pressure) all move the needle. Treat this as the first 30 seconds of research before you start collecting real quotes.