Costs & savings

Should I buy a heat pump before more solar PV in South Africa?

If geyser kWh dominates your bill, a heat pump can cut that load at a lower capex than another string of panels — then size PV to the new daytime profile. Run both paybacks in rand, not in brochure kWh.

Updated 27 October 2026 · Illustrative ranges — not a formal quote, credit decision or legal advice.

Answer first: Rank loads by kWh and R/month. If the geyser wins, price a heat pump against another 2–4 panels and pick the better rand return — heat pump vs thermal · add heat pump to solar · smart geyser · geyser on backup · costs & savings.

Decision table

Signal	Lean toward
Geyser >30% of kWh	Heat pump first
Large daytime laundry/AC already	More PV / battery
Tight inverter headroom	Efficiency kit before more load
Weak export credit	Self-use efficiency + PV

export vs self-use · size system · install order.

Desk close

Keep metro and OEM PDFs beside this page. When rand bands disagree with a live primary, the primary wins — metro tariffs · tariffs 2026 · choose installer · get quotes · check a quote.

Sources homeowners can open

Your metro SSEG / tariff PDF (live municipal site).
OEM inverter and battery installation + warranty PDFs for the quoted SKUs.
NERSA and municipal tariff schedules for the current year.
Published network price posts (e.g. DriveElectric) when comparing public DC vs home AC.

Commissioning evidence pack

Serial photos, firmware version, export-limit screenshot, CT polarity photo, dual-supply labels, CoC number, guest monitoring login — with the invoice PDF — CoC · export limit · CT clamps · labels · firmware · warranty claims.

Tariff and fixed-charge reminder

Fixed charges remain after panels go up. Model self-use against your metro’s published rates before celebrating a payback slide — fixed charges · monthly savings · export vs self-use · tariffs 2026 · bill still high · metro tariffs · costs & savings.

Safety do-not list

Do not DIY dual-supply boards, earthing, or MC4 strings.
Do not bridge RCDs or defeat BMS protections.
Do not ignore isolation or earth-fault alarms.
Do not disable export limits or grid-interface settings.

DIY risks · earth leakage · MC4 · DC isolation · red flags · N-E island.

Stage-weekend reality check

Essentials first through your worst Stage window — essentials · Stage strategy · Stage 4 · SoC · Stage table · load shedding hub.

Extra SA context

Keep metro and OEM PDFs beside this page. When rand bands disagree with a live primary, the primary wins — choose installer · get quotes · check a quote · FAQ · about · batteries.

Handover note 1

Photograph serials, labels and the essential board before the cover closes. Keep guest monitoring access with the invoice. Revisit SoC floors when Stage calendars change — SoC · Stage strategy · Stage 4 · essentials · monitoring · choose installer · get quotes · check a quote · FAQ · about · costs & savings · batteries.

Handover note 2

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Extra SA context note 2

Keep metro and OEM PDFs beside this page. When rand bands disagree with a live primary, the primary wins — SoC · monthly savings · fixed charges · export vs self-use · choose installer · get quotes · check a quote · FAQ · about · costs & savings · metro tariffs.

Extra SA context note 2

Heat pump vs PV — order-of-spend for SA bills

A quality heat pump often cuts geyser kWh by roughly 50–70% for a lower capex than a full hybrid PV+battery set. PV then attacks the remaining daytime loads and TOU peaks. Many Cape and Joburg homes get a faster first-rand saving by fixing the geyser first, then sizing PV against the new lower baseload — not the old resistive geyser profile. Confirm COP claims at your winter inlet temperatures; Highveld winter nights punish optimistic brochure COPs.

Log 7 days of geyser kWh before shopping.
Ask for installed Incl. VAT for heat pump + plumbing vs PV-only vs hybrid.
If an EV is coming, plan the DB and NMD once — install order · LPG geyser · geyser on backup.

Combined payback sketch

Example shape only: a R25k–R45k heat pump saving roughly R400–R900/month of geyser electricity at metro rates can pay back faster than waiting for a R150k+ hybrid to displace the same kWh. Then PV self-use compounds. Always use your tariff — water heating · costs & savings · monthly savings.

Desk close on heat pump vs PV order

Get two heat-pump quotes and two PV quotes with the same year’s bills attached. Pick the first project with the faster verified rand saving, then stack the second — water heating · install order.

Quick questions

Heat pump first?

Often when geyser is the top load and roof space is tight.

PV first?

When daytime loads already exist and export/self-use maths work.

Both?

Common — sequence matters for inverter headroom.

Gas geyser?

Different maths — see LPG desk.