Load shedding
How do Stage 1–6 hours change home battery sizing in South Africa?
Battery kWh should track your real Stage calendar and essentials watts — Stage 4–6 evening blocks punish tiny usable packs that looked fine on a sunny Stage 2 afternoon. Build from hours × kW, then add reserve.
Updated 27 October 2026 · Illustrative ranges — not a formal quote, credit decision or legal advice.
Answer first: List essentials watts, typical Stage duration at your suburb, and whether you grid-charge before peak Stages — Stage 4 · Stage 6 · Stage strategy · usable kWh · runtime tool.
Sketch
| Essentials | 2.5 h Stage | 4 h Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 0.8 kW | ~2.0 kWh + reserve | ~3.2 kWh + reserve |
| 1.5 kW | ~3.8 kWh + reserve | ~6.0 kWh + reserve |
Figures are illustrative — measure your board. Related: essentials · SoC · load shedding hub.
SA desk notes that keep quotes honest
Ask every partner for Incl. VAT line items, NRS-listed SKUs where relevant, and who owns metro paperwork after deposit. Compare at least two written scopes before you pay — read a quote · choose installer · NRS list · SSEG.
Worked homeowner checklist
- Photograph the DB, roof and meter before the survey.
- Export twelve months of kWh or summer+winter bills.
- Write Stage priorities (fridge, routers, lights) before shopping kWh.
- File CoC, warranties and SSEG refs in one folder after handover.
Related hubs: load shedding · metro tariffs · costs & savings · check a quote.
Tariff and fixed-charge reminder
Self-use savings sit on top of fixed charges that do not disappear. Model both before you celebrate a payback slide — fixed charges · monthly savings · export vs self-use · tariffs 2026.
Safety and paperwork close
- No DIY on dual-supply boards or MC4 strings.
- Keep dual-supply labels readable for inspectors.
- Register warranties before the deadline printed on the pack.
More: CoC · inspector tips · warranties · DIY risks · red flags.
Monitoring and aftercare
Watch daily kWh, backup SoC before forecast Stages, and any new earth-leakage or isolation alarms. Export CSVs monthly so cloud portal changes do not erase your history — monitoring numbers · Wi-Fi dongle · SoC settings.
When to call vs when to wait
Call for burning smells, repeated RCD trips, zero production in full sun with isolators on, or firmware prompts you do not understand. Wait-and-log for single Stage-restore blips that do not repeat — fault codes · nuisance trips · MC4.
Translate Stage tables into usable kWh
Stage tables tell you window length; they do not size your battery. Multiply your essential kW by the longest window you design for, add winter margin, and that usable kWh figure is the shopping brief. Keep a printed Stage card next to the plant-room shut-down steps so guests know what stays on.
Sources homeowners should open themselves
Open the live metro SSEG page, the OEM manual for your SKU, and your tariff code before you argue with a quote. Primaries beat screenshots — metro tariffs · tariffs 2026 · NRS list · SSEG.
Quote comparison grid
| Line | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Incl. VAT total | Ex-VAT shopping lies |
| SKU-level kit | Warranty and NRS match |
| DB / meter / SSEG owner | Who pays delays |
| Backup board schedule | Stage reality |
| Warranty deadlines | Paperwork that expires |
read a quote · check a quote · red flags · choose installer · PV GreenCard.
Stage-season operating rules
- Know essentials breakers before Stage 4.
- Follow written SoC policy — not 100% forever.
- After restore, check alarms before heavy loads.
- Keep dual-supply labels and OEM contacts on paper.
Stage strategy · Stage 4 · Stage 6 · SoC · load shedding hub · essentials · Stage table.
Aftercare calendar
- Month 1: monitoring app + CSV export.
- Month 3: roof/MC4 glance after storms.
- Month 6: bill vs production + fixed charges.
- Month 12: warranties, cleaning, SoC review.
yearly maintenance · monitoring · cleaning · MC4 · warranties · fixed charges.
Desk close — what to do this week
Photograph DB and roof, export twelve months of kWh, write Stage priorities, and request two Incl. VAT quotes naming SKUs, export mode, meter plan and SSEG ownership. File CoC, warranties and insurer acknowledgement together after handover — get quotes · check a quote · read a quote · SSEG · CoC · declare insurance · is solar worth it · payback · monthly savings · metro tariffs.
Related reading on this desk
Continue with solar during load shedding, do I need a battery, bi-directional meters, net metering vs net billing, export vs self-use, hybrid vs string, LiFePO4 vs NMC, usable kWh, NRS list, home solar guide, EV guide.
Site-survey tip: for load shedding stage table battery sa, bring photos of the plant location, DB and meter, plus twelve months of kWh. Ask the partner to mark essentials on a printed board sketch before deposit — essentials · DB space · install timeline.
Commissioning evidence pack
Before sign-off, collect: serial photos, firmware version, export-limit screenshot, CT polarity photo, dual-supply label photos, CoC number, and the guest monitoring login. Store them with the invoice PDF. When a Stage-weekend fault appears three months later, that pack beats a WhatsApp scavenger hunt — CoC · export limit · CT clamps · labels · firmware · warranty claims.
Tariff and fixed-charge reminder
Self-use savings sit on top of fixed charges that do not disappear when panels go up. Model both 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 or MC4 strings.
- Do not bridge RCDs to stop trips.
- Do not ignore isolation or earth-fault alarms.
- Do not disable export limits to "get more power."
DIY risks · earth leakage · MC4 · DC isolation · red flags · N-E island bond.
Extra SA context note 2
Keep metro and OEM PDFs beside this page. When rand bands disagree with a live primary, the primary wins. Revisit SoC and essentials after any Stage-calendar change — SoC · Stage strategy · Stage 4 · essentials · monitoring · choose installer · get quotes · check a quote.
Extra SA context note 2
Keep metro and OEM PDFs beside this page. When rand bands disagree with a live primary, the primary wins. Revisit SoC and essentials after any Stage-calendar change — SoC · Stage strategy · Stage 4 · essentials · monitoring · choose installer · get quotes · check a quote.
Extra SA context note 2
Keep metro and OEM PDFs beside this page. When rand bands disagree with a live primary, the primary wins. Revisit SoC and essentials after any Stage-calendar change — SoC · Stage strategy · Stage 4 · essentials · monitoring · choose installer · get quotes · check a quote.
Extra SA context note 2
Keep metro and OEM PDFs beside this page. When rand bands disagree with a live primary, the primary wins. Revisit SoC and essentials after any Stage-calendar change — SoC · Stage strategy · Stage 4 · essentials · monitoring · choose installer · get quotes · check a quote.
Extra SA context note 2
Keep metro and OEM PDFs beside this page. When rand bands disagree with a live primary, the primary wins. Revisit SoC and essentials after any Stage-calendar change — SoC · Stage strategy · Stage 4 · essentials · monitoring · choose installer · get quotes · check a quote.
Extra SA context note 2
Keep metro and OEM PDFs beside this page. When rand bands disagree with a live primary, the primary wins. Revisit SoC and essentials after any Stage-calendar change — SoC · Stage strategy · Stage 4 · essentials · monitoring · choose installer · get quotes · check a quote.
Quote and CoC cross-check
Before you pay the balance, match the quote SKUs to the installed serials, confirm the export setpoint screenshot, and file the CoC number with dual-supply photos — read a quote · CoC · export limit · labels · check a quote · get quotes.
Stage and tariff reminder
Hardware only pays off if it covers your real Stage windows and your metro’s fixed charges. Prefer self-use when export credits are thin — Stage strategy · fixed charges · export vs self-use · metro tariffs.
Documents to keep for five years
Invoice PDF, CoC number, dual-supply photos, export-limit screenshot, CT polarity photo, firmware version, and the guest portal login — labels · export limit · CT clamps · firmware · selling with solar · CoC.
Quick questions
Can PV refill during Stage?
Only if the sun is up and the hybrid supports island PV — do not assume night Stages refill.
Is one number enough for the whole year?
No — winter evenings and Stage depth both move.
Whole-house vs essentials?
Whole-house multiplies kWh fast — whole-house.
Sources & related
- Solar News 24 — Stage 4 battery
- Solar News 24 — Stage 6 battery
- Solar News 24 — Stage strategy
- Solar News 24 — usable kWh