Whilst load shedding is keeping us all in the dark, solar has brought new light to the energy situation in South Africa and has been keeping more and more lights on throughout the country. To those who have made the decision to invest in solar, welcome to the sunny side of life! For those who are still on the fence here are our 5 easy steps to joining the sunny side of SA with the help of Newfield.
Step 1: Understanding your needs and the environment of your home.
At Newfield we like to keep it personal. So, we will discuss your solar requirements in person which gives us the benefit of seeing the full picture and allowing us to better understand what you would like to achieve by installing one of our systems. For your benefit, we talk you through how the technology can best serve your power needs and what solutions will optimise your current energy environment in order to reduce the amount you spend on electricity. We’ll save you money wherever we can!
Step 2: On-site survey and proposal.
An on-site survey is done to determine the best position for your solar panels; how to run the cables most efficiently; and the best place to mount the inverter and batteries in a way that ensures the installation is neat and safe. Once we fully understand what you need from our solar PV system, we prepare a proposal with the most relevant options for you to consider and decide on the best choice for your property and family.
Step 3: Procurement and Instillation
After you’ve accepted our quote, we will place your order for the necessary components and schedule an installation date. On the day of installation, we’ll deliver the equipment to your home and start the process by identifying which circuits will be powered by the inverter. Our expert team of electricians then mount the inverter and batteries before transferring over the relevant circuits. Once we’ve neatly run the cables between your distribution board and the inverter, and from the inverter to the solar panel site, we’re all done with the wiring. For a three-bedroom house, this process usually takes around a day. The next day our skilled panel installation team arrive to install your solar panels. It normally takes about 3-4 hours to install eight panels, depending on the type of roof.
Step 4: Configuration
Once we’ve run the cables and installed the solar panels, it is time to configure the system. We do this in a way that maximises the use of free energy from the sun and charges the batteries to see you through the dark days of load shedding with lights on and Netflix loaded. We’ll also connect your solar system to Wi-Fi, allowing you to view the performance of the system over the Internet via our IOS or Android App.
Step 5: Testing and use.
As soon as we’ve finished with configuration it is time to turn on your new solar system and put it to the test. After this, we’ll spend some time training you on how to use your new solar system, answering any questions you may have and showing you how to get the most value out of it. We also provide a one week “hand holding” exercise, where we keep in contact with you to ensure that your move from coal power to solar power is as smooth and trouble-free as can be.
If you’re still concerned and wondering about the background paperwork; as part of the process with Newfield, we prepare all the registration forms, diagrams, and certificates of compliance necessary for you to register your system with the City of Cape Town.
It’s as simple as that!
Don’t stay in the dark, the sunny side is waiting!