Solar and Services by Alius

02/11/2026

⚡ YOUR ELECTRICITY BILL IS NOT TELLING YOU THE WHOLE STORY.

If you own a business in South Africa, here's a question worth asking:

Do you know what you're actually paying for when that electricity bill arrives?

Most business owners look at the total amount, pay it, complain about the increase, and move on.

But there's more to that bill than the electricity you've used.

🔹 Energy charges: What you pay for the electricity your business consumes.

🔹 Fixed charges: Certain network, service and administration costs may apply regardless of how much electricity you use.

🔹 Demand charges: Depending on your tariff, the highest level of power your business requires can influence your bill.

🔹 Time of use tariffs: Some businesses pay different electricity rates depending on when they use power.

SO, WHERE DOES SOLAR FIT IN?

Solar can help reduce the amount of electricity you purchase from the grid during daylight hours.

But here's something not every solar salesperson will explain:

Reducing your grid electricity consumption by 40% does not automatically mean your total bill will drop by 40%.

Your tariff structure, operating hours, electricity demand and system design all matter.

A workshop operating from 7 AM to 5 PM has very different energy requirements from a restaurant trading late into the evening or a farm running irrigation pumps.

That's why a properly designed solar solution should start with understanding your business, not simply counting how many panels fit on your roof.

💡 OUR ADVICE FOR NOVEMBER:

Before investing in solar, understand three things:

✅ How much electricity your business uses.

✅ When your business uses the most electricity.

✅ Which costs a solar installation can realistically reduce.

At Solar & Services by Alius, we believe good energy decisions start with the right information.

📍 Based in Pretoria, servicing Gauteng.

📩 Planning solar for your business? Let's discuss what your operation actually needs.

27/10/2026

☀️ Jou besigheid se somerplan behoort ook ’n kragplan in te sluit.

Langer handelsure, ekstra bestellings of ’n Desembersluiting kan jou besigheid se elektrisiteitsbehoeftes verander.

Voordat jy sonkrag of rugsteunkrag oorweeg, beantwoord hierdie drie vrae:

🔴 Wat verander gedurende die somer?
Gaan jou lugversorging, verkoeling of toerusting langer werk? Beplan volgens jou werklike bedrywighede, ook gedurende besige tye.

🔴 Wat moet aan bly wanneer julle sluit?
Yskaste, vrieskaste, alarms en sekuriteitskameras kan steeds krag benodig wanneer niemand op die perseel is nie.

🔴 Wat moet tydens ’n onderbreking aanhou werk?
Maak ’n lys van noodsaaklike toerusting en hoe lank elke item moet kan werk. Dit gee jou installeerder ’n duideliker vertrekpunt.

💡 Praktiese wenk: Hou jou vorige somer se elektrisiteitsrekeninge, beplande handelsure en lys van nuwe toerusting byderhand wanneer jy ’n kwotasie bespreek.

Begin die gesprek vroeg sodat daar tyd is vir ’n behoorlike assessering en beplanning.

Gesels met Alius Solutions oor sonkrag en rugsteunkrag wat by jou besigheid se behoeftes pas.

26/10/2026

Eskom has announced an 18-hour power outage in Gauteng over two days on Thursday and Friday as part of scheduled maintenance.

26/10/2026

Are you affected by load reduction? Check the latest schedule for Gauteng to see the affected areas and plan ahead to minimise disruptions.

Eskom load reduction schedule for Gauteng, 26 to 31 October 2026: which blocks go off from 05:00 to 09:00 and 17:00 to 22:00, and the areas in each.

23/10/2026

🏢☀️ Renting your business premises? Start the solar conversation with your landlord.

Before choosing panels or batteries, clarify how an installation would fit your lease, your operations and your future plans.

Here are five questions worth discussing:

🔴 What alterations will be approved?
Discuss roof access, equipment placement and electrical changes. Record the agreed scope in writing.

🔴 How long do you expect to stay?
Consider the remaining lease term and renewal options when assessing the investment.

🔴 Who will own the system?
Clarify who pays for it, who owns it and how any electricity savings or charges will be handled.

🔴 Who takes responsibility for upkeep?
Agree on maintenance, insurance, roof repairs and access for technicians.

🔴 What happens when you move?
Will the system remain, be purchased by the landlord or be removed? Include removal and reinstatement costs in the discussion.

💡 Practical tip: Bring your lease, recent electricity bills and operating hours to the planning conversation. Involve your landlord early so everyone understands the proposed installation.

Speak to Alius Solutions about assessing solar and backup options for your rented business premises.

20/10/2026

https://powerfailure.tshwane.gov.za/Tshwanesms/Home

Power outages in Tshwane, report them here.

18/10/2026

🏡💼 Your business may run from home. Your backup power should take it seriously.

When your home is also your workplace, an outage can interrupt a client meeting, delay an order or leave you unable to respond to customers.

Before comparing solar quotes, identify what keeps your business earning:

💻 Your working essentials
Your laptop, monitor, internet equipment and lighting. A home salon, bakery or sewing business will have very different requirements from an office.

⏱️ The time you need
Enough backup to finish a client appointment may mean something different from powering a full working day.

🔌 What runs at the same time
Household appliances share your supply. A kettle, geyser or oven could put additional demand on a system intended to support your work essentials.

☀️ Whether the system provides outage backup
Solar panels alone do not guarantee electricity during a power cut. Your system needs the right equipment and configuration to keep the intended circuits supplied.

💡 Practical tip: Make two lists: “business essentials” and “household extras”. Give these to your installer, together with your working hours. This helps define what must stay powered and what can wait.

Remember, powering your router cannot guarantee internet access if your network provider is also affected. Have a connectivity backup plan for important calls.

Speak to Alius Solutions about power planned around your home and your livelihood.

15/10/2026

🔋 A bigger battery isn’t automatically the right backup solution for your business.

Before comparing battery sizes, understand these two numbers:

⚡ kW tells you how much power can be supplied at once.
Your battery and inverter must support the equipment you need to run together.

⚡ kWh tells you how much energy is stored.
Usable capacity helps determine how long your equipment can keep running.

Here’s a simple example: Equipment drawing a steady 2 kW for four hours needs 8 kWh of delivered energy. Actual battery sizing must also allow for system losses, reserve settings and changing demand.

Adding storage alone won’t solve an inverter that cannot handle your required load.

Before accepting a quote, ask:

✅ Which equipment will the system support simultaneously?
✅ How long will it run under that load?
✅ How much battery capacity is usable?
✅ How will it recharge before the next interruption?

💡 Start with a list of what must keep running and for how long. Payment systems, computers and refrigeration can have very different requirements from ovens, pumps or workshop machinery.

Speak to Alius Solutions about backup planned around your business’s actual needs.

📍 Pretoria and Gauteng
📞 082 478 7842
📧 [email protected]

12/10/2026

☀️ Before choosing solar, ask yourself: what do I need it to do for my home?

Your answer helps shape the system you need.

🏠 Reduce the electricity you buy
Look at how much power you use during daylight hours and which tasks, such as laundry, could move into that time.

🔋 Keep essentials running during outages
Make a list of what matters most: your fridge, lights, Wi-Fi or home office. Then consider how many hours of backup you need.

⚡ Achieve both
Your panels, inverter and battery need to work together around your household’s usage and backup priorities.

A useful starting point: Write two lists: “must stay on” and “can wait”. A kettle, geyser or oven can change your backup requirements considerably, so be specific about what you expect to run.

Remember, having solar panels does not automatically mean your home will have electricity during a power cut. The system must be designed and configured for backup.

Tell Alius Solutions what you want to keep running, and let’s discuss a system that suits your home.

07/10/2026

☀️ Same electricity bill. Different solar needs.

An office operating mainly during daylight hours and a restaurant busiest after sunset could have similar monthly electricity bills. But their solar requirements may be very different.

Why? Because WHEN you use electricity matters.

An office may be able to use solar power directly as it is generated. A restaurant with heavy evening demand needs a different assessment, including whether battery storage makes financial and operational sense.

Before requesting a solar quote, look at:

🔴 Your operating hours: When does equipment switch on, and what keeps running after closing?

🔴 Your busiest electricity periods: When are ovens, air conditioners, pumps or machinery working hardest?

🔴 Your weekend usage: Does demand drop when the business closes, or does refrigeration continue around the clock?

💡 Practical tip: Ask your electricity provider whether interval usage data is available for your meter. Readings taken throughout the day can reveal patterns that a monthly total cannot.

Share that information, your operating hours and recent bills with your installer. It provides a stronger starting point for planning a system around your business.

At Alius Solutions, the conversation starts with how your business operates.

Does your business use the most electricity during the day, in the evening or around the clock?