Inverter installation is where most of the safety of a backup system is decided. The inverter and battery may be the expensive parts, but the cables, breakers, earthing and DB board work are what keep it safe for years. This page walks through a typical inverter installation in a home, from the site survey to commissioning and the Certificate of Compliance, and shows what a fair quote should list. Send one free, no-obligation request and battery backup installers and electricians near you quote you directly.
Site survey and planning
A proper installer visits before quoting, or at least asks for clear photos. They look at the DB board, the incoming supply, where the inverter and battery can go, how far that is from the board, and the loads you want backed up. They check that the wall can carry a heavy inverter, that there is airflow, whether the afternoon sun hits the wall and whether the spot can be locked. If solar is planned, they note the roof and the cable route down. A quote without a visit or photos of the board is a guess.
The install, step by step
A typical home install takes about a day. The usual steps are:
- switch off and isolate the supply
- split the DB board so the essential circuits run through the inverter, often via a new sub-board
- mount the inverter and battery, and run DC cables sized for the current and kept short
- fit DC and AC isolators and breakers, with a fuse or breaker at the battery
- add surge protection on the AC side and on any solar input
- bond the system to earth and check the earth leakage protection
- commission it: set the battery profile and communication, test the changeover and mark the circuits
The CoC and the paperwork
Any inverter wired into the DB board must be installed by a registered electrician, who issues a Certificate of Compliance under the Electrical Installation Regulations and SANS 10142-1. Keep the CoC with your house papers: insurers may ask for it, and a buyer will when you sell. Many municipalities ask owners to register inverters connected to the supply, so check with your municipality; good installers help with the forms. If you bought the kit supply only, the electrician must be willing to sign for equipment they did not choose. See inverter and battery packages for buying the kit.
What a fair quote lists
Cost guides put labour for an inverter and battery install at about R4,000 to R9,000, plus about R900 to R3,000 for the CoC. A fair quote lists the labour, the cables and their sizes, isolators and breakers, surge protection, any sub-board, mounting brackets or a battery stand, the CoC and travel. It says who handles warranty claims and how faults after the install are dealt with. If a price looks low, check what is missing. If an existing unit needs fixing rather than replacing, see inverter repairs.
What to include in your request
- Send a photo of the DB board
- Say where the inverter and battery go
- Say whether you already have the kit
- Mention solar panels now or later
- Ask for labour and CoC listed separately
Inverter & Battery Installation for different clients
- Homeowners: an inverter and battery fitted on an essential circuit, with a CoC, in a day
- Complexes, estates and body corporates: installs in units that follow body corporate rules on mounting, noise and cable routes
- Offices and home offices: an inverter wired to office circuits after hours so work is not interrupted
- Shops, restaurants and salons: an install done before opening, with tills and fridges on the new essential circuit
- Farms and smallholdings: long cable runs to the farmhouse, pump house and fence energiser, with proper earthing
- Clinics, surgeries and care homes: careful installs at clinics and surgeries keeping critical equipment on its own circuit
- Factories, warehouses, schools and churches: 3 phase installs with sub-boards, switchgear and generator interlocks in plant rooms
- Electricians, installers and security companies: electricians taking on installs of kit that their clients bought supply only
Frequently asked questions
How much does inverter installation cost?
Can I install an inverter myself?
How long does inverter installation in a home take?
How do I find battery backup installers near me?
Inverter & Battery Installation by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg