FINANCE
All the major South African offer a range of financing options , from access bonds and readvances to personal loans and leasing – and many have partnered with professional solar installers to ensure consistency in standards and quality of work .
Standard Bank has launched an online portal and marketplace called Looksee for homeowners looking at improving quality of life and saving costs , with a number of suggestions for saving on energy costs . These include energy metres , back-up lights , generators , solar geysers , and solar power backup systems . Also included here are geyser controllers and other energy saving products , as well as tips for homeowners such as how to deal with a noisy neighbour , and what water tank is best suited to their property .
Steven Barker , head of banking products at Standard Bank , says demand for solar power systems has shot up since load shedding became a daily reality . “ We set up Looksee . co . za as a way to help
homeowners focus on reducing monthly running costs , as well as to manage , maintain and improve their homes ,” he says .
“ A system that gets them over load shedding for a few hours may not be the best solution long term .”
“ We have a panel of suppliers that we have vetted , so anyone filling out a form on Looksee can get three different quotes , and then select the best system . “ With the current bout of load shedding , most people are trying to find a solution that gets them over that , but we encourage them to dig a little deeper and make sure they know what it is they are trying to solve ,” says Barker .
134 OCT 2022 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine