David
Joined - July 2026
Buying solar can be confusing.
One seller recommends a 3 kW system. Another tells you to buy 5 kVA. Someone else says you need a 10 kWh battery. Then you see packages advertising different numbers of panels, batteries, inverters and warranties — all at very different prices.
But what do those numbers actually mean?
And more importantly:
Will the system really run your fridge, lights, TV, Wi-Fi, water pump or other appliances for as long as you expect?
Before You Buy Solar for Your Home is a practical Vezill buyer’s guide designed to help ordinary homeowners understand solar sizing before spending their money.
The guide does not teach dangerous DIY electrical installation. Instead, it teaches you how to understand your electricity needs, estimate the system size you may require, compare quotations and ask an installer the right questions before paying a deposit. Pasted markdown
One of the biggest mistakes solar buyers make is confusing power with energy.
This guide explains the difference between:
Watts and kilowatts — kW
and
Kilowatt-hours — kWh
in simple language.
You will understand why:
INVERTER = HOW MUCH CAN RUN AT ONCE
BATTERY = HOW LONG YOUR APPLIANCES CAN RUN
SOLAR PANELS = HOW MUCH ENERGY YOU CAN REPLACE FROM SUNLIGHT Pasted markdown
Once you understand those three ideas, solar quotations become much easier to compare.
The guide shows you how to perform a simple home load audit.
You will learn to list appliances such as:
Then calculate how much electricity they may consume each day.
The basic principle is:
Daily Energy = Appliance Watts × Hours Used ÷ 1,000
Instead of relying on random online estimates, the guide also explains why you should check the actual appliance label or manufacturer information whenever possible. Pasted markdown
Not every appliance needs to run from your battery during a blackout.
The guide helps you separate your household loads into:
Refrigerator, Wi-Fi, security and essential lighting.
Television, laptop and fans.
Kettle, iron, cooker, electric shower, large pumps and air conditioning.
This is important because backing up every high-power appliance can dramatically increase the cost of a solar system.
The goal is not to buy the biggest system possible.
The goal is to buy a system that makes sense for your home and your priorities.
A large inverter is not automatically better.
The guide teaches you how inverter sizing relates to:
You will also understand an important solar buying concept:
So when someone says:
“This is a 5 kVA inverter.”
you will know what additional specifications to ask for. Pasted markdown
Battery marketing can be confusing.
A battery may be advertised as:
100 Ah
but amp-hours alone do not tell you the complete amount of stored energy.
The guide teaches you:
Wh = Volts × Amp-hours
For example:
51.2 V × 100 Ah = 5,120 Wh
or approximately:
5.12 kWh nominal battery capacity. Pasted markdown
You will then understand the difference between:
and
because a battery’s label does not necessarily represent the exact amount of AC electricity available to your appliances.
Want to know whether a battery might run your home for two hours, six hours or through the night?
The guide introduces the simple principle:
Runtime ≈ Usable Battery Energy ÷ Average Load
For example, if you have approximately:
4 kWh usable energy
and your average load is:
0.5 kW
the simple theoretical estimate is:
4 ÷ 0.5 = 8 hours.
The guide then explains why actual runtime may be different because of inverter losses, changing loads, battery limits, temperature, battery condition and appliance starting loads. Pasted markdown
Should you buy lithium?
AGM?
Gel?
Flooded lead-acid?
The guide helps you understand the differences in areas such as:
Instead of simply saying one battery is “best,” the guide teaches you what specifications matter when comparing them.
The guide explains how panel sizing is related to:
A simplified planning approach is introduced using:
PV Size ≈ Daily Energy Requirement ÷ (Peak Sun Hours × System Derating Factor)
This is an estimate for understanding system sizing — not a replacement for professional site design. Pasted markdown
A 550 W solar panel does not sit at 550 W from sunrise to sunset.
The guide explains the real solar production curve:
Morning → Lower production
Midday → Higher production
Clouds → Variable production
Late afternoon → Falling production
You will also understand why heat, shading, dirt, roof orientation and solar irradiation affect actual output.
More panels do not automatically mean a better solar system.
For example:
10 × 450 W = 4.5 kWp
while:
8 × 550 W = 4.4 kWp.
The guide teaches you to compare total array capacity, not merely the number of panels. Pasted markdown
You'll also understand why trees, water tanks, chimneys and nearby buildings can reduce solar production.
Instead of seeing a technical panel datasheet and ignoring it, you'll learn the meaning of important specifications such as:
You do not need to become a solar engineer.
You simply need to understand enough to recognize whether the quotation you are receiving contains meaningful information.
The guide explains the difference between:
Solar operates together with the electricity grid.
Solar and batteries provide electricity without depending on the normal utility supply.
Can combine solar, batteries, grid electricity and sometimes generator input.
You will understand why the word “hybrid” by itself is not enough — actual inverter capabilities matter. Pasted markdown
The guide also introduces Kenya's current net-metering framework for qualifying renewable-energy systems.
It explains the basic ideas behind:
It also emphasizes that homeowners cannot simply connect a solar inverter to the grid and begin exporting electricity without following the proper process. Pasted markdown
This is one of the most important sections.
A serious solar quotation should help you identify details such as:
Because:
is not enough information to properly compare two systems. Pasted markdown
The guide teaches you to compare suppliers using the actual specifications.
Instead of asking only:
“Who is cheaper?”
you learn to compare:
PV Capacity → Panel Model → Inverter Model → Continuous Output → Surge Rating → Battery kWh → Usable Energy → Warranty → Protection → Installation → Monitoring → Support → Total Price
The rule is simple:
What exactly does:
“5 kW system”
mean?
Is it:
What about:
“10 kWh system”?
Is that nominal battery capacity?
Usable battery capacity?
Daily generation?
The guide teaches you to ask:
and
before making a purchasing decision. Pasted markdown
A “10-year warranty” does not always mean a complete free replacement for ten years.
The guide explains the difference between:
You'll learn to look for cycle limits, throughput limits, depth-of-discharge conditions, warranty exclusions, registration requirements and local warranty support.
The guide helps you identify warning signs such as:
A red flag does not automatically mean fraud.
It means:
The guide also clears up common misunderstandings such as:
“A 5 kW inverter means I have a 5 kW solar system.”
Not necessarily.
“A 5 kWh battery will always give five hours of backup.”
Not necessarily.
“More panels always means a better system.”
No.
“Lithium batteries never degrade.”
False.
“Solar panels produce their rated wattage all day.”
False.
“Solar automatically removes my electricity bill.”
It depends on your consumption and system design. Pasted markdown
Throughout the guide, you'll follow a fictional Kenyan household through the entire decision process.
From:
listing appliances
to:
calculating daily electricity use
to:
choosing essential loads
to:
estimating inverter size
to:
battery capacity
to:
solar panel capacity
to:
evaluating the final quotation.
This helps turn technical concepts into something you can understand and apply to your own home.
Before paying a solar supplier, the guide teaches you to ask questions such as:
What daily consumption did you calculate for my home?
What peak load did you use?
What exact inverter model are you supplying?
What is its continuous output?
What exact battery model?
What is its usable capacity?
What exact panels are being installed?
What is the total PV array size?
What safety protection is included?
Who will install the system?
What warranty do I receive?
Who handles warranty claims?
What monitoring system will I receive?
What commissioning documents will I receive? Pasted markdown
The guide brings everything together in one simple process:
PURPOSE → LOADS → ENERGY → POWER → SURGE → BATTERY → SOLAR → COMPATIBILITY → INSTALLER → QUOTE
The final principle is:
This guide is ideal for:
No electrical-engineering background is required.
This is a solar buying and sizing education guide.
It is not a DIY electrical installation manual.
High-current batteries, solar DC circuits, electrical distribution boards and grid connections can be dangerous and may require appropriately qualified professionals.
The goal is to make you a better-informed buyer, not an unlicensed installer.
Where this product is supplied under Vezill's applicable Master Resell Rights licence, eligible resellers may earn 90% of qualifying resale revenue, subject to Vezill platform and product-licence terms.
You may use the guide for your own learning or resell the eligible digital product to people interested in understanding residential solar.
MRR does not guarantee customers, sales, profit or income.
Understand your home first.
Measure the load.
Understand the energy.
Size the battery.
Size the solar.
Compare the hardware.
Verify the installer.
Then make your decision.
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