Buying costs less over the term. Leasing costs less this month.
Pick a system size and watch the 7-year totals move. The gap is the whole argument.
Without a battery. Lease totals cover 84 monthly payments before escalation and any buy-out fee, so treat them as a floor.
Total outlay over 7 years
Worked example, 5 kW: rent at R1,750 to R2,200 a month over 84 months totals R147,000 to R184,800 before escalation. Buying the same class of system outright is an estimated R90,000 to R140,000 without a battery.
| Question | Buy outright | Lease or subscription |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront | R55,000 to R240,000 by size | Usually R0 to a small admin fee |
| Monthly | R0 after purchase, finance aside | R1,400 to R2,900, often escalating 5% to 7.5% a year |
| 84-month total | The purchase price, once | R117,600 to R243,600 before escalation and buy-out |
| Ownership | Yours from day one | Provider's, unless rent-to-own with a stated buy-out |
| Maintenance | Yours, after warranties | Usually the provider's during the term |
| Selling the house | System transfers with the property | Contract must be transferred, bought out or settled |
Three lease clauses to read first
- Escalation. At 7% a year, an R1,800 payment is roughly R2,700 by year seven.
- Buy-out formula. Some contracts price it off the original system value, not the used value.
- Early exit. Moving house in year two is where leases get expensive.
Run your own bill through the calculator. Its comparison table uses your size and battery choice.
Questions people actually ask
Is rent-to-own the same as a subscription?
No. Rent-to-own ends with ownership, sometimes after a final payment. A subscription usually does not. The contract heading matters less than the ownership clause.
Can a lease ever beat buying?
On cash flow in year one, yes. On total cost over the term, rarely, unless failures land on you as an owner and on the provider as a tenant.