S.African homeowners' appetite for alternative power solutions declining, Absa says

Source: Reuters.

Delivering the results of the bank's Homeowner Sentiment Index for the second quarter of 2024, head of credit risk home loans, Kamini Ramsamy, said going off-grid completely is less of a driver for consumers in the current moment, likely as a result of the recent energy-supply recovery.

"Reducing electricity costs remains one of the most important factors in alternative power solutions investment, but slightly lower than in the first quarter of 2024," the report found.

Homeowners surveyed in the index, cited affordability as the main reason why they're not considering installing alternative power solutions, while others said that they were confident that power supply would improve.

Two weeks ago, struggling state-owned power utility Eskom reached 100 consecutive days without implementing rolling power cuts - a record over years of crippling blackouts - citing significant decrease in the usage of open-cycle gas turbines to supplement generation capacity.

The debt-laden utility is struggling to keep the lights on in Africa's most industrialised country, resulting in significant economic damage and social disruption.

Many South Africans are not waiting for government action, with their impatience driving a boom in small-scale solar installations. But their high costs means, for now at least, they are only a solution for the relatively well-off.

Banks have seen this opportunity and are now offering loans linked to alternative power solutions.

According to the Index, overall consumer confidence in the South African property market increased in the second quarter to 84% from 82% in the first quarter of 2024, driven by the perception of property being a secure asset.