How Much Electricity Will Living in a Container Home Save You?

1 min read

Container homes have been trending in the past 4 to 5 years with a large number of people considering them as housing prices continue to remain unaffordable for many.

Container homes can be purchased for as little as R200 000 including standard electrical components which only leaves the buyer with the task of connecting them to the grid. There are also off-grid options for around R400 000 which usually come with 4 solar panels, each with one solar battery and one 5kW inverter. The off-grid option easily produces enough electricity to go get by on a daily basis plus an emergency supply stored.

Although the upfront costs are higher than the grid connected option, the cost savings in the long run make it a worthwhile investment. The ongoing monthly costs of the grid connected option can vary anywhere between R700 and R1 200 depending on size and use of the container. This totals up to about R8 400 and R14 400 a year, which would mean that it would take you between 6 and 11 years to recoup the costs of going off-grid.

There is currently no data from research comparing the electricity costs of traditional homes versus container homes, so it is assumed that they are more or less equal.

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