Vivica Group, the holding company of Vox and Frogfoot, has finally taken the wraps off its long-in-development home solar provider, called Stage Zero.
Stage Zero will compete in a rapidly expanding solar installation market with other start-ups such as MetroWatt, GoSolr and Wetility.
Vivica described Stage Zero as a “power utility provider hoping to overhaul how South African households deal with Eskom and local municipalities’ unreliability”.
CEO Abraham van der Merwe said Stage Zero is “not just another provider of solar or battery backup systems attempting to position a new product”.
Where it claims to differ from other solutions available is it sells a “value proposition” — in the form of utility cost savings or load shedding protection — without the burden of long-term risk.
“We did things differently,” said Van Der Merwe. “We looked at the industry and noticed several problems. First, no one was making a clear value proposition to the customer. In other words, what are you going to achieve? Will you save money, or will you simply be paying extra on top of your utility bill? Will you be guaranteed to survive load shedding?”
Complex
Van der Merwe said most solutions are too complex and need simplification, and customers require after-sales support for their installations. The company also hopes to reach homes and businesses where solar is not an option.
“Roughly a third of households don’t have access to their rooftops as they live in multi-dwelling units. The same applies to many businesses, like retailers in shopping malls or commercial customers in business parks. These same customers require protection from load shedding even though solar is not an option,” he said.
“We developed a range of backup-only solutions … and have already deployed these at a number of residential and commercial customers,” said Van der Merwe.
The crux of the Stage Zero proposition is that it is a short-term utility contract with no obligation around the equipment once the service is no longer needed.
“The customer dashboard sets Stage Zero apart,” Van der Merwe said. “A customer can see actual performance against Stage Zero service guarantees: how the system is functioning, the monetary and carbon emissions savings, payments, and more.” — © 2023 NewsCentral Media
