Your Solar Questions, Answered

Yes! Our balcony solar range is designed specifically for apartment dwellers in areas like Kilimani, Westlands and Kileleshwa. The panels mount on your balcony railing using non-invasive brackets and connect via a plug-and-play micro-inverter to your standard wall socket. No roof access, no permanent structural work, and no landlord approval needed for standard configurations. Starter kits begin at KES 45,000 for a 400W system.

Rooftop solar is a permanently installed system on your house roof, designed for maximum output over 25+ years — ideal for homeowners in Karen, Langata, Kikuyu, Ruiru and similar areas. Balcony solar is a portable, plug-in system for apartment renters or owners: lower cost of entry, quick to set up, and you can take it with you if you move. Both reduce your KPLC bills — rooftop typically by 70–90%, balcony solar by 20–50% depending on configuration and usage.

It depends on the system type. Balcony solar starter kits begin from KES 45,000 for a 400W plug-in setup. Rooftop installations start from KES 350,000 for a 3kW system, scaling up based on your energy needs. We offer flexible financing — many customers save more monthly than their repayment amount. Contact us for a personalised quote.

Yes! We offer zero-deposit pay-as-you-save plans, M-PESA monthly instalments, SACCO partnerships and bank financing through our partner institutions. In many cases, your monthly solar repayment is less than your current electricity bill — meaning you save from day one.

Most residential solar installations are completed in 1 to 2 days. Larger systems or properties with complex roofing may take up to 3 days. Our installation crew is tidy and professional — we leave your home exactly as we found it, just with a solar system on the roof.

Yes — solar panels generate electricity from daylight, not just direct sunlight. Output is reduced on heavily overcast days, but Nairobi's sunshine levels are among the best in East Africa year-round. Our systems are specifically sized to account for Kenya's seasonal weather patterns.

With a grid-tied-only system, your solar will shut off during an outage (a safety requirement). However, with our battery storage option, your home automatically switches to battery power and continues running seamlessly throughout any blackout — you may not even notice the outage.

You receive a 25-year performance warranty on solar panels (typically 80%+ output at year 25), a 10-year product warranty on inverters, a 10-year battery warranty on storage systems, and a 10-year workmanship warranty from UrbanDwell Energy on all installation work.

The average UrbanDwell customer reduces their KPLC electricity bill by 70–95%, depending on system size, usage patterns and whether they have battery storage. Our free energy audit gives you a personalised savings projection based on your actual bills and usage.

KPLC's net metering programme allows eligible grid-tied customers to export surplus generation and receive credits on their bill. We handle the full application and approval process with KPLC and EPRA on your behalf — it's included in our installation service.

In most residential cases in Nairobi, county planning permission is not required for rooftop solar. However, EPRA licensing and KPLC notification are required for grid-tied systems — we manage all of this on your behalf as part of our standard installation process.

All our systems include a smart monitoring portal and mobile app (iOS and Android). You can track live solar generation, battery charge level, energy consumption, CO₂ savings and cumulative financial savings — all from your phone in real time.

We exclusively use Tier-1 certified solar panels from globally recognised manufacturers including JA Solar, Longi Green Energy, Jinko Solar and Canadian Solar. For inverters, we work with Growatt, SolarEdge and Victron Energy. We do not install budget or unbranded equipment.

Our 24/7 remote monitoring often detects faults before you even notice them. For on-site issues, our Nairobi-based support team responds to priority callouts within 24–48 hours. We're not a foreign company with no local presence — we're based in Kilimani and we're here for the long term.

Every UrbanDwell installation is backed by our 30-day money-back guarantee. If your system isn't performing as agreed within the first 30 days — for any reason — we'll fix the issue at no cost or refund you in full. No arguments, no small print. We stand behind every system we install. Read the full guarantee terms →

Yes — once your system is installed, you receive a personal referral link to share with friends, family or neighbours. When someone you refer installs a system, you earn a cash reward and they receive a discount on their installation. There's no limit to how many people you can refer, and rewards are paid out on each successful installation. See full referral programme terms →