The most common question we get. The honest answer: in Pakistan with regular load shedding, 95% of residential customers need hybrid. Here is a complete breakdown — what each system does, the real price difference, and exactly who should choose which.
No battery. Works only when WAPDA grid is live.
With battery. Works through load shedding and grid outages.
All prices calculated live from our product database. The "battery premium" — what you pay extra for backup capability — is shown in the last column.
| System Size | On-Grid (No Battery) | Hybrid (5kWh Battery) | Battery Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 panels + Solis 6kW | Loading… | Loading… | — |
| 10 panels + Solis 8kW Most Popular | Loading… | Loading… | — |
| 14 panels + Solis 10kW | Loading… | Loading… | — |
Battery premium = extra cost for adding Dyness 5kWh LiFePO4 battery. Includes battery, BMS, cabling, and DB box adjustment. One-time cost; battery warrantied for 10 years.
Faisalabad and Punjab experience 6–12 hours of daily load shedding in summer. An on-grid system is useless for those hours. You still need UPS, generator, or generator fuel — an ongoing cost that never pays back. A hybrid system eliminates these costs permanently. For most Pakistani families, the hybrid pays back the battery premium in saved generator/UPS costs within 2–3 years — before any electricity bill saving is counted.
You have 4+ hours of daily load shedding. You pay Rs. 8,000+ per month on WAPDA. You spend Rs. 3,000–8,000/month on generator or UPS battery replacements. → Hybrid pays back in 2–3 years from generator savings alone. Use the Starter Package (6 panels, Solis 6kW, 5kWh battery) as your starting point.
You run a factory or office with 3-phase power. You already have a generator that covers load shedding hours. You want solar to reduce daytime WAPDA bills only. → On-grid (or hybrid without battery) makes sense here. Battery cost is hard to justify when generator already covers backup.
You cannot afford the battery upfront, but you know you will need backup. → Buy a Solis 6kW or 8kW hybrid inverter without a battery first. It will behave like an on-grid system today. Add a Dyness battery in 6–12 months when budget allows. The inverter is already compatible — no reinstallation needed.
You live in an area with less than 2 hours/day of load shedding (rare in Pakistan — DHA Lahore, some commercial areas). You already have a reliable UPS for short outages. → On-grid saves Rs. 200,000+ upfront. The battery premium is hard to justify for 2-hour backup. Call us to confirm load shedding hours in your area first.
| Time / Condition | What the Hybrid System Does | Grid/Battery Use |
|---|---|---|
| Daytime — Sunny, WAPDA On | Solar powers home directly. Excess charges battery. Further excess exported to grid (if net metering active). | Solar → Home → Battery → Grid |
| Daytime — Sunny, Load Shedding | Solar powers home directly from panels. Battery fills any gap above panel output. | Solar → Home → Battery (no grid) |
| Evening / Night — Load Shedding | Battery discharges to power lights, fans, fridge. AC may run if battery sized correctly. | Battery → Home |
| Night — WAPDA Restored | Grid powers home normally. Inverter keeps battery in reserve for next outage. | Grid → Home |
| Cloudy Day — Low Solar | Battery supplements solar. Grid provides balance. Battery is not fully depleted. | Solar + Battery + Grid → Home |
Safety requirement. When WAPDA cuts power, on-grid inverters must detect the grid is absent and shut down within milliseconds. This prevents electricity from back-feeding into the WAPDA lines, which could electrocute WAPDA workers doing line maintenance. It is a legal and safety requirement in every country. Hybrid inverters handle this differently — they switch to battery mode instantly and continue powering your home from the battery, isolated from the grid.
The inverter itself costs similar — the major cost difference is the battery. A Solis 6kW on-grid inverter and a Solis 6kW hybrid inverter have similar price points. The Dyness 5kWh LiFePO4 battery adds Rs. 250,000–350,000 to the system cost. This is the "battery premium" — the only reason hybrid systems cost more. If you install a hybrid inverter without a battery today, the cost difference is minimal.
Hybrid inverters like the Solis S6-EH1P monitor grid voltage continuously. When WAPDA voltage drops below safe limits (under 180V typically), the inverter disconnects from the grid and runs from battery + solar — exactly like during full load shedding. This protects your appliances from low-voltage damage and is a significant advantage over straight grid power in areas with unstable supply.
A Dyness 5kWh (4.5kWh usable) battery powers: lights (100W) + fans (200W) + fridge (150W) + TV (100W) = 550W load for approximately 8 hours. Add a 1 ton AC (700–900W) and the same battery lasts 3–4 hours. For all-night AC coverage, two batteries (10kWh total) are recommended. The design tool at my.saigal.us calculates backup time for your specific load profile.
Use the free design tool to compare prices for your specific panel count — with and without battery. You can toggle the battery on/off to see the exact cost difference for your configuration.