Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, Happy Moon Homestay may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only list the kinds of items we use at our own homestay in Aldona, North Goa.
By Ulhas Polle, host at Happy Moon Homestay, Aldona, North Goa, since 2024 · Updated 2 October 2026
Our track record: Google 4.9★ (130 reviews) · Airbnb 4.88★ Guest Favourite (41 reviews) · Booking.com 9.8/10 Exceptional
Guests rarely praise your electrics, but they will write a review the night the power goes out, the shower runs dry or the Wi-Fi drops during a work call. In Goa, power cuts, voltage swings and monsoon storms are normal. This guide is the infrastructure we built at Happy Moon Homestay so that none of those things reach the guest. It applies to any homestay, guest house or villa, and most of it applies even if you are letting out a single room.
1. Power backup that actually lasts
Our first lesson was power cuts. We run a Genus lithium inverter (1000 VA). Lithium batteries charge faster, need no water top-ups and last longer than lead-acid. To make the backup last through a long outage, pair it with BLDC fans: they draw a fraction of the power of an old ceiling fan, so the same inverter runs the fans, lights and Wi-Fi for much longer.
- Genus lithium inverter, 1000 VAneededone-time
Keeps fans, lights, Wi-Fi and cameras running through power cuts. No battery maintenance.
View on Amazon → - BLDC ceiling fans (Atomberg)neededone-time
Low power draw, so your inverter backup lasts much longer and your bill drops.
View on Amazon → - Inverter-backup LED bulbsoptionalone-time₹400 (Oct 2025)
If you are not installing an inverter yet, these bulbs keep lighting on for a few hours in a power cut.
Our pick: View on Amazon →
2. Protect the investment: surges, shocks and bad voltage
You will put lakhs of rupees of appliances into the property. A single voltage spike during a monsoon storm can destroy an AC, a fridge and a router in one go. Get these fitted by a licensed electrician:
- Three-phase supply with automatic phase changeroptionalone-time
If one phase fails, the changer switches you to a live phase automatically, which means far fewer outages. Apply to your electricity department for three-phase if you can.
View on Amazon → - Surge arrester on the main incoming lineneededone-time
Stops lightning and grid surges at the meter, before they reach your appliances.
View on Amazon → - ELCB or RCCB on the distribution boardneededone-time
Cuts power in milliseconds if someone gets a shock. Non-negotiable when guests use your appliances.
View on Amazon → - High and low voltage protectionneededone-time
Disconnects the house when voltage goes dangerously high or low, then reconnects when it is safe.
View on Amazon → - V-Guard stabiliser for each ACneededone-time
Most new ACs claim they do not need a stabiliser. Do not rely on that: one stabiliser per AC is cheap peace of mind.
View on Amazon →
3. Solar: the item that paid for itself
If you ask me which purchase paid for itself, it is our 8.5 kW rooftop solar panels. They cut our electricity bill substantially, and a homestay with ACs, a fridge, a washing machine and a geyser uses a lot of power. Solar is bought from a local installer rather than online, so there is no link here. Ask your installer what subsidy applies to your connection.
We also heat water with the sun: 500 litres of solar water heating in total. Hot showers cost nothing for most of the year, and the electric geyser only covers cloudy monsoon days.
- Solar water heateroptionalone-time
Hot water for showers without an electricity bill. Size it for your rooms; we run 500 litres in total.
View on Amazon →
4. Water: never let the tank run dry
Our most common bathroom complaint used to be “no water”. The cause was simple: the overhead tank had run empty and nobody knew. We fixed it with a Swaranjal wireless water level indicator. A display inside the house shows the tank level and tells us when to start and stop the pump. It has been a life saver.
- Swaranjal wireless water level indicatorneededone-time
Shows the overhead tank level indoors and when to start and stop the pump. No more “no water” complaints, no more overflowing tanks.
View on Amazon →
5. Internet guests can work on
Workation guests check the Wi-Fi before they check the bed. Get the fastest fibre line available in your area. We use a 300 Mbps connection, and the router runs on the inverter so it survives power cuts. When the fibre line itself goes down, a 4G backup takes over.
- Fibre internet connectionneededbuy locally
Installation cost varies by provider; budget around ₹7,000 to set up and about ₹700 a month. - 4G Wi-Fi router for backup internetneededone-time
Takes over when the fibre line fails. Keep a data SIM in it.
View on Amazon → - Mini UPS for the routeroptionalone-time
Keeps the Wi-Fi up during the few seconds before the inverter switches, and longer if you have no inverter.
View on Amazon →
What our guests say about this (verified Airbnb reviews):
“The upper floor is dedicated to the guests with 5 different rooms, so neither does it feel like you're in someone's house and neither does it feel like a service oriented Hotel space… There's pretty much everything you might feel the need of, from Washing machine, microwave, fridge, iron table etc.”
— Madhu, 5★ on Airbnb, July 2025
See it working before you spend a rupee
Everything in this guide is running at Happy Moon Homestay in Aldona, North Goa. Book a consultation: two hours on site with me, walking through the security setup, power backup, rooms, kitchen and the systems that keep reviews at 4.9★, and then your own property and plan. ₹10,000 for 2 hours. Free for persons of Goan origin. Staying the night is optional and charged at our normal room rate, so you can experience it as a guest.
Book a consultation on WhatsApp →
Want us to set it all up for you? See our done-for-you Airbnb setup service.
Frequently asked questions
What size inverter does a small homestay need?
We run a 1000 VA Genus lithium inverter and pair it with BLDC fans, which draw much less power, so the backup runs fans, lights, Wi-Fi and cameras for much longer. Size it for what must run during a cut, not for the ACs.
Do new inverter ACs still need a stabiliser?
Most manufacturers say no. We fit a V-Guard stabiliser to every AC anyway, because voltage swings in Goa are common and a stabiliser is far cheaper than an AC repair.
How fast should homestay Wi-Fi be?
Fast enough for several guests on video calls at once. We use a 300 Mbps fibre line on the inverter with a 4G router as backup.
Is rooftop solar worth it for a homestay?
For us, yes: our 8.5 kW panels paid for themselves by cutting the electricity bill substantially. Solar water heating (we run 500 litres) also saves on geyser power.
The full homestay setup series
Start with the complete checklist with real costs, or go area by area:
- Security and outside the property
- Power, water and internet (this article)
- Kitchen
- Bedroom
- Common area and dining
- Bathroom
- Supplies and maintenance
Staying in North Goa? See our rooms at Happy Moon Homestay.