Ok, do you follow through all the way ?
I have an Eskom client, that we are at the quote by Eskom stage and it is a nightmare trying to get explanations for some of the items listed.
Wish it was as simple as CoCT
Perhaps I need to add, for Johannesburg area and other Gauteng municipalities where you need to go stand in a cue we charge additional fee and have a 3rd party do it. They take the paperwork and will go from office to office until they get a reference number.
(Being from Cape Town, I find it VERY interesting that one still can’t do a lot of these things digitally with Gauteng Munics, always have to go in person…)
I don’t know if CoCT is that simple. I hear (nb! anecdotal) about delays and unexpected costs. If you can find a company (I stumbed up one) that does all the standing in lines for you (or has the necessary contacts in municipal offices) then paying them a reasonable fee is money well spent IMO.
None of them will include in their estimates to you the cost of making your system compliant if it isn’t. I had to pay a small amount for correct signage.
Well the City is … financially challenged for a start. Then in an interview last week they revealed that they had 394 registered domestic installations across their service area. It’s not worth them spending money on automating the process, and although they are tendering for somebody to manage the reselling for them (which will be on a TOU basis), nobody is going to bid for that amount of business.
I am interested to hear how CoCT got so many people to register. Maybe they had to get heavy handed, but I would also think that trust of city management is higher down there. Another thing is that they publicised the need to register. COJ have had it in the by-laws for a couple of years, but didn’t spend much time informing residents about it.
We try and hound them, but as you might have seen now that is not always beneficial. Eskom isn’t geared to accept these application and work on them in due time.
Your client costs can escalate. They sometime charge meter replacement fee, other times they don’t. Then there is the deposit amount than varries depending on if you do debit order or monthly payments.
Then for them to respond on all the documents, this takes months.
So, yes, Eskom has a special place in our hearts.
@Bobster , CoCT is that straight forward and simple.
Client provides proxy on eServices or applies themselves
Application is done by the proxy and Permission to Install is generated
Engineer inspects
Engineer sign’s off on eServices
Commissioning Approval is sent 1 to 2 weeks later (some times on the day), but CA might have conditions like meter replacement (at City’s cost) if not going export.
Only city related cost you will have is if you want to export (Meter: R6000±, installation can vary a lot)
They did get a bit heavy handed. One or two disconnect notices did wonders!
And they keep on doing a large campaigns to homeowners on what needs to be done.
O yes they did.
Know of two people who thought “Bugger this, I’m not registering!!! They can go and … themselves.”
Both are now registered. 
Your power is cut, fine issued … once all is then said and done and paid, to then get it reconnected when you are firmly placed at the bottom of the barrel.
Every Cpt official I have ever dealt with, they are super helpful, assisting.
But o boy, give them more work because you disagree, or don’t want to follow the bylaws … no, just don’t.
They do not have time, or care for, clients with “emotional” responses.
The process at COCT is now very simple and efficient, ONLY problem now is, when it comes time for the city to issue the approval to commission letter, it is taking them sometimes longer then 6 months, i have a client, all documents uploaded, engineer sign off, coc, that was done in August, still shows on CoCT website " compliance documents received"
, but no letter,
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I would be very interested in this. Perhaps if we can come up with enough members here in Gauteng to make it worth your while to come here?
Maybe we could start a list somewhere for interested members.
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If it’s around 5-7k to get everything sorted out, I’d be happy to get mine registered too in GP. Also a direct Eskom customer
Currently there seems to be so much of Dearborn by Eskom that many don’t even want to consider it. That being said, I saw an article today where Eskom is deciding to take a bit of a friendlier approach.
Personally I think Eskom should have taken a 1-2 year approach - giving people 3 months final notice at the end after:
- Their online systems are in place, “Copy Paste” what CoCT did.
- Give people ample time, explanations in the media on why it is a good idea.
- Give the option for a PAYG meter, not forcing people onto Bi-directional meters - or fund the bi-directional meter if it must.
- Keep the connection fee reasonable - as CoCT did.
But it seems, due to the drama behind the scenes within CoJ and Eskom and many other Munic’s, there are “elements” at work that are not working towards the ease of registration, reducing the cost but more feels like " Ag, bugger them, they will do it or else, the more affluent. Let them pay for we cannot afford a drop in income!"
Thinking back, CoCT started rumblings in 2008 about solar panels. Only in 2019 did they give 3 months final warning, with tons of information on why it is the right thing to do, how to do it, and why.
Recently, wanting a Initial CoC on the house, I can see why it is a damn good idea to have these solar systems signed off by an Engineer. Truly, I do. It is a fiasco out there ito electricians, CoC’s and knowledge.
" The utility said that residential customers with unregistered SSEG installations up to 50kW (typically 5 to 10kW for households) could qualify for an exemption from registration-related fees (application, tariff conversion, and connection fees) until March 2026."
So there is a time-limited exemption from the Eskom fees.
There are reports of people saying it is going to cost them in the region of 30K to get registered, but there’s no breakdown.
IMO the breakdown should be
- Consultant fees (engineers, etc)
- Cost of bringing the system up to spec
- Fees payable to Eskom.
This is important because in this thread we have already seen how (1) can vary quite a lot. If the breakdown were done by the people running scary stories, then folks could shop around and the guys cashing in on the crisis would lose out, and @Rautenk would still be able to retire early.
Also, if Eskom are waiving fees for the next year, then that would also show in a proper cost analysis.
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I’m sure. But there’s a more reasonable explanation which is that the fixed cost of running the grid remains the same irrespective of consumption. So how do they cover that?
In Johannesburg the widespread adoption of pre-paid meters has been one of the drivers. Because the pre-paid meters were intended for poor people who had to manage their consumption very carefully, and who could not afford the 1K fixed costs on the standard tariff.
But then folks like me read the tariff booklet, did the sums, and realised that you could reduce your bill by a handy amount by converting to pre-paid. Plus the councillor in the ward next door had had the same idea, saw the savings, and was encouraging all his constituents to make that change.
Now, it is not unreasonable to want to keep your bills down, and changing to pre-paid was not an illegal way to do it.
But the consequences were that the City started losing revenue. Now folks start installing solar AND converting to pre-paid if they didn’t already have it. More revenue gone.
Factor in the increased theft of infrastructure (and in some case this has amounted to theft of parts or oil from substations) and now revenues are down, and costs are up.
I fight my side (as I have reported here before), but I can also see the conundrum that faces the City. Something has to give.
Warning MBB:
'The cost could be even higher for businesses, Cruise said, especially where they hired unreputable, “fly-by-night” installers who installed the solar system completely incorrectly.
‘Some of these installers placed solar panels facing the wrong direction or even created a potential fire hazard, for example. But now, these installers are “nowhere to be seen”.’
Why they think this has happened only to businesses is not clear to me. It’s happened to domestic users too. I know guys who have no claim at all to being any kind of electrician or engineer who have done their own, done a friend a favour, and/or were doing solar installs without the proper knowledge, as cheaply as possible. And “cheaply as possible” usually means cutting some corners. (a bit unfair, because some of them may not even have known which corners were there to be cut)
The blame here should fall on those installers, but as noted, many of them now cannot be found. Especially after a stretch of 10 months with no load shedding.
The pity is that guys like those who did my system, who did do proper jobs and take care of all the fire risks and did provide good after-sales service have also bitten the dust along with the"fly by nights".
There is.
Study what CoCT did, and adjust as needed.
Took CoCT years, a lot of consultation, from other countries too, to get it down pat.
So why re-invent the wheel?
Where are the clients responsibility in all of this?
Feels like blaming the traffic cop for one caught speeding.
EDIT:
I base the above generally on reading about peoples views on various forums where solar is talked about, with legislation in and around solar systems, them being forced to register.
In some case, the writer is well known, and believed, and droves follow their advices. Been there, seen that.
If the home owner wants to do an extension and decides to go find a builder outside builders warehouse, and after 6 months the extension falls apart does it become the problem of the owner or the so called builder? At the end of the day, it’s the homeowners responsibility. They should have done due diligence and gotten a properly qualified installer.
I installed my system myself knowing full well that the responsibility was mine should something go wrong. I did get someone to give me a Coc afterwards but their knowledge seemed very limited
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Has anyone since the start of this thread successfully registered their solar systems in Tshwane?
I’m thinking to get this done before the big rush starts seeing as the half the year is gone already and March 2026 is looming around the corner.
@Rautenk, are you still offering this service? I know you’re in the Western Cape but hopefully we can get a few members in Gauteng to make it worth your while.
Hi, I have branched out to the Gauteng area via partnerships. All Tshwane applications I hand over to Hugh Kannemeyer to do the admin, inspection etc etc.
But has anyone been successfully registered. No.
Why? Their system is archaic to say the least, you still have to hand in a physical copy of the SSEG application and… here is the worst part… they only have 1 technician partially assigned to the task of SSEG registrations.
In short, it is impossible for them to register the systems in any meaningful timeframe.
So what we do to ensure the timelines are met:
- Application is dealt with and physically handed in.
- Inspection is completed
- Corrections requested (if required)
- If all corrections and tests are correct, then I sign off the commissioning sheet.
- We hand this all in and keep a record.
Once this is done, the client has a record that all is waiting on Tshwane; thus should they become difficult, you can provide the proof of it.
Costs is a bit more in Gauteng than what we charge in the Western Cape, due to the additional administrative burden and a few other reasons.
Thank you for this.
Please send me an email address to reach out to you.
We are 2 already that want to get this done.
You can reach out to engage@offrian.com and from there I will put you in contact with Hugh.