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Feedback time - THANK YOU for the valued input from those that have walked this route in COCT and was kind enough to post here. 14 November we submitted the full application pack to the COCT. 27 January we got the approval email, about 30 minutes later the SMS came through that they have booked us for the installation of a new meter. This installation has just been done. 1. Transfer of units - they call the COCT before removal of the meter. As we averaged a low usage the initial response was that the meter would be sent away to check it before they can transfer the units. I agreed, and asked that they proceed. Obviously they checked our history, and then allowed the transfer of the units by the end of the install. 2. New meter BOX - in our case the new unit is thinner and taller than the old one .... will need some paint to tidy it up. 3. As we are NOT feeding back, this install was free of charge.

THANK YOU The current chain of events have not been kind to my budget .... finally some good news. What was the time frame from your initial application to approval and then the new meter ?

This seems to contradict other feedback I got recently. Seems a new meter is free when you are BLOCKING feedback. (single phase) My application is going in today .... so would certainly hope I was given the correct information.

This post captures my feelings on this topic. Our journey is very much an ongoing story. 2014 - I installed a 12V light system, charged from a 100W solar panel. The only "room" still using eskom lights is the garage. I later added a car radio for sound during load shedding. This was not an expensive exercise, with huge benefits in terms of being able to carry on "as normal" during load shedding, at least in terms on lights and sound. 2014 - Geyserwise PV solar system 2015 - Grundfos pv poolpump ... stunning electronic equipment .... busted shaft and no spares off set any and all savings, and cant get spares. This system have been removed over the last few weeks. 2016 - gas stove Over the following years I tried different approaches to keep the computer and tv on during loadshedding .... Eventually ended with a 100A.h gel battery and a Victron Multiplus. The wife dont even know if we have loadshedding as the unit keeps the electronics going. (charging the battery from eskom) Finally bit the bullet, and our PV system will be installed in a few days. Small system, with the primary aim to reduce our day time eskom usage. Grid tied with reverse blocking. This is what our budget allows at this stage. The system is ready to be expanded to add batteries and/or more capacity as the need and budget may lead us. Hindsight ..... - happy with our lighting system. low maintenance - for the rest a central system would have been a better approach. Though the DB in the kitchen is a real bummer for these systems. This is still our big stumbling block for taking our system to the next level. Being "okay" at home is one thing ... the impact of loadshedding in the office and for our industry is a different topic.

Thank you. Much appreciated. Just pulled the trigger on a 1,8kW Enphase installation. Summer time that will deliver more than our typical day time use, and just fall short in winter months. Seems the best bang for our buck for the first step down the rabbit hole. 😋 My only regret .... should have done this in 2015, instead of buying a R20k PV pool pump ..... Mechanical shaft failure, and we cant get spares.

Do know if they transfer the pre-paid units from the old meter to the new meter ? Or should I rather keep the unit count low ?

Thank you so much. Certainly will go for the no feed-back option. For now it is a small system to run the "normal loads" during the day.

What are the current "fine print" when doing a PV installation in the City of Cape Town. The list of approved equipment, and using an approved installer is known an understood. I am wondering about possible monthly costs to the City if going grid tied, I recall a few years back there were talks of some monthly costs. If we did a grid tied with a feedback blocker (hope I got that right), would there be any monthly costs to the City ? What other fine print should we be aware of ? Thank you

Forgot to add - I did search for "UPS", but did not find any threads. Maybe I should be searching under some other terminology. Your guidance and assistance to this rookie will be greatly appreciated.

Hi, I am Chris and reasonably new to the world of PV for home use. Over most of the last decade we have gradually reduced our dependence on Escom. These small steps included: - 12V lighting system, charged from PV. 7 years later we are still enjoying this installation. - Next was the Geyserwise dual element PV installation. - Finally convinced the lady of the house, and went with a gas stove-top. - We opted for a Victron Multiplus (12/500) unit paired with a 100A.h battery for loadshedding purposes, wifi, computer, working from home, etc. NOT linked to PV. - 2015 we installed a Grundfoss poolpump, running of either PV or Escom. The concept seems fine, but the pump only lasted 6 years. A very basic mechanical failure destroyed the pump .... which leads me here. Living in Cape Town we have opted for the various "off the grid" type solutions, to date. Also, the power consumption of two people hardly justified the costs of a "full pv", at the prices of a few years back. I now need to replace the pool pump. The costs of another PV pool pump, given the mechanical failure we just suffered is having us evaluate various other options. The costs of the current crop of PV type pool pump systems are such that I am looking at: 1. A small pv installation for the home. Having the geyser, stove and lights already off grid means our electrical account is low, and potential savings limited. Adding the shlep of a split DB, etc. we are not keen on this route 2. Using the "pool pump circuit" to feed a 3kVA UPS. Our thoughts on the UPS - - The UPS to plug into a "wall socket", thus removable and not part of the permanent electrical installation. (NO feedback of power to the grid !!) - The UPS to have a PV input, using maximum available sun and topping up from eskom as needed (not switch-over). - The UPS output to have three plug circuits. One circuit to feed the 500W pool pump, another to feed the 300 to 500W media, wifi and computer set. The third line could be used for the freezer, also about 300 W. - None of these needs additional run time during load shedding, so minimal battery power would be okay. - The important bit is that the unit must use maximum available power from the sun, and only top up with eskom. I am fine with the electronics and freezer running off eskom at night. - I already have 5 off 100W 36V pv panels on the roof from from the Grundfos system. These could be expanded as funds are available. Few questions: - Is this even legal ? Would I have to register it ? I am hoping this could be seen as "off-grid". - Is there an off the shelf unit that would meet these requirements ? Or would it be custom combination of components ? - Probably the most important question. What other options are out there that I should be looking at ? PS - if there are already threads covering this, would you kindly provide a link to these. Thank you