So with all the media hype around us all getting fined if we don't register our solar systems I am trying to get it sorted out so I can just carry on with my life.

My first attempt was to talk to one of these companies (who have great reviews) who go and sort out your issues with City of Tshwane and get them to apply for a total removal of the eskom line and meter.

They informed me that it can't be done (although there is a pretty good article on Mybroadband stating it can be done)

So option 2 is to register the system with COT

I have read up on the basics (application form, requirement for engineers, circuit diagrams etc etc).
Then I called a service provider who does these applications on your behalf.

They informed me that they are no longer taking applications for City of Tshwane as they have applications dating back to 2022 that they have had zero feedback on.

So what do we do now? Has anyone done this? Can you recommend anybody to help?

So what is next?

are they going to force everyone with a backup water tank to register it as well just in case you pump your water back in to their system?

🥴

Chat to Grunlite Energy.  They deal with >140 municipalities and Eskom.  But be warned, Tshwane is the WORST of them all.  Grunlite aims for a 3-month process with Tshwane, worst case 6 months.

https://grunlite.com/

Read the MyBroadband articles again,

It states clearly that this is applicable to Grid Tied systems, and furthermore it also states it's applicable to direct Eskom customers.
If Municipalities create their own set of rules, that try to emulate these Eskom rules, then so be it. However, no Municipality can force anyone to be connected to the grid. They may charge you to physically remove the cables in such an instance, but there is no law that forces anyone to have a grid connection.
Your own better judgement will determine your decision to disconnect.
A friend of mine out on a small holding only had Eskom direct, and he told them to disconnect him and collect their transformer. He is fully off grid and free from their system.

"Eskom has repeated its warnings that any grid-tied solar power systems belonging to its customers that are not registered with the power utility are illegal, even if they do not feed power back into the grid."....

"

It should be emphasised that Eskom’s registration requirements only apply to its direct customers.

Municipal electricity users must comply with the registration requirements of their municipality power utility, assuming there are any in place."

https://mybroadband.co.za/news/energy/580509-solar-power-crackdown-in-south-africa.html

11 minutes ago, zsde said:

Read the MyBroadband articles again,

It states clearly that this is applicable to Grid Tied systems, and furthermore it also states it's applicable to direct Eskom customers.
If Municipalities create their own set of rules, that try to emulate these Eskom rules, then so be it. However, no Municipality can force anyone to be connected to the grid. They may charge you to physically remove the cables in such an instance, but there is no law that forces anyone to have a grid connection.
Your own better judgement will determine your decision to disconnect.
A friend of mine out on a small holding only had Eskom direct, and he told them to disconnect him and collect their transformer. He is fully off grid and free from their system.

"Eskom has repeated its warnings that any grid-tied solar power systems belonging to its customers that are not registered with the power utility are illegal, even if they do not feed power back into the grid."....

"

It should be emphasised that Eskom’s registration requirements only apply to its direct customers.

Municipal electricity users must comply with the registration requirements of their municipality power utility, assuming there are any in place."

https://mybroadband.co.za/news/energy/580509-solar-power-crackdown-in-south-africa.html

I agree with all you have said.... but the municipality says they will not remove the cable and meter... so it leaves me right back at the start un fortunately. Is there anyone here in Tshwane that managed to disconnect from the grid? I would love to know how you did it

5 hours ago, johnna said:

I would love to know how you did it

 

City of Tshwane

Tshwane electricity customers must give the municipality at least two full working days’ notice in writing that they intend to disconnect from the grid.

To initiate the process, they must visit one of the city’s walk-in Energy and Electricity Inspectorate Offices — available in regions 1, 3, 4, or 6.

There they must apply for removal of their service meter, referred to officially as RSM. The city currently charges no fee for removing the supply cable and meter.

Prepaid customers who disconnect from the grid must also be reimbursed for any unused credits on their meter.

The Tshwane ya Tima programme has a surveillance team that monitors all the disconnections to ensure they remain off-grid.

https://mybroadband.co.za/news/energy/542887-how-to-cut-your-grid-connection-in-south-africa.html

Yes, I also read the article. City of Tshwane said they will only remove the connection if the building is being demolished or rebuilt ect. They flat refuse to remove a standard residential connection

21 minutes ago, johnna said:

They flat refuse

Perhaps drop a mail to my Broadband and tell them that their article seem erroneous as your experience differs from the official procedure they got from the Municipality. That may put the cat amongst the pigeons. 
Were they prepared to put that regulation in writing?

An alternative is to "disconnect" yourself.
By that I mean migrate to prepaid. Ensure you have a change over switch that selects between grid and your solar system. Have no grid connection to your Solar system.
Now you switch off your municipal circuit breaker, i.e. you only use your Solar.
In Ekhuruleni you have to recharge once in 3 months, else they disconnect you. For that you get charged a disconnection fee of around R65.
After that, you remain disconnected until such time you wish to use grid at which time a reconnection fee is charged, and that I have heard is quite hefty, however I have not seen anything official on that fee.

 

 

Edited February 4, 20251 yr by zsde

20 minutes ago, zsde said:

Perhaps drop a mail to my Broadband and tell them that their article seem erroneous as your experience differs from the official procedure they got from the Municipality. That may put the cat amongst the pigeons. 
Were they prepared to put that regulation in writing?

An alternative is to "disconnect" yourself.
By that I mean migrate to prepaid. Ensure you have a change over switch that selects between grid and your solar system. Have no grid connection to your Solar system.
Now you switch off your municipal circuit breaker, i.e. you only use your Solar.
In Ekhuruleni you have to recharge once in 3 months, else they disconnect you. For that you get charged a disconnection fee of around R65.
After that, you remain disconnected until such time you wish to use grid at which time a reconnection fee is charged, and that I have heard is quite hefty, however I have not seen anything official on that fee.

 

Thank you, that is great advise. I will follow up on some of these suggestions and find a way forward. Thanks again

 

Any update on this?

Did you contact Mybroadband or get somebody else to actually process you request?

Good day

Hanno Labuschagne here from MyBroadband.

Would really like to find out more about this issue and follow up with Tshwane.

You are welcome to send me an email on [email protected].

On 2025/02/04 at 10:48 PM, johnna said:

Yes, I also read the article. City of Tshwane said they will only remove the connection if the building is being demolished or rebuilt ect. They flat refuse to remove a standard residential connection

MyBroadband Article

Edited March 8, 20251 yr by Pho3niX90
Fixed link

After also not getting any answers from Tshwane, I came to the following conclusions:
1. There are no bylaws in Tshwane regarding SSEG systems. I could not find any process or bylaw stipulating how to register an off grid system with Tshwane to meet Nersa requirements. I guess if there is no way, you have met all the required processes.
2. The current operation for SSEG registration in Tshwane is contrary to their 2017 policy which specifically warns against customers that will "defect" if they make it difficult. This is what "going off-grid" means.
3. Although you should be able to cancel your municipal electricity supply service after giving two days' notice according the the promulgated bylaws, I could not find any process enabling you to do this. In addition, if they can supply the service and you do not take up a contract with them, they can charge you a fee.
4. Here is an excerpt from Eskom's documentation: "In cases where a customer does have access to the grid but also wants to be able to operate in an off-grid mode, the customer installation can be connected to the grid with the requirement of having an external electromechanical break-before-make switch in place. Such switched alternative supply will be regarded as an off-grid generation system." I read this to main that if I have a mechanical switch in place to select between "off grid" and "on grid with solar disabled", it means off grid as you cannot use grid and solar simultaneously. In my case I have a "main switch" after Tshwane's meter which disconnects everything on premise from the network. I also have a switch which selects between Inverter UPS output and output from the "Main Switch". If we therefore follow Eskom's definition (Tshwane has none), my SSEG is off-grid as long as my "Main switch" is off; my premises are connected to the Tshwane distribution network, but my SSEG not and I am not using any power from Tshwane's distribution network.
May I say: I think the way Tshwane is handling this is extremely short sighted. I do not need their power, but my system can produce excess which Tshwane can get the power for nearly two average houses, which I am willing to give for free to the municipality which they then do not have to buy that power from Eskom. However, as I will not pay any fees for electricity anymore, and I am not willing to visit two different buildings, pay a lot of money for a new meter, sign a new contract with TShwane to pay a monthly connection fee to be able to feed power to the grid, for which I will be paid less than what the connection fee is, I see no reason to jump through Tshwane's SSEG hoops.
Once Tshwane has a registration process in place for off grid systems, I will submit my documentation.
Is there anything I missed?

33 minutes ago, Freek Eek said:

After also not getting any answers from Tshwane, I came to the following conclusions:
1. There are no bylaws in Tshwane regarding SSEG systems. I could not find any process or bylaw stipulating how to register an off grid system with Tshwane to meet Nersa requirements. I guess if there is no way, you have met all the required processes.
2. The current operation for SSEG registration in Tshwane is contrary to their 2017 policy which specifically warns against customers that will "defect" if they make it difficult. This is what "going off-grid" means.
3. Although you should be able to cancel your municipal electricity supply service after giving two days' notice according the the promulgated bylaws, I could not find any process enabling you to do this. In addition, if they can supply the service and you do not take up a contract with them, they can charge you a fee.
4. Here is an excerpt from Eskom's documentation: "In cases where a customer does have access to the grid but also wants to be able to operate in an off-grid mode, the customer installation can be connected to the grid with the requirement of having an external electromechanical break-before-make switch in place. Such switched alternative supply will be regarded as an off-grid generation system." I read this to main that if I have a mechanical switch in place to select between "off grid" and "on grid with solar disabled", it means off grid as you cannot use grid and solar simultaneously. In my case I have a "main switch" after Tshwane's meter which disconnects everything on premise from the network. I also have a switch which selects between Inverter UPS output and output from the "Main Switch". If we therefore follow Eskom's definition (Tshwane has none), my SSEG is off-grid as long as my "Main switch" is off; my premises are connected to the Tshwane distribution network, but my SSEG not and I am not using any power from Tshwane's distribution network.
May I say: I think the way Tshwane is handling this is extremely short sighted. I do not need their power, but my system can produce excess which Tshwane can get the power for nearly two average houses, which I am willing to give for free to the municipality which they then do not have to buy that power from Eskom. However, as I will not pay any fees for electricity anymore, and I am not willing to visit two different buildings, pay a lot of money for a new meter, sign a new contract with TShwane to pay a monthly connection fee to be able to feed power to the grid, for which I will be paid less than what the connection fee is, I see no reason to jump through Tshwane's SSEG hoops.
Once Tshwane has a registration process in place for off grid systems, I will submit my documentation.
Is there anything I missed?

All the more reason I have rushed to ensure I don't need any power from CP. Come January (maybe December this year), I will get disconnected. COJ can wake up one day and block going off-grid like CPT, and now it seems Tshwane.

I have a transfer switch to switch between my inverter and CP to supply the house. I have no connection at all to my inverter, even for charging the batteries from CP. I haven't flipped the transfer switch in months.

Edited October 8, 2025Oct 8 by Denns

This comment seems as if CPT does not prevent you from going off the grid, although their terminology is confusing:
"The new rules will not apply to mobile solutions like trolley inverters or power stations that can be plugged into wall sockets.

It will also not apply to scenarios where residents completely sever their homes from the grid."

Seems as if they are interpreting "off grid" as systems that claim "off grid", but there is still a connection to the grid. My understanding would then be that they can still "disconnect" you if you want. Does this mean they still charge you their exorbitant "connection fees" based on your property's evaluation? To me this seems like a hidden "property tax", bypassing the Municipal Act.

Edited October 8, 2025Oct 8 by Freek Eek

On 2025/10/08 at 12:30 PM, Freek Eek said:

After also not getting any answers from Tshwane, I came to the following conclusions:
1. There are no bylaws in Tshwane regarding SSEG systems. I could not find any process or bylaw stipulating how to register an off grid system with Tshwane to meet Nersa requirements. I guess if there is no way, you have met all the required processes.

It looks this way in Johannesburg, but in fact they do have processes and regulations in place - it's just not very well publicised. I believe that it is quite difficult for homeowners who try to handle the registration themselves.

I used Pure Energy Consulting. There are other companies in COJ (and maybe where you live) that have contacts inside the municipal offices and will engage on your behalf. For solar there is the twist that we need drawings prepared and then signed by a suitably qualified person. I used PEC because it was a one stop shop. They have engineers. I signed a document empowering them to act as my proxy for the purposes of SSEG registration and they then did everything, right down to arranging the date for the inspection by the City's engineers and being present to answer any technical questions.

So approach them or a like company. Sure you pay. For me it was money well spent. I work on a per hour basis, so time spent standing in a queue is money I don't earn. Plus the process is quite opaque for an arb like me. They came to my home, inspected my system, sent me some documents for signing, and about a month later I had a nice letter from a senior guy at City Power confirming the registration and thanking me for being green.

Edited October 10, 2025Oct 10 by Bobster.
spellling