Eskom Backs Down

Earlier this year, Eskom extended its waiver of registration and connection-related charges for qualifying Eskom customer solar systems of up to 50 kVA from 31 March to 30 September 2026.

This followed Eskom’s “carrot and stick” approach during 2025 and into 2026, when it offered to waive registration and new meter costs while warning that customers who failed to register their systems could face penalties or disconnection.

OUTA has repeatedly challenged Eskom’s authority and asked it to provide the legal basis for compelling registration of compliant residential systems.

Following a meeting with senior Eskom Distribution representatives earlier this month, OUTA again set out why it believes Eskom’s additional registration requirements are legally questionable and impose unnecessary costs and bureaucracy on households.

Significantly, Eskom confirmed during these engagements that it will not simply disconnect or fine customers for failing to register their systems. It has also dropped its previous requirement for these installations to be signed off by an Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) registered professional.

OUTA believes these shifts differ significantly from the approach previously used to drive household registrations.

“Consumers deserve clarity, not threats. Eskom says registration is compulsory, but simply pointing to legislation is not enough. It must show precisely where the law gives Eskom the power to compel registration of compliant household systems installed behind the meter,” says OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage.

OUTA disputes Eskom’s legal interpretation

OUTA’s position is that a residential low-voltage solar PV/BESS system below 100 kVA, installed behind the electricity meter, connected to the customer’s distribution board and situated on private premises, is already subject to electrical safety and compliance requirements.

“In our view, Eskom has not demonstrated that the Electricity Regulation Act, Schedule 2 of the Act or the applicable regulatory framework gives it the authority it claims to compel registration of these household systems,” says Duvenage.

Electrical installations are already governed by safety requirements under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Electrical Installation Regulations and applicable national electrical standards.

Homeowners should ensure that their solar installations are properly installed by suitably qualified people and that they have a valid Certificate of Compliance (CoC), issued by an appropriately registered person after the installation has been inspected and tested.

OUTA strongly supports these safety requirements.

“Our dispute is not about whether solar systems should be safe. They absolutely should be. The question is whether Eskom has the legal authority to impose an additional registration regime, with additional requirements and potential costs, on compliant equipment installed behind a customer’s meter,” says Duvenage.

Safety concerns do not automatically justify blanket registration

Eskom has cited the risk of electricity being fed back into its network during an outage as one reason for requiring registration.

OUTA does not dismiss legitimate safety concerns. However, compliant inverter installations are designed to prevent dangerous back-feed when grid supply is lost, while Eskom’s own safety procedures require personnel working on its network to follow isolation and safety protocols.

Eskom has not demonstrated why registering hundreds of thousands of compliant household systems adds a meaningful layer of safety beyond the electrical safety and compliance regime that already applies to these installations.

The same question applies to Eskom’s concerns about voltage fluctuations, harmonics and other power-quality issues.

Where a particular installation causes a demonstrable problem on Eskom’s network, Eskom has both the right and responsibility to address it. OUTA does not believe this automatically justifies imposing the same registration burden on every household solar installation.

Registration is a poor substitute for accurate solar data

Eskom has also argued that registration is necessary to understand how much rooftop solar has been installed and to assist with network planning and grid stability.

OUTA questions whether compulsory household registration is a proportionate or effective way to achieve this.

With large numbers of residential solar systems still unregistered, Eskom’s registration database cannot on its own provide a complete picture of installed rooftop solar capacity.

The electricity system already uses data, modelling and estimation to assess embedded rooftop generation. OUTA believes Eskom should demonstrate why forcing hundreds of thousands of households through a registration process is necessary and proportionate for planning purposes.

What should household solar owners do?

OUTA’s message to Eskom-supplied households is clear: make sure your solar installation is safe and compliant.

Use appropriately qualified installers. Make sure the equipment meets the applicable technical standards. Obtain and retain a valid Certificate of Compliance.

But consumers should also be entitled to ask Eskom a simple question: what law makes Eskom’s additional registration process compulsory?

“Eskom cannot create its own regulatory regime and expect consumers to accept it as law,” says Duvenage.

“Hundreds of thousands of South Africans invested their own money in rooftop solar, many of them because Eskom was unable to provide reliable electricity. They should not now face unnecessary bureaucracy and additional costs unless Eskom can demonstrate a clear legal basis for imposing them.

“We are not telling people to disregard electrical safety requirements. Quite the opposite. Install your system properly, comply with the mandatory safety standards and obtain a valid Certificate of Compliance.

“But once consumers have done that, Eskom must explain precisely what lawful authority allows it to impose an additional registration and compliance regime on electrical equipment situated behind the meter on private property.”
OUTA has raised these concerns with Eskom on several occasions and remains dissatisfied with the legal justification provided.

Until Eskom demonstrates a clear legal basis for compulsory registration, OUTA maintains that the utility is overreaching and imposing an unnecessary administrative burden on electricity consumers.

Note to consumers: This statement addresses Eskom’s registration requirements for customers supplied directly by Eskom. Households supplied by municipalities should check the requirements applicable in their municipality, as municipal by-laws and electricity supply rules may impose separate registration or authorisation requirements.