OUTA recommends public holds back on solar system registration

A constructive meeting between OUTA and Eskom Distribution management was held on Friday 8 August 2025, in respect of compliance and registration requirements for low-voltage solar PV and battery energy storage (BES) systems installed in homes and businesses throughout South Africa.

At the meeting it was clear to both parties that Eskom Distribution is still busy addressing a number of matters that will impact the conditions and needs pertaining to the utility’s compliance and registration requirements for low-voltage small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) systems connected behind the meter on a customer’s premises.

OUTA expressed its concerns to Eskom Distribution in respect of the utility’s restrictive and costly compliance requirements relating to:

• Prepaid electricity customers with conventional prepayment meters on Eskom Homelight tariffs that have installed or intend to install low-voltage solar PV and/or BES systems.
• Postpaid electricity customers with conventional credit meters on Eskom Homepower tariffs that have installed or intend to install low-voltage solar PV and/or BES systems.
• Electricity customers on the Eskom Homeflex time-of-use tariff that have installed or intend install low-voltage solar PV and/or BES systems and do not export energy into the Eskom network.

It is OUTA’s position that the current registration and compliance requirements for customers with low-voltage solar PV and/or BES systems can be viewed as irrational, unfair, anti-poor and discriminatory against households and businesses who have taken action or intend to take action to reduce their energy consumption from the grid.

OUTA believes the mandatory SABS Code of Practice for Low-Voltage Electrical Installations is in the process of being amended to cover both standby and grid-tied solar PV and BES systems, which form the majority of residential systems installed.

The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, together with the associated Electrical Installation Regulations (EIR) and the referenced mandatory standard SANS 10142-1 will therefore provide all the necessary technical, safety, compliance and enforcement regulations for solar PV and BES systems connected behind-the-meter on the premises of residential customers.

OUTA believes that in such circumstances there is no need for Eskom’s requirement to have a professional person registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) to  sign off on residential SSEG installations, whether standby or grid-tied, as opposed to a Certificate of Compliance (CoC) issued by an electrical contractor and electrician accredited by and registered with the Department of Employment and Labour.

It is OUTA’s view that Eskom’s current registration and compliance requirements for low-voltage solar PV and BES systems connected behind-the-meter on the premises of residential customers may be overstepping its regulatory authority, safety mandate and enforcement authority.

Following the constructive discussion with OUTA, the Eskom Distribution delegates present agreed to unpack the matters raised by OUTA and to respond to the various questions and representations in due course.

OUTA intends to engage further on these matters with Eskom Distribution, the relevant regulatory authorities, such as the Department of Employment and Labour and the National Energy Regulator of South Africa, as well as the relevant convenor of the SABS Working Group for SANS10142-1.

Until OUTA is satisfied that all the current requirements for registration of SSEG systems are rational or necessary, or indeed that registration of such systems is even required at all, OUTA suggests that home-owners and businesses that have or intend to install low-voltage SSEG systems of less than 100 kW may hold off on registering their systems with Eskom, or any municipality for that matter.