Going solar just got easier: what Eskom’s new rules mean for you
Power utility Eskom has announced that it is simplifying and reducing costs for small-scale solar installations
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Power utility Eskom has announced that it is simplifying and reducing costs for small-scale solar installations, allowing registered electricians to approve systems and extending fee relief for households until March 2026.
In a statement, Eskom said the changes are “aimed at making it easier, safer, and more affordable for customers to connect their solar systems legally to the national grid.”
“Eskom recognises that many South Africans are eager to participate in the clean energy transition. Our goal is to make it as simple, safe, and cost-effective as possible for customers to connect legally, while ensuring the stability and safety of the national grid. We have been working hard with our industry stakeholders to remain at the leading edge of safety requirements,” Eskom Acting Group Executive, Distribution, Agnes Mlambo said.
Under the new rules, residential systems no longer need to be signed off by an ECSA-registered professional. Instead, a Department of Labour-registered person can certify installations, excluding single-phase testers.
Eskom added that this simplifies compliance and could save households over R9,000 for a typical 16kVA rooftop system.
“We encourage customers to come forward and register their systems to meet NERSA’s legal requirements. Registration not only ensures compliance and safety but also positions customers to benefit from future programmes that reward clean energy generation,” added Mlambo.
Eskom stressed that all households and businesses with embedded generation systems under 100kVA must register, even if they do not export electricity to the grid, adding that registered customers can also benefit from future tariff structures.
"Eskom remains committed to supporting South Africa’s energy transition by enabling the safe, affordable, and compliant integration of SSEG systems. This includes ongoing work to explore solutions for prepaid connections, while ensuring the continued integrity and reliability of the national grid".
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