Eskom has scrapped a requirement for households with grid-tied or hybrid rooftop solar power to get sign-off for their systems from persons registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (Ecsa).

The change forms part of a simplified compliance and registration process for Eskom’s small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) customers.

Effective 1 October 2025, residential SSEG users no longer need a qualified electrical engineer or other Ecsa-registered professional to sign off on these systems before they can be registered.

Instead, they will only need their systems to be approved by a person registered with the Department of Labour (DoL), aligning with the country’s Electricity Installation Regulations.

The installation must have a valid electrical Certificate of Compliance (CoC) and a basic embedded generation installation test report signed off by a registered Installation or Master Electrician.

“This follows a review of compliance and safety requirements as well as a stringent due diligence process, pending the expected changes by the South African Bureau of Standards,” Eskom said.

Eskom acknowledged that requiring systems to be signed off by an Ecsa-registered professional was costly but out of its control.

The power utility said that this change will save customers over R9,000 in connection costs for a t

ypical 16kVA rooftop solar system.

“The aim is to make it easier, safer, and more affordable for households and small businesses to connect legally to the national grid as required by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa),” Eskom said.

The power utility said it has been working on an SSEG framework with industry stakeholders to stay ahead of safety requirements.

“Eskom recognises that many South Africans are eager to participate in the clean energy transition,” the power utility said.

“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.”

Registration is a legal requirement

Eskom distribution acting group executive Agnes Mlambo encouraged customers to register their systems, in line with Nersa’s requirements.

“All businesses and households with embedded generation systems of less than 100kVA are required to register with their electricity licensee, even if they do not export electricity to the grid,” Mlambo said.

“Registration not only ensures compliance and safety but also positions customers to benefit from future programmes that reward clean energy generation.”

Eskom will also offer benefits to encourage SSEG users to register, including exemption from registration and smart meter fees for households with solar PV systems up to 50kVa.

“Registered customers are also well-placed to benefit from future tariff structures that make it possible to sign up for demand response products and pay less for electricity by shifting energy use to lower-cost periods,” Eskom said.

“In addition, those who export power back to the grid benefit from the Nersa-approved Homeflex tariff, which provides credits for energy exported, further improving the return on their investment.”

Eskom said it is also exploring solutions for prepaid customers as part of enabling safe, affordable, and compliant integration of SSEG systems.

Pressure from civil society groups

 

The change in tune comes after significant pressure from civil society, including the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) and AfriForum.

Outa’s energy advisor, Chris Yelland, previously told MyBroadband that the utility was on the brink of scrapping the requirement.

Yelland and AfriForum’s legal experts had disputed whether Eskom’s Ecsa requirement was lawful and said it made the registration process complex and costly.

Yelland previously said the SABS change Eskom was alluding to was likely the removal of a supplementary note in the SANS 10142-1 standards.

That note excluded non-standby systems, including grid-tied and hybrid systems, from the scope of SANS 10142-1.

Eskom argued this signalled the need for sign-off of such systems by an Ecsa-registered professional. However, notes in SANS are not prescriptive and are for informational purposes only.

“Eskom had no legal grounds for excluding grid-tied or hybrid systems connected behind the meter on a customer’s premises from the regulatory and compliance requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the regulations thereto,” Yelland said.

The OHS Act and its regulations only require sign-off for grid-tied or hybrid systems by a duly qualified electrician registered with the DoL.