What people mean by a solar fee
Before comparing amounts, ask what service or tariff the charge covers.
| Cost | What to check | How to budget |
|---|
| Municipal application or registration | The official charge for your system category, or a written waiver | Usually an upfront item; do not assume it includes other work |
| Installer administration | Preparing and submitting the application, drawings and follow-up | A separately identified professional service, even when municipal registration is free |
| Electrical and engineering work | CoC, commissioning, inspection or professional sign-off required for the project | Confirm who supplies each document and whether it is included |
| Meter, tariff conversion and deposit | Meter capability, replacement, kiosk or other site work; any deposit | Obtain the distributor's quotation and distinguish refundable deposits from fees |
| Monthly basic, service or network charges | The tariff assigned after installation, and the unit charged: per account, per day or per kVA | Include the full recurring amount in the post-solar bill |
| Export credit | Eligibility, rate, meter and tariff conditions | An offset to the account, subject to the applicable rules; not an installation-cost discount |
A Certificate of Compliance and SSEG registration serve different purposes. One does not replace the other. Ask who takes responsibility for both before paying a deposit.
A comparison of four municipalities
The table compares different charge types, not a national price list. Figures are for the stated residential conditions. Meter quotations, professional services and site changes can add costs.
| Distributor | Upfront item to check | Recurring consequence to model |
|---|
| City of Cape Town | The City says there is no charge to register. Feed-in needs an AMI meter at the owner's cost, quoted by the City. | A non-feed-in system remains on the current tariff under the City's published route. Check the applicable feed-in tariff and its charges if exporting. |
| City Power, Johannesburg | Domestic-to-TOU conversion: R756.70 with VAT where the smart meter is suitable, or R1,458.20 with VAT where a meter change is required, under the specified 2026/27 fee items. | Residential embedded-generation conditions require a conventional time-of-use tariff. Confirm the tariff, supply category and its fixed charges in writing. |
| City of Ekurhuleni | Confirm the application, professional and metering scope for your proposed system. | Tariff A solar PV customers migrate to Residential Tariff B. Its single-phase basic charge is R109.78 a month before VAT, about R126.25 with VAT, plus energy charges. |
| eThekwini, Durban | Obtain the municipality's application assessment and metering quotation. | The published residential net-billing row lists an inverter-size network charge. The final table lists R76.38 per kVA a month before VAT, with R87.84 in its VAT-inclusive column. The brochure prints a different pre-VAT figure; see the source discrepancy below. |
Sources: Cape Town authorisation and metering rules; Johannesburg final budget book, pp82, 98 and 104; Ekurhuleni Schedule 2, version 2026.07.30, pp1 and 3 to 4; eThekwini final tariff tables, printed p226, and electricity brochure, printed p10.
Cape Town: free registration does not mean a free export meter
The City's authorisation page distinguishes feed-in from non-feed-in systems. It quotes the owner for an AMI meter needed to export. For a system that blocks reverse power flow, the City provides the required prepayment meter at its cost and says the customer remains on the current tariff.
Your installer's application service and the professional work are separate. Ask which are included and whether the proposal assumes export revenue. Our Cape Town tariff guide explains the residential bill categories in more detail.
Johannesburg: check the tariff change and the meter item
City Power's embedded-generator conditions in the final budget book require residential customers to use conventional TOU billing. The conversion amounts above come from Annexure F items 1.06 and 1.07. They describe specific domestic-to-TOU services, not an all-inclusive solar registration package.
Get confirmation of which item applies and whether additional metering or site work is quoted. Do not use the conversion fee to stand in for a complete application, meter and engineering budget. Use the Johannesburg tariff guide to compare your existing bill with the proposed billing category.
Ekurhuleni: the basic charge depends on the residential category
The approved 2026/27 schedule requires solar PV customers on Tariff A to move to Residential Tariff B. Its basic charges differ by supply: R109.78 a month before VAT for single phase and R203.89 for three phase. The single-phase VAT-inclusive figure in our comparison is SolarGuide's calculation at 15%, rounded to cents.
These are ongoing tariff charges, not once-off registration fees. Do not apply the single-phase figure to a three-phase home or a bulk-supply complex. Check the Ekurhuleni tariff guide and confirm the category for your account.
Durban: reconcile the two published network-charge figures
The 2026/27 final tariff table lists the residential network access charge as R76.38 per kVA, with R87.84 in the VAT-inclusive column. The Electricity and Energy Directorate's brochure instead prints R76.83 before VAT. The final document labels that row "Proposed residential embedded generation", and the brochure also uses proposed wording. These publication labels and the conflicting amounts do not by themselves confirm the amount on an individual account. Ask eThekwini for the currently applied tariff, rate and inverter capacity in writing.
For budgeting only, 5kVA × R87.84 = R439.20 a month, or R5,270.40 over 12 months. This is a SolarGuide calculation using the final table's rounded VAT-inclusive rate, not a confirmed implemented charge, quote or confirmation of your account. Energy purchases, metering and other applicable costs are additional; export credits are separate.
The municipality's embedded-generation process explains application assessment, written consent, metering and the net-billing route. Our Durban tariff guide covers the bill calculation. Extra battery capacity measured in kWh and inverter capacity measured in kVA are different: the published network-charge basis here is inverter size.
If Eskom supplies you directly
Eskom's 30 September 2026 statement extends the registration-related charge waiver for eligible customer-owned systems of up to 50kVA connected directly to its network until further notice. It does not remove the registration requirement.
That waiver is not a municipal waiver. It also does not establish that your installer's work, every meter or all future electricity charges are free. Confirm your eligibility and the full project scope with Eskom and the installer. Keep your bill's service charges separate from the registration item.
Check a levy headline before adding it to your budget
For a charge reported in the news, including an Emfuleni solar levy, request the current official tariff or decision that applies to your account. Check five things:
- Is it a proposal, a council approval, a regulator-approved tariff or an implemented charge?
- Is it once-off or recurring, and what is the billing unit?
- Does it apply to all customers in the category or only a specific solar connection?
- Is VAT included, and when does the figure become effective?
- Does it replace an existing charge or sit on top of it?
A council proposal from an earlier report is not sufficient to price a current installation. We have not included an Emfuleni amount in the comparison because the complete applicable electricity charge and implementation basis were not reconciled for this review. Ask the municipality for that written basis before treating an amount as payable; absence from this table does not mean zero cost.
For Tshwane, use our city tariff guide, which distinguishes confirmed information from draft figures. Do not transfer a draft fixed charge into a savings calculation as though it were an approved bill item.
Ask for a bill comparison, not just an equipment price
Start with an actual recent bill and the proposed post-installation tariff. The comparison should state:
- Your present tariff, meter, supply size and fixed charges.
- The tariff and fixed charges that will apply after the installation.
- Expected grid purchases after realistic daytime use and battery operation.
- Export credits only where approved and technically enabled.
- The once-off municipal, metering and professional costs, with each inclusion or exclusion named.
- Any monthly solar payment, service cost and escalation separately from the electricity bill.
Compare the old bill with the new bill, then account for provider payments and other costs not already included. Do not deduct a new fixed charge twice, or treat every generated kWh as an exported kWh. The electricity tariff tracker and solar payback guide help you set up that comparison.
Not sure which system you need?
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Get your free quote →For an installation proposal, request an itemised solar quote that includes the municipal and metering scope →. SolarGuide is an independent referral publisher and may earn a fee from eligible Alumo referrals. Alumo confirms coverage, site suitability, equipment and the work included in its quote; the distributor confirms its own tariff and charges. SolarGuide is not a registration authority. Price, finance and final scope depend on assessment, with credit approval where applicable.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a national solar tax or registration fee?
There is no single fee in the sources compared here that can be applied to every South African home. Costs depend on the licensed distributor, tariff, system and meter. Identify the exact charge and its current official basis instead of treating every item described as a solar levy as the same thing.
Can an installer charge for registration if the municipality charges nothing?
An installer may quote for preparing documents and handling an application. That is a professional service rather than proof of a municipal registration charge. Ask for separate items identifying the municipality's amount and the installer's work, and confirm the full installed scope before accepting.
Do I still need to register if I do not export electricity?
Do not assume zero export removes approval requirements. Eskom's statement distinguishes grid connection from export, and the municipalities compared here have their own embedded-generation approval routes. Ask the distributor which process applies to your design; a CoC alone is not registration.
Will solar remove my fixed electricity charges?
Solar can reduce imported energy while basic, service or network charges remain. A tariff migration can also change those charges. Compare the bill on the applicable post-installation tariff, including any inverter-size charge, before relying on an estimated saving.
Who confirms the final meter and municipal costs?
The distributor confirms its tariff, eligibility and meter quotation. Your installer should identify what is included in the proposal, who handles the application and professional documents, and which costs remain payable by you. Keep those written confirmations with the quote and commissioning records.
Sources and review note
Checked on 25 October 2026. The comparison is limited to the stated residential categories and official sources linked next to the claims. Johannesburg's cited schedule is for July 2026 to June 2027. Ekurhuleni's version 2026.07.30 states NERSA approval on 23 May 2026, council adoption on 30 July 2026 and a 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 period, with VAT excluded. eThekwini's final table and brochure conflict on the network-charge amount, as disclosed above. Calculations are editorial illustrations, not quotes. Changes to tariffs, fees, metering or export rules trigger a review; confirm the current position for your own supply before signing.
SolarGuide is an independent referral partner. We help you compare options and arrange a free quote — Alumo supplies, installs, finances and warrants the systems. Pricing is indicative, sourced from Alumo’s published catalogue, and subject to a site assessment and credit approval.
