Solar tariffs and regulations in South Africa
Eskom and municipal tariffs, seasonal Time-of-Use and the SSEG framework. South Africa credits exports below the import rate, and the credit reaches only part of the bill.
Every market, every tariff, built in
Net metering, net billing, credit carry-over, feed-in tariffs and hourly or monthly netting all live in the tariff configurator, alongside time-of-use, tiered and demand charge structures. Tune currency, seasons, export rates and VAT, or build a brand-new tariff structure when a market changes the rules. Pre-built for the US, UK, Germany, Türkiye, South Africa, Italy, Spain, France, Poland and the Netherlands.
- Net metering, net billing, and credit carryover
- Time-of-use, tiered, and demand charge structures
- Per-country currency, seasons, and export terms
Net billing, not net metering
Exports are credited at a rate below the import rate, and the credit can only offset the energy portion of the bill. Fixed charges, network capacity and demand charges stay payable in full, which is why self-consumption carries the business case.
Eskom and municipal tariffs preloaded
Around 180 South African tariffs ship with the product, from Eskom Homeflex, Homepower, Businessrate, Landrate, Ruraflex, Miniflex and Megaflex through to the metro municipal residential blocks. Large-user tariffs are split by supply voltage and transmission zone distance, and municipal residential tariffs are inclining block.
Seasonal Time-of-Use
The high demand season runs June to August. On weekdays, peak covers 07:00 to 10:00 and 18:00 to 20:00, with off-peak from 22:00 to 06:00. On Homeflex the peak to off-peak spread is more than threefold, so when a system generates and when a battery discharges matter as much as annual yield.
SSEG registration and the municipal export lottery
Every grid-tied system must be registered as a Small-Scale Embedded Generator whether or not it exports, and exporting Eskom residential customers must migrate to Homeflex. Registration and connection fees are waived for systems up to 50 kVA until 30 September 2026, and systems above 100 kW also register with NERSA. Municipal export rates differ widely, so the same array pays back at different speeds by municipality.
01Is South Africa a net metering market?+
No. It runs net billing, often called Gen-offset. Exported energy earns a credit at a lower export rate, and that credit offsets only the energy component of the bill, never the fixed or capacity charges. A proposal built on one-for-one offsetting will not match the customer's account.
02Does my customer have to change tariff to export?+
On Eskom, yes for residential. Exporting residential customers move to Homeflex, which is a Time-of-Use tariff, so the export decision also changes what they pay for every imported unit. Rural and urban businesses move to Ruraflex, Miniflex or Megaflex.
03What if my customer's tariff is not preloaded?+
You can build it in a few clicks. Municipal tariffs change on their own cycles and each municipality sets its own export rate and fixed charges, so custom tariffs are a normal part of quoting in South Africa rather than an exception.
04Can I model accelerated depreciation for commercial projects?+
Yes. Accelerated depreciation for qualifying commercial installations is included in the financial analysis, and the applicable allowance is set per project so it can be matched to the client's own tax position.
