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A roof top solar installed.
The Consumer Goods and Services Ombud (CGSO) has urged the public to consult their municipalities before installing an energy backup system as the country faces electricity supply challenges.
Many South Africans have gone off the grid due to the unresolved energy crisis.
Last week, Eskom implemented stage six load shedding after a number of unit failures at its power stations.
The CGSO’s Lee Soobrathi has advised consumers to exercise caution when they opt to use solar energy.
“The ultimate takeaway is that as a consumer, you have to ensure that the person you’re dealing with is skilled to install, that the goods that you have are set up to do what they’re meant to do, so that you don’t run the risk of burning your house down and obviously collapsing the grid.”
“The number one thing that consumers need to do, and need to understand, is that if they want to install a system, they go through their local municipality. That way they would get in touch with the correct installers, the correct suppliers, and the correct Teo products at a certain level that meets the grid’s expectation. Now this was lacking in the past, where I could have easily driven down the road, gone to a mall, bought a battery and inverter, and got somebody that I know to simply install it without a COC.”
Loadshedding remains suspended: R16.69 billion in year-on-year diesel savings achieved – ongoing high levels of planned maintenance continues pic.twitter.com/3S5FCqrJtt
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) February 28, 2025
