Tariffs
Eskom Homelight vs solar — can I stay on Homelight with rooftop PV?
If you are an Eskom-direct customer with grid-tied rooftop PV, Eskom’s published position is that you must move to Homeflex (a time-of-use tariff) and register the generator — whether or not you export. Homelight’s simple prepaid c/kWh rate does not stay as your solar tariff.
Updated 27 October 2026 · Illustrative ranges — not a formal quote, tax ruling or legal advice.
Answer first: Homelight is the subsidised, simple residential prepaid-style suite for many Eskom-direct homes. Solar changes the product. Eskom Distribution states that customers with solar-rooftop PV are required to be on Homeflex. Budget the tariff migration and the fixed daily Homeflex charges into your payback — not only the panel sticker price.
Homelight 2026/27 energy rates (Eskom direct)
From Eskom’s Tariffs and Charges Booklet / schedule material for FY2027 (effective 1 April 2026 for Eskom direct), Homelight is a single c/kWh product with no separate fixed daily line like Homepower/Homeflex:
| Tariff | Energy charge excl. VAT | ≈ incl. VAT (×1.15) | Supply size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homelight 20A | 235.04 c/kWh | ~270.30 c/kWh | Low-consuming 20A supplies |
| Homelight 60A | 298.79 c/kWh | ~343.61 c/kWh | 60A prepaid (or legacy 80A where already applicable) |
Secondary explainers (e.g. Podium Energy’s 2026/27 Eskom rates page) show Homelight 60A at R3.44/kWh incl. VAT with no fixed monthly charge — matching the 298.79c excl. schedule line. Homepower / Homeflex add daily service, network and generation capacity charges that Homelight does not.
What changes when you add grid-tied solar
- Tariff: move to Homeflex (TOU).
- Registration: embedded generator registration path (distributor / NERSA as applicable).
- Fixed charges: Homeflex daily charges apply even when you import little — see our Homeflex Gen-offset answer for credit tables and the fixed-charge floor.
- Export: credited on Gen-offset Homeflex rates (TOU), not at the old Homelight prepaid rate.
Is solar still worth it if I leave Homelight?
Often yes — but the spreadsheet must use Homeflex import avoided + Gen-offset export − Homeflex fixed charges, not “Homelight c/kWh forever.” Self-use remains the main saving. A heat-pump or geyser timer that cuts evening import helps Homeflex peak exposure. If your usage is very low and you are on Homelight 20A, run the numbers carefully: the Homeflex fixed daily stack can eat thin savings. Related: bill still high after solar, is solar worth it?.
Municipal prepaid is a different animal
Homelight is an Eskom-direct product. City Power, Cape Town, Tshwane and eThekwini prepaid customers follow municipal SSEG and tariff rules — not Homelight. See prepaid + solar and SSEG steps.
Homeflex fixed-charge floor (why the spreadsheet changes)
On Homeflex the daily service, network capacity and generation capacity charges continue even when solar covers most daytime kWh. Our sister answer on Homeflex Gen-offset walks the credit table and the fixed-charge maths (Homeflex 1 can land near ~R690 in a 30-day month incl. VAT at 2026/27 booklet figures). That floor is the main reason a low-usage Homelight 20A home must run payback carefully before celebrating “free solar.”
Prepaid tokens vs TOU reality
Homelight customers are used to buying a token and watching the units fall at one rate. Homeflex prices energy by time-of-use season and period. Geyser and EV timers become money tools overnight — heat water and charge the car in cheaper windows or on PV surplus. See TOU / prepaid EV and prepaid token tips.
Decision tree
- Confirm you are Eskom-direct (not City Power / metro).
- Read the last 12 months of Homelight purchases in kWh and rand.
- Ask Eskom’s embedded-generation desk what Homeflex subclass and metering you will land on.
- Model self-use savings on Homeflex import rates minus fixed charges plus any Gen-offset credits.
- Only then size panels and battery — 5 kW cost 2026.
Homelight 20A vs 60A before solar
20A Homelight is aimed at low-consuming supplies (~4.4 kW simultaneous ceiling in Eskom’s explanatory notes). 60A suits higher household loads (~13.2 kW class). Upgrading supply ampacity has connection fees. Solar + Homeflex is a different fork: you are changing tariff structure, not just buying tokens at a new c/kWh. If you are chronically hitting 20A limits, fix the supply conversation separately from the PV conversation.
Homelight maths before you sign a solar deposit
Homelight and similar lifeline / inclining-block products often look “cheap” on the first block and expensive once you leave it. A solar quote that assumes you permanently buy at the top residential step will overstate savings if your real profile still sits partly in a subsidised block. Pull twelve months of tokens or statements, mark the blocks you actually touch, then ask the designer to model your tariff code — not a national average.
Fixed / service charges and any SSEG tariff move can erase a thin daytime-only offset. If Homelight keeps you in a low average R/kWh today, a battery-heavy hybrid may only win when Stage evenings, freezer risk or WFH uptime have a rand value you are willing to pay for. Related: fixed charges · prepaid + solar · monthly savings.
If you are about to migrate off Homelight onto a different Eskom or metro product because of SSEG, print both tariff schedules side by side before you celebrate the panel count. The migration — not the modules — often decides payback.
Quick questions
Can I keep Homelight if my solar is zero-export?
Eskom’s published rooftop-PV position points to Homeflex for solar-rooftop customers. Confirm with Eskom for your connection — do not assume Homelight remains.
What is Homelight 60A per kWh in 2026/27?
298.79 c/kWh excl. VAT (~343.61 c incl.) per Eskom schedule figures summarised above.
Where do export credits appear?
On Homeflex Gen-offset tables — see our Homeflex export answer for the TOU credit bands.
Worked bill: why Homelight users must model Homeflex first
Homelight is the prepaid lifeline-style path many Eskom-direct homes start on. Grid-tied solar usually forces a move onto Homeflex (TOU + Gen-offset). That swap adds daily fixed charges — roughly R700 a month on a Homeflex 1 example in the 2026/27 booklet — before you count a single imported kWh. A small 2–3 kW array that only trims a few hundred units a month can look worse on Homeflex than Homelight if fixed charges eat the savings. A mid-size hybrid sized for daytime self-use plus evening battery shift usually clears those fixed costs and still cuts the bill.
Before you sign, ask the installer for a side-by-side: Homelight as-is versus Homeflex with the proposed PV and battery, using your actual monthly kWh. Bring the Eskom booklet pages for Gen-offset credits. Full export maths: Homeflex solar export.
Prepaid tokens after you add solar
Homelight users are used to buying tokens. On Homeflex after SSEG, billing behaviour changes: you still import on TOU rates, but export credits offset the bill inside Gen-offset rules and caps. Keep a buffer for winter peaks — Homeflex high-season peak all-in can sit near ~909 c/kWh — and shift EV charging and geysers into off-peak or solar hours. If your usage is low and you cannot clear the Homeflex fixed stack, delay grid-tied PV or discuss a zero-export / self-consumption design with your electrician (still usually needs SSEG registration if connected). Related: bill still high after solar?
Sources
- Eskom Tariffs and Charges Booklet 2026/2027
- Eskom Distribution — tariffs and charges (residential suites; solar → Homeflex note)
- Eskom Distribution — 2026/2027 tariff increase
- Podium Energy — Eskom electricity rates 2026/27 (secondary worked tables)