News / Policy

News · Policy · 27 Oct 2026

SIIM’s remote solar compliance check: will it fix SA’s registration mess?

A new remote compliance platform from SIIM aims to help households assemble SANS- and Eskom-aligned paperwork while tens of thousands of rooftop systems remain unregistered. It may cut inspection friction — it will not, by itself, settle the fight over whether registration is legally required or tariff-punitive.

The registration backlog in one line

MyBroadband’s 26 October 2026 report cites an estimate of 40 000–80 000 South African homes with rooftop solar and/or battery backup that are not registered with their distribution utility. NERSA and Eskom still argue registration is required for safe network operation; OUTA continues to argue a CoC is the material legal safety instrument. Homeowners are stuck between those positions — and between municipal portals that move at different speeds.

What SIIM actually built

Solar Infrastructure Inspections & Maintenance (SIIM), founded in 2022 after an insurer brokerage asked for independent technical checks, has launched a remote desktop compliance verification product aimed at households. It says the platform scores installation paperwork against SANS and Eskom regulatory expectations and, when successful, issues a Compliance Verification Certificate shared with the homeowner, broker and EPC.

  • Network of 10+ specialist engineers (structural, electrical, fire, civil) for deeper reviews.
  • Historic focus: banks, insurers, brokers, C&I technical reviews and post-incident claims work.
  • Residential push: cut the cost of full on-site inspections for routine compliance packs.
  • Commercial model: subscription plus certificate fees for members and non-members.
  • Roadmap: integrate with municipal SSEG systems so verified packs can be submitted electronically. Engineer wet-ink sign-off, where a utility still demands it, remains in-person.

Will this raise registration rates?

Unclear. Convenience helps, but tariff fear is the political core. In a recent EE Business Intelligence webinar cited by MyBroadband, Eskom Distribution said only 184 customers had moved onto its mandatory SSEG-registered tariff plan — a rounding error next to the unregistered estimate. Many owners worry registration is a gateway to punitive TOU structures (Homeflex for Eskom Direct). Fee waivers on small Eskom registrations do not erase that tariff anxiety.

What homeowners should do this week

  1. Know your distributor. Eskom Direct ≠ City Power ≠ Cape Town ≠ Tshwane ≠ eThekwini. Portals, fees and export credits differ — SSEG steps, metro tariffs.
  2. Keep the CoC pack cold. Single-line diagram, datasheets, earthing photos, dual-supply labels — whether or not you use a remote verifier — inspector tips.
  3. Model the tariff before you register. Especially Eskom Homeflex / Gen-offset — Homeflex export.
  4. Treat SIIM as a documentation aid, not a substitute for your licensed electrician or for the utility’s own approval letter.

Insurance and finance angle

SIIM’s roots in brokerage and lender technical reviews matter more than the product name. Insurers already decline or load claims when lightning, fire or water ingress meets a non-compliant rooftop. A desktop certificate that forces homeowners to gather serials, CoCs, earthing photos and as-built diagrams is useful even if the municipality never opens the PDF — because the claim file gets less fictional. Ask your broker whether they recognise SIIM’s certificate or still require their own panel of engineers.

Banks writing green home loans increasingly want proof the system matches the quotation. Remote verification can shorten that loop when the alternative is a three-week site queue. It cannot invent municipal export permission or rewrite a zero-export inverter setting. Keep the utility approval letter as the golden document for grid-tied status; treat SIIM as quality control on the safety pack.

If you are unregistered and scared of Homeflex, run the tariff maths first with a neutral spreadsheet — peak, standard, off-peak, fixed charges — then decide. Blind avoidance of registration while expanding the array is how neighbours inherit unsafe back-feed risks and how you inherit declined insurance. OUTA’s legal critique and Eskom’s registration mandate will keep duelling in public; your roof still needs a CoC and a design that matches the tariff you will actually face.

Practical document pack to assemble anyway

Whether or not you buy a SIIM certificate, assemble: as-built single-line diagram, inverter and battery serial photos, CoC, earthing test results, roof penetration notes, dual-supply labels, and the municipal or Eskom application reference. Store them off the installer’s laptop. That pack shortens insurance queries, home-loan drawdowns and future resale disclosures.

Cape Town’s online Energy Services route already shows how digital SSEG can move faster when the metro wants it; other redistributors still lean on email and counter queues. SIIM’s integration promise matters most where portals are weak — but integration is a roadmap item, not a live universal API. Track your own metro’s instructions first: SSEG steps, inspector tips.

What the law says about registering, in NERSA’s words

On 3 February 2026 NERSA issued a clarification after reports that homeowners were being threatened with fines. Its position: whether you must register depends on whether your system has a point of connection to the grid and its installed capacity, not on whether you export.

  • Grid-connected systems of 100 kW or less register with the distributor (Eskom or your licensed municipality).
  • Grid-connected systems above 100 kW register directly with NERSA.
  • Systems with no point of connection to the grid are exempt.

NERSA also said a Certificate of Compliance confirms electrical safety, while registration serves a separate network-planning purpose. In other words, a CoC alone does not count as registration, and a remote compliance certificate from a private company will not either unless your distributor agrees to accept it.

Eskom’s three-document list

For Eskom-supplied homes, Eskom’s SSEG page lists just three key documents: a valid Certificate of Compliance signed by a registered person, the inverter’s NRS 097-2-1 type-test certificate from the supplier, and a basic Embedded Generation Installation (EGI) test report, which an installation electrician or master installation electrician registered with the Department of Labour can now sign. That is a much shorter list than many owners fear.

Eskom also advertised no registration or connection fees, and no smart-meter fees, for systems up to 50 kVA until 30 September 2026, saying typical residential customers could save more than R9 000. That window has now closed on the published date; check Eskom’s page for whether it has been extended before you budget.

Where SIIM could genuinely save you money

  • Insurance. SIIM says some claims are rejected when an install is non-compliant. A third-party certificate on file before a fire or surge claim is cheaper than arguing afterwards.
  • Selling the house. Buyers’ attorneys and bond originators increasingly ask for CoC and registration proof. Having the paperwork reviewed early avoids a last-minute electrician call-out.
  • Older installs. Owners whose original installer has closed shop are the group most likely to be stuck. A desk review tells you which documents are missing before you pay for a site visit.

What it will not do yet: replace a municipal engineer’s sign-off where your metro still requires one in person, as MyBroadband noted, or switch your tariff. If registration moves you onto a tariff with higher fixed charges, run the numbers first with our fixed-charge guide.

Sources