WattButler handles your City application, technical paperwork, ECSA professional coordination and follow-up until you are connected and exporting. You provide the information we need; we carry the admin.
R1.33
2026/27 credit per kWh
~R731
Est. credit on 550 kWh
R2,000
Deposit to begin
R1,500
Only once exporting
Know the full picture before you start.A City-installed AMI feed-in meter is mandatory and charged separately at the City's quoted rate. Street-boundary metering work may add cost.
Free first step · No payment now
Check your export eligibility
Tell us about your system. We will review it and contact you within one business day.
Your eligibility check is in.
We will contact you within one business day to discuss your system and next steps. No payment has been taken.
Outcome-aligned feeR1,500 is due only once you are connected and exporting.
Technical sign-off coordinatedWe manage the process with a contracted ECSA professional.
Independent guidanceWattButler is not affiliated with the City of Cape Town.
Why act now
Every unregistered month is solar value you cannot recover later.
City approval and connection typically take 6–12 weeks from a complete application. Starting sooner gives the process time to finish before more high-export months pass, while the feed-in tariff and incentive remain subject to annual Council review.
Our own system · Cape Town
"December was the month it clicked. Roughly a thousand rand credited, in the middle of summer, from surplus we weren't using anyway. It won't be that every month — but it made the whole thing feel finished."
Co-founder, WattButler · ~10kW system · Registered 2025
~R1,000
Credited · December
10kW
System size
Verified
On municipal statement
Summer months generate roughly 35–40% above the annual average. Across a full year, a system this size averages closer to R730 a month. This is our co-founder's own registration, completed before we began taking clients — we ran the process on ourselves first.
What we manage on your behalf
Our Process
I
Free Eligibility Review
We review your system, suburb and application status first. There is no payment to submit the eligibility form.
II
Application & Sign-off
If you proceed, the R2,000 non-refundable deposit starts the work. We prepare the submission and coordinate the required ECSA professional sign-off.
III
Approval & Export
We track City queries, the mandatory AMI meter process and activation. The R1,500 balance is due only once you are connected and exporting.
Your opportunity cost
Estimate the credits your roof could be missing
Use your system size and installation month for a directional estimate. Your actual export depends on generation, orientation, battery behaviour and how much solar you use at home.
Approval typically takes 6–12 weeks.Credits begin only after approval, metering and connection. Earlier exports are not credited retrospectively.
Estimated export~440 kWh/month
Potential monthly credit~R585
Potential credits since installation~R7,020
Estimate uses 55 kWh of monthly export per installed kW and the 2026/27 non-VAT residential rate of R1.3298/kWh. It is not a quote or guarantee.
Rate last reviewed against the City of Cape Town's 2026/27 tariff book in August 2026. The base rate and incentive are reviewed annually by Council and may change after 30 June 2027.
Figures exclude VAT because the City adds VAT to export credits only for registered VAT vendors. Credits first offset the municipal account. Export volume varies by system, orientation, battery behaviour and household consumption. The City issues the final AMI meter quotation during authorisation; a compliant street-boundary meter box, cabling or supply changes may add further once-off cost. The R2,000 WattButler deposit is non-refundable once application work begins.
Questions
What clients typically ask
A Certificate of Compliance is not the same as City SSEG approval. If you have a commissioning approval letter and export credits already appear on your municipal statement, the process is complete. If not, we can check your status before you pay anything.
Our fee is R3,500. A non-refundable R2,000 deposit starts the application work. The remaining R1,500 is due only once your system is connected and exporting. The eligibility check on this page is free and does not commit you to proceed.
Yes. Every export customer needs a City-installed bi-directional AMI meter, paid for by the property owner at the City's quoted rate. A compliant street-boundary meter box, cabling changes or other remedial electrical work can add cost. We surface known requirements as early as possible, but the City and relevant contractors issue their own quotations.
Yes, but export customers move from prepaid electricity to a billed Home User SSEG account with an AMI meter. That means no more buying and entering electricity tokens. Your export credits are then applied monthly against your consolidated municipal account, including electricity, rates, water and solid waste.
A complete application typically takes 6–12 weeks through approval, metering and connection, but City timelines and property-specific work can extend this. We track the file and respond to queries; we do not promise a date controlled by the City.
We minimise your admin and coordinate the required ECSA professional input. We may still need documents or system details from your installer, and some properties need remedial work before approval. We tell you what is needed and manage the application communication.
Buyers and conveyancers increasingly ask for evidence that grid-tied solar is authorised. Completing the City process gives you a documented approval trail and reduces the risk of registration paperwork delaying a future sale.
We explain the reason and the remediation required. Missing documents and technical mismatches are often correctable, but approval ultimately rests with the City and some remedial work can cost extra. The R2,000 deposit covers work already performed and is non-refundable once we begin.
No. WattButler is an independent service by Acre Energy (Pty) Ltd. We prepare and manage applications through the City's official process and coordinate a contracted ECSA professional, but the City makes the approval and metering decisions.