How does solar export work on Eskom Homeflex, and what does Eskom pay?

This applies to homes billed by Eskom directly, not by a municipality such as City Power or Cape Town. Your account will say Eskom and show a tariff such as Homepower, Homelight or Homeflex. Eskom’s booklet is clear that a time-of-use tariff is mandatory for grid-tied generation, and Homeflex is not offered on prepaid meters.

Homeflex 2026/27: what you buy and what Eskom credits

Homeflex has two seasons: high demand from 1 June to 31 August and low demand from 1 September to 31 May. Rates below are from Eskom’s 2026/27 booklet, including VAT, for non-local-authority supply.

The “all-in” column adds the per-kWh charges Eskom lists separately on Homeflex: a 28.50c legacy charge, a 32.98c network demand charge and a 0.52c ancillary service charge, about 62.00c in total. Those apply to every kWh you import, which is why a kWh you avoid buying is worth more than the energy rate alone.

The rule that catches people: credits are capped per period

Eskom’s Gen-offset rules say the exported energy credited in each time-of-use period cannot be greater than the energy you imported in that same period that month. Solar exports mostly happen in standard hours (and off-peak on weekends). So if you export 300 kWh in standard hours but only import 250 kWh in standard hours, you are credited for 250 kWh, and the other 50 kWh earn nothing.

Exporting in the evening peak can earn the high peak credit, but only up to what you imported in peak. In practice, the bigger win is to avoid peak imports altogether by running the house from the battery after sunset.

What one kWh is worth, three ways (summer standard)

• Used in the house: avoids about 307.51c.
• Exported, within your standard-hour imports: credited 218.35c.
• Exported, beyond your standard-hour imports: worth nothing on the bill.

Per 100 kWh, using it yourself instead of exporting it is worth about R89 more a month, and potentially R307 more if those exports were over the cap. In winter, a kWh stored in a battery and used in the evening peak avoids about 909c, which is where a battery earns its keep on Homeflex.

The fixed charges you pay on Homeflex

Homeflex carries daily charges that apply whether you use electricity or not. For Homeflex 1 (dual-phase 32 kVA or three-phase 25 kVA), the 2026/27 booklet lists R6.60 service and administration, R15.17 network capacity and R1.25 generation capacity per day incl. VAT, which is R23.02 a day or about R690 in a 30-day month. Homeflex 4 (single-phase 16 kVA) works out at R17.86 a day.

Eskom also changed the structure this year: the visible generation capacity charge rose to 30% of its originally proposed value (from 20%), and the fixed portion of the service and administration charge rose to 66.66% (from 33.33%), with energy rates lowered to compensate. More of the bill is now fixed, so each solar kWh saves slightly less than it did last year.

How to get the most from solar on Homeflex

1. Use midday solar in the house first: geyser, pool pump, washing and EV charging during sunshine hours.
2. Save battery energy for peak: set the inverter so the battery covers the evening peak, especially from June to August.
3. Charge from the grid only in off-peak, and only if it pays: off-peak all-in is about 252.83c; that only makes sense if it avoids peak kWh later.
4. Check the cap: on your Eskom bill, compare exported kWh with imported kWh in each period. Exports above imports in a period earn nothing.
5. Size panels for self-use: very large arrays that export most of their output pay back slowly on Homeflex.

Eskom also changed the time-of-use hours: its booklet says evening peak is now three hours instead of two, morning peak two hours instead of three, and a two-hour standard period has been added on Sunday evenings. Check the TOU chart in the booklet before you programme the inverter.

Do I need permission first?

Yes. Any grid-tied system on an Eskom supply must be applied for and approved before it is connected, with a registered electrician’s CoC and an inverter on the approved list. See do I need SSEG registration and what NRS 097 means.

Related: 2026 tariffs by metro · municipal feed-in tariffs · net metering vs net billing

Quick questions

Can I stay on Homepower if I add solar?

Not if the system is grid-tied. Eskom’s booklet says a time-of-use tariff is mandatory for grid-tied generation, which for homes means Homeflex.

Does Eskom pay out cash for exported solar?

Gen-offset is a credit on your monthly bill, capped at your imports in each time-of-use period. It is not a cash payout.

Is Homeflex available on prepaid?

No. Homeflex is a conventional (credit) metered tariff, so prepaid Eskom customers must move to a conventional meter to export.

Summer vs winter peaks — where batteries earn their keep

Homeflex buy and Gen-offset credit rates swing hard between high-demand (June–August) and low-demand seasons. Peak credits and peak buy rates drop sharply in summer; standard and off-peak move less. That means a battery that only “exports at peak” in winter has a different business case in September. Re-run your spreadsheet when the season flips instead of locking a 12-month average that hides the winter spike.

Remember the period-match cap: surplus standard-time kWh cannot pay for peak imports. The highest-value kWh is still the one you never import — EV daytime charging, heat-pump water, pool pump timers. Export is the residual after those loads. Network demand and ancillary c/kWh on imports also mean the true avoided cost is a little higher than the energy-only TOU cell.

Municipal customers are not on Homeflex; use your metro’s SSEG credit table instead. Eskom Direct readers should keep the FY2026/27 schedule PDF next to the portal bill. Cross-links: net metering vs net billing, 2026/27 tariffs.

Registration waiver vs Homeflex obligation

Eskom has waived certain small-scale registration fees for direct customers in defined size bands, but the regulatory push to register grid-tied systems remains, and grid-tied generation still points you at a TOU Homeflex-type structure. Do not confuse “fee waived” with “tariff unchanged forever.” Read the current Eskom notice dates, then model Homeflex buy and Gen-offset credit lines before you sign.

Municipal customers must follow their redistributor — Cape Town, City Power, Tshwane, eThekwini each publish their own SSEG credit and fixed-charge story. Mixing Eskom Direct numbers into a City Power bill model is a common quote error; catch it early.

Sources

• Eskom Tariffs and Charges Booklet 2026/2027 (Homeflex and Gen-offset Homeflex tables)
• Eskom Distribution: 2026/2027 tariff increase and structural changes
• EnergyBee: Homeflex summer rates 2026 (secondary summary)
• GridPulse: Eskom direct home tariffs 2026/27 (Homeflex not on prepaid)
• Eskom Energy Advisory Services: embedded generation tariff charges