Applications Open for eThekwini's Smart Energy Pilot

 

By Fred Felton | Jul. 31, 2026

Households that qualify from across eThekwini are invited to apply to be part of a smart energy pilot which is designed to help homes use energy more intelligently.

Apply for eThekwini's Smart Energy Pilot. | Photo: Supplied. 

The midday sun can be used better with solar devices. Peak demand can put pressure on the Municipality’s resources. The biggest portion of electricity bills is electric geysers.

These devices can help reduce your electricity bill. You could save up to R300 on your electricity bill. The project aims to help with peak demand reduction, a cleaner future and energy security. 

Applications are currently open and close at the end of August. Project Smart Solar is backed by the eThekwini Municipality. There are only 280 spots available.

The pilot project is being delivered by the City in partnership with Plentify, a South African energy tech company, and supported by international development partners, including the Agence Franҫaise de Développement, the European Union, and the EU Delegation to South Africa.

‘’Project Smart Solar is an important step in exploring how households can become part of a more resilient energy future for eThekwini,’’ said Sindile Buthelezi, Energy Efficiency Manager at eThekwini Municipality.

Project Smart Solar includes a local skills development section. Youth recruited via the eThekwini Municipal Academy database will be upskilled by professional installation teams from Plentify and employed to support installations where possible.

‘’Skills development is an important part of making the energy transition more inclusive. It offers hands-on experience and transferable technical skills to young people,’’ noted Tumisang Kalagobe, Project Smart Solar Lead at Plentify.

Homes that have solar and battery systems are especially encouraged to apply and could qualify if they have: an electric geyser, solar PV panels, battery storage, a compatible inverter system and reliable Wi-Fi connectivity.

Households without solar, also qualify if they have an electric geyser and reliable Wi-Fi connectivity.

Those selected participants will receive the Plentify Home Energy Management System, which includes SolarBot and/or HotBot devices and access to the Plentify Home App.

A SolarBot is Plentify’s intelligent controller for solar and battery systems that assists households to use more solar energy, rely less on the grid, and stay protected during outages.

A HotBot is Plentify’s intelligent geyser controller that automatically heats water at the right times based on a household’s needs, ensuring hot water is available when needed while reducing unnecessary electricity use.

Professional installation and ongoing support will also be provided at no cost during the pilot.

You can apply for this opportunity here: https://plentify.io/project-smart-solar/

 

Overload trips burden eThekwini Municipality's electrical infrastructure

THE MUNICIPALITY has had a challenging start to the year as numerous overload trips after load shedding have left several areas in eThekwini plunged in darkness. Overload trips are a result of in rush currents when power is switched back on. The unit's Medium Voltage / Low Voltage Operations Deputy Head Veer Ramnarain said the network was not designed to handle frequent switching on and off as load shedding demands. ''Under normal circumstances, our network would only get switched off and back on once every three years but lately this happens more than once a day depending on the schedule. This puts additional strain on the reliable operation of the network. The current heatwave has also not made it easy as it contributes to a higher occurrence of faults.'' Prolonged outages caused by overload trips do not just inconvenience customers, but further regress progress made on repairing electrical infrastructure previously damaged during the floods in April last year. Despite being inundated by such challenges, the Municipality's engineers and technicians continue to work hard to restore power and ease the pressure on the network. Customers are urged to switch off high load appliances such as geysers, stoves, and kettles during power outages and switch them on in a staggered or random manner when power returns. Cable theft is another challenge that is crippling the infrastructure. Multiple electricity breakdowns are mainly due to the theft of cable and connecting to the grid illegally. It has a negative impact on the municipality's communication network, electricity supply, and traffic services. The Head of Electricity Maxwell Mthembu said the theft of cables does not only deprive residents the supply of power, but it also interrupts the supply of water to the residents due to malfunctioning of water pumps. It is for this reason that some areas are constantly experiencing water outages, resulting in the malfunction of water pumps. Sewerage pump stations also use electricity to pump raw sewerage to our treatment works. In the event of cable theft in these stations, operations ground to a halt resulting in sewerage ending up to clean water resources. The public is urged to report any suspicions of cable theft to the nearest police station. Loadshedding schedule is available on the municipal website www.durban.gov.za 

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Umlazi rabies drive

THE Rabie Vaccination campaign headed by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development ended on a positive note in Umlazi last week. Pet owners were called to vaccinate their pets for free. The vaccination teams visited all sections in Umlazi to ensure that pets are prevented from the virus. In the past two years, the Municipality has seen a spike in positive animals. Human rabies tends to correlate with rabies amongst animals. Mop-up animal vaccination campaigns continue to be implemented to control the disease. Communities are advised to keep an eye on the city's social media pages to get dates and venues of the next Rabie campaign drive.