Call for South African municipalities to welcome solar panels in order to save billions of rands

icantchooseone said:
i just got this via email :

City of Johannesburg
CITY OF JOHANNESBURG METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY
Group Finance: Revenue Shared Services Centre
💬 Contact Centre: 0860 JOBURG (562 874)
🌐 Website: www.joburg.org.za
Date: 23 July 2026
Account Number: 987654321
Notice Type: Notice of Non-Compliance and Tariff Adjustment
FINAL DEMAND: UNREGISTERED HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE SURCHARGE
Dear Resident,
Our records show that your property is currently operating high-drain kitchen and laundry appliances.
Under the COJ Municipal Infrastructure Surcharge By-law of 2025, all residents must register large household appliances. These items place a heavy strain on the local electrical grid and municipal sewage systems.
Our data indicates that your household uses the following unregistered items:

  • Microwave Oven (High Frequency)
  • Washing Machine (Automated)
  • Dishwasher (Eco/Standard)
You must pay a monthly Appliance Environmental Tax for these items. The charges will appear on your next regular municipal bill as follows:

Appliance CodeItem DescriptionMonthly Surcharge
APPL-042Microwave SurchargeR 120.00
APPL-089Washing Machine Water-Grid TaxR 250.00
APPL-091Dishwasher Heavy-Load LevyR 180.00
TotalMonthly Appliance SurchargeR 550.00
Please note that failure to pay these fees by the first day of next month will result in a Disconnection of Services Notice. Tech teams may also visit your home to inspect your kitchen layout.
To dispute this fee, please fill out the Appliance Removal Declaration Form (Form AR-01) at your nearest Customer Service Centre. You will need to prove that you only cook using an open fire and wash all dishes and clothes by hand.
Regards,
Director: Municipal Revenue & Kitchen Compliance
City of Johannesburg
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That's fcked up, cannot possibly be real. I don't know of a single house that doesn't have ALL of that.
 
icantchooseone said:
nope . no solar . i have a 1.5kw Navasolar trolley . im saving the battery on the Navasolar for tonight so i can brush my teeth with my electric toothbrush
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Hmmm, an electric toothbrush battery lasts like 20 to 30 days. At least mine does. I think you are pulling our legs now 🤣
 
icantchooseone said:
no mines a new model made by Oralb . it uses AC . its not rechargeable
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Yeah you had us until you said it doesnt have a battery. Almost had us.

No, Oral-B does not make corded/pluggable electric toothbrushes. Every modern electric toothbrush from Oral-B (including the high-end iO series, Genius series, and entry-level Pro/Vitality models) runs strictly on internal rechargeable lithium-ion or NiMH batteries.

Why "Pluggable" Toothbrushes Don't Exist in Modern Ranges​

There are three main engineering and safety reasons why Oral-B and other major brands (like Philips Sonicare) exclusively manufacture battery-powered units:

  1. Severe Water & Electrical Hazard (IPX7 Safety Standard): Toothbrushes are used directly over wet sinks and inside showers. Running a live AC power cord ($110\text{V}$–$240\text{V}$) straight into a wet handle near your mouth creates an unacceptable risk of electric shock. Wireless induction charging allows the handle to be completely sealed in waterproof plastic without any exposed metal contact pins.
  2. Ergonomics and Motor Torque: A trailing power cord restricts maneuverability and adds weight/drag, making it difficult to maintain the dentist-recommended $45^\circ$ angle against gums. Modern micro-motors (such as the linear magnetic drives in the Oral-B iO series) are designed specifically to run off stable DC battery voltage.
  3. Bathroom Socket Electrical Codes: In many regions (including the UK, UAE, and parts of Europe), building regulations prohibit standard 3-pin power outlets in bathrooms close to sinks, only allowing low-voltage two-pin "shaver sockets."
 
denmendez65 said:
Yeah you had us until you said it doesnt have a battery. Almost had us.

No, Oral-B does not make corded/pluggable electric toothbrushes. Every modern electric toothbrush from Oral-B (including the high-end iO series, Genius series, and entry-level Pro/Vitality models) runs strictly on internal rechargeable lithium-ion or NiMH batteries.

Why "Pluggable" Toothbrushes Don't Exist in Modern Ranges​

There are three main engineering and safety reasons why Oral-B and other major brands (like Philips Sonicare) exclusively manufacture battery-powered units:

  1. Severe Water & Electrical Hazard (IPX7 Safety Standard): Toothbrushes are used directly over wet sinks and inside showers. Running a live AC power cord ($110\text{V}$–$240\text{V}$) straight into a wet handle near your mouth creates an unacceptable risk of electric shock. Wireless induction charging allows the handle to be completely sealed in waterproof plastic without any exposed metal contact pins.
  2. Ergonomics and Motor Torque: A trailing power cord restricts maneuverability and adds weight/drag, making it difficult to maintain the dentist-recommended $45^\circ$ angle against gums. Modern micro-motors (such as the linear magnetic drives in the Oral-B iO series) are designed specifically to run off stable DC battery voltage.
  3. Bathroom Socket Electrical Codes: In many regions (including the UK, UAE, and parts of Europe), building regulations prohibit standard 3-pin power outlets in bathrooms close to sinks, only allowing low-voltage two-pin "shaver sockets."
Click to expand...
 

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Through this, PARI said these municipalities could very quickly and easily reduce the costs of their bulk electricity purchases from Eskom.
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Municipalities make a profit on every kW they resell.
 
Profit on sale of electricity is one of the municipality's main revenue streams.

Decreasing demand dries up the gravy.
 
No offence @icantchooseone but I am not believing anything at the moment, even the toothbrush. That does not look practical or legal in any way for a manufacturer like OralB to sell and the email looks like a fake.

I will wait for you to post the proof etc. Until then I am done with this stuff.
 
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