coj off-grid process

denmendez65 said:
Ask Geysertech šŸ¤£.

That controller is probably very efficient. There are also 4 panels on it. Maybe that's why. But I genuinely haven't struggled with hot water at all.

Didn't matter when the wife was here, when I had 5 people over in December, and now Winter with my brother staying with me. It just works.

That's why when I have kids and am back in SA, I will get a second geyser and hook another controller to it with its own panels. I have the space for it.
Click to expand...
Surely what you have now can handle 2 geysers in series. Just heat one and use for storage which feeds the one you have now. I just saved you R5k
 
wingnut771 said:
Surely what you have now can handle 2 geysers in series. Just heat one and use for storage which feeds the one you have now. I just saved you R5k
Click to expand...
Yeah, I think so, also considering the controller opens the thermostat even now around 1/2 pm. And I still have the option of upgrading the element to a 3kW with lower resistance, which increases the heating capacity by some 30%.

You saved me more like 9k lol.
 
I got our first bill since installing solar. Total usage according to Victron (solar + grid) = 923 kWh for 35 days.
Grid usage 193 kWh (there is a slight discrepancy between Victron and CoJ, but it might just depend on time of day when meter was read).

1780989003339.png

Here is last year's bill for comparison:
1780989146264.png

Very similar usage. We were out of town for two weekends this year, so it might explain the difference.

A couple of things:
1. Taking into account increases etc., I estimate I saved a bit more than R2000.
2. Fixed costs are still killing me.
3. Of the 193 kWh I used from the grid, about 150 kWh was geyser use. I have a timer that switches it on during the day, but my wife needs hot water early morning, so I have to switch it on around 4AM to get it up to temp in time for her to use. If I want to go off grid, this is the biggest hurdle. But this was expected.
4. This was a surprising crap time for solar, as there were multiple rainy/cloudy days in the last month.
 
AntennaMan said:
I got our first bill since installing solar. Total usage according to Victron (solar + grid) = 923 kWh for 35 days.
Grid usage 193 kWh (there is a slight discrepancy between Victron and CoJ, but it might just depend on time of day when meter was read).

View attachment 1913681

Here is last year's bill for comparison:
View attachment 1913682

Very similar usage. We were out of town for two weekends this year, so it might explain the difference.

A couple of things:
1. Taking into account increases etc., I estimate I saved a bit more than R2000.
2. Fixed costs are still killing me.
3. Of the 193 kWh I used from the grid, about 150 kWh was geyser use. I have a timer that switches it on during the day, but my wife needs hot water early morning, so I have to switch it on around 4AM to get it up to temp in time for her to use. If I want to go off grid, this is the biggest hurdle. But this was expected.
4. This was a surprising crap time for solar, as there were multiple rainy/cloudy days in the last month.
Click to expand...
Save on fixed costs of R19k per year and go off grid. Money saved can buy 10kWh of battery. Smoke a big fatty and go stand in line all day at their office.
 
AntennaMan said:
I got our first bill since installing solar. Total usage according to Victron (solar + grid) = 923 kWh for 35 days.
Grid usage 193 kWh (there is a slight discrepancy between Victron and CoJ, but it might just depend on time of day when meter was read).

View attachment 1913681

Here is last year's bill for comparison:
View attachment 1913682

Very similar usage. We were out of town for two weekends this year, so it might explain the difference.

A couple of things:
1. Taking into account increases etc., I estimate I saved a bit more than R2000.
2. Fixed costs are still killing me.
3. Of the 193 kWh I used from the grid, about 150 kWh was geyser use. I have a timer that switches it on during the day, but my wife needs hot water early morning, so I have to switch it on around 4AM to get it up to temp in time for her to use. If I want to go off grid, this is the biggest hurdle. But this was expected.
4. This was a surprising crap time for solar, as there were multiple rainy/cloudy days in the last month.
Click to expand...
Fixed costs are unfortunately going to keep killing you until you disconnect fully, which at 200kWh of grid usage monthly isn't going to happen any time soon. Next best thing would have been a switch to prepaid but given COJ's stance on that, it's next to impossible.
 
AntennaMan said:
I got our first bill since installing solar. Total usage according to Victron (solar + grid) = 923 kWh for 35 days.
Grid usage 193 kWh (there is a slight discrepancy between Victron and CoJ, but it might just depend on time of day when meter was read).

View attachment 1913681

Here is last year's bill for comparison:
View attachment 1913682

Very similar usage. We were out of town for two weekends this year, so it might explain the difference.

A couple of things:
1. Taking into account increases etc., I estimate I saved a bit more than R2000.
2. Fixed costs are still killing me.
3. Of the 193 kWh I used from the grid, about 150 kWh was geyser use. I have a timer that switches it on during the day, but my wife needs hot water early morning, so I have to switch it on around 4AM to get it up to temp in time for her to use. If I want to go off grid, this is the biggest hurdle. But this was expected.
4. This was a surprising crap time for solar, as there were multiple rainy/cloudy days in the last month.
Click to expand...
According to their estimate, you are clocking almost 1000kWh a month.

And you might get these estimates for months before they correct their nonsense. 50k a year isn't fun. With 1.5k a month in fixed charges, after the CP increases come in, it won't be fun.

I was getting estimates of 800 to 1000 a month also. Added solar and cut consumption to 400 or so a month. After 6 months, I still got a bill of 16k. They claimed I was using almost 1200 kWh a month. So dont be surprised you get a big bill after all these estimates, even with your solar.

Best to keep track of your meter.

This is my typical bill every month after being off-grid. No surprises anymore.

Screenshot 2026-06-09 095639.jpg
 
denmendez65 said:
According to their estimate, you are clocking almost 1000kWh a month.

And you might get these estimates for months before they correct their nonsense. 50k a year isn't fun. With 1.5k a month in fixed charges, after the CP increases come in, it won't be fun.

I was getting estimates of 800 to 1000 a month also. Added solar and cut consumption to 400 or so a month. After 6 months, I still got a bill of 16k. They claimed I was using almost 1200 kWh a month. So dont be surprised you get a big bill after all these estimates, even with your solar.

Best to keep track of your meter.

This is my typical bill every month after being off-grid. No surprises anymore.

View attachment 1913704
Click to expand...

His latest bill is an actual reading...
 
GMAN03 said:
Fixed costs are unfortunately going to keep killing you until you disconnect fully, which at 200kWh of grid usage monthly isn't going to happen any time soon. Next best thing would have been a switch to prepaid but given COJ's stance on that, it's next to impossible.
Click to expand...
I think even a gas geyser would be a 3rd of the price of his monthly electricity bill. There is better options like heatpumps of course but just highlighting that something as "expensive" as a gas geyser would be cheaper than the grid.
 
GMAN03 said:
Fixed costs are unfortunately going to keep killing you until you disconnect fully, which at 200kWh of grid usage monthly isn't going to happen any time soon. Next best thing would have been a switch to prepaid but given COJ's stance on that, it's next to impossible.
Click to expand...
Monthly? I bet itā€™s just 1 or 2 months.
 
I see on the WA group for my area someone said Prepaid will be allowed potentially from July onwards.
 
wingnut771 said:
Why can't they drop the price of post paid down to prepaid levels then they wouldn't have to lift a finger.
Click to expand...
I have seen that most people don't understand their bills. The number of times I have mentioned service and network charge to some friends and associates, and they give me a blank stare, is plenty

Their only complaint is the estimates. Not the fixed charges. They would gladly pay those fixed charges. To my old landlord, a bill of 4.5k every month for him is normal because the neighbours pay that. Let alone the tenants only use about 1k in electricity and he is unmarried with no kids.

He doesnt even shower at his house as he uses a gym for that.
 
denmendez65 said:
I have seen that most people don't understand their bills. The number of times I have mentioned service and network charge to some friends and associates, and they give me a blank stare, is plenty

Their only complaint is the estimates. Not the fixed charges. They would gladly pay those fixed charges. To my old landlord, a bill of 4.5k every month for him is normal because the neighbours pay that. Let alone the tenants only use about 1k in electricity and he is unmarried with no kids.

He doesnt even shower at his house as he uses a gym for that.
Click to expand...
ignorance-is-bliss-cypher.gif
 
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