coj off-grid process

[denmendez65]

Hope it's true because then I may keep them around otherwise the plan is to disconnect once we upgrade to dual inverters with extra batteries/panels (hopefully next month or August). I'd be okay pushing R1300 to prepaid if I can at least get units to stash for when we need them but just throwing that money away now and getting nothing back for it really hurts.

My biggest mistake was getting solar and not buying any prepaid (or very little) which is why they forced us to postpaid. Come to think of it they might still try force us to register so maybe sticking with the disconnection is a good idea regardless.

I’ll be very surprised if they will put you on Prepaid once they see you have solar.

They want solar guys on Postpaid.

 

[wingnut771]

Hope it's true because then I may keep them around otherwise the plan is to disconnect once we upgrade to dual inverters with extra batteries/panels (hopefully next month or August). I'd be okay pushing R1300 to prepaid if I can at least get units to stash for when we need them but just throwing that money away now and getting nothing back for it really hurts.

My biggest mistake was getting solar and not buying any prepaid (or very little) which is why they forced us to postpaid. Come to think of it they might still try force us to register so maybe sticking with the disconnection is a good idea regardless.

How did they force you to postpaid?

 

[Vixremento]

How did they force you to postpaid?

They arrived one day and just replaced the meter, told us they it's happening whether we want it or not.

 

[Lupus]

They arrived one day and just replaced the meter, told us they it's happening whether we want it or not.

I would just tell them, they need to provide me with a reliable and consistent supply before switching me to prepaid.
3 and a half days of no power so far.

 

[Vixremento]

I would just tell them, they need to provide me with a reliable and consistent supply before switching me to prepaid.
3 and a half days of no power so far.

Yeah before we had solar we had a period of six days without power, everything in our deep freeze and most of the stuff in the fridge was off. The restored power later on during the last day after we had just bought and fired up a small generator, typical for my luck though.

 

[Lupus]

Yeah before we had solar we had a period of six days without power, everything in our deep freeze and most of the stuff in the fridge was off. The restored power later on during the last day after we had just bought and fired up a small generator, typical for my luck though.

At least you had the generator for the next time I guess

 

[Vixremento]

At least you had the generator for the next time I guess

True, we ended up using it a few times after but now it stands looking at us hoping to be fired up again one day. Decent enough to keep some stuff on but not nearly grown up enough to do anything serious.

 

[Lupus]

True, we ended up using it a few times after but now it stands looking at us hoping to be fired up again one day. Decent enough to keep some stuff on but not nearly grown up enough to do anything serious.

Mine is also just sitting, it's too much effort to start, fuel and smelly.
It's big enough to run the house, but eh

 

[Vixremento]

Mine is also just sitting, it's too much effort to start, fuel and smelly.
It's big enough to run the house, but eh

Yeah sadly I think these options are bought to solve an immediate problem but not as a long term solution. Ideally I'd have chosen something with the least maintenance and full capacity hooked up to keep our batteries and inverter up and running. Fire it up once or twice a year and then hopefully the diesel/petrol doesn't degrade. Maintenance and service stuff crops up though so you're screwed unless you're into this **** - I'm not.

Life was so much simpler as an idiot child thinking that we could change the world...now instead we're milked more than the meat sacks from The Matrix.

 

[wingnut771]

They arrived one day and just replaced the meter, told us they it's happening whether we want it or not.

Oh, so your meter is outside your property.

 

[wingnut771]

Yeah before we had solar we had a period of six days without power, everything in our deep freeze and most of the stuff in the fridge was off. The restored power later on during the last day after we had just bought and fired up a small generator, typical for my luck though.

Rule no 1 with turning off gennies, switch the fuel supply off so it dies after fuel in carb runs out. Or else fuel in carb turns to jelly and it won’t start the next time.

 

[Vixremento]

Oh, so your meter is outside your property.

Sadly, yeah.

Rule no 1 with turning off gennies, switch the fuel supply off so it dies after fuel in carb runs out. Or else fuel in carb turns to jelly and it won’t start the next time.

We did that, switch off the manual supply and let it run until it chugs out, coughs, spits and dies. The fuel in the tank would still go stale though from what I've read so that means an extra bit of maintenance to let it run until the tank is empty or manually drain it... Then we'd have spare in the jerry can that I guess we could add to our car but who really remembers that all of the time.

 

[wingnut771]

Sadly, yeah.

We did that, switch off the manual supply and let it run until it chugs out, coughs, spits and dies. The fuel in the tank would still go stale though from what I've read so that means an extra bit of maintenance to let it run until the tank is empty or manually drain it... Then we'd have spare in the jerry can that I guess we could add to our car but who really remembers that all of the time.

I think the stuff in the tank lasts a year and a bit. This is where lpg makes sense, and also not paying road tax.

 

[KZA]

Hi @denmendez65

Thanks so much for creating a thread and documenting the process.

I would like to do same but the thread is so long haha, do you have one post in there somewhere that summarises the full steps to take? or should I try read it all through?

My situation is prepaid meter was taken out and we were disconnected in Jan this year (I wasn't home unfortunately) and I am not getting the postpaid charges, but would rather just get fully disconnected via accounts so that I don't get some scary penalty fee/bill in future.

We have already been running off grid since Jan but just want closure of having the account actually closed

Many Thanks

 

[denmendez65]

So far I can’t say the workers are being hard to deal with. They genuinely don’t look like they know the process. Citipower has a form for isolation and removal so Citipower is getting these applications otherwise they would not have such a form.

I suspect the luck of the person applying for this would depend greatly on whether the person who helps you has done it. So visiting Citipower first seems to be the best way forward. Rather than COJ.

Update: It’s done with the new form. I need to wait a day or 2 for it to be loaded to the system on Citipower side.

I then go to Citipower and verify they got it and have to go back to COJ to pay.

This needs like 3 to 4 days of leave

This is the wrong form. Ask for Isolation forms. Someone at COJ should know what that is. Even though the people at region C didn’t know. Unfortunately can’t find it on Citipower site.

Update: Went to Citipower. And they never got the email from COJ. But the lady gave me her personal email. So just have to scan the front page and they will create a quote for me. Fortunately don’t have to go back to COJ for this. Only paying.

Will mail them in a few minutes. Hopefully the quote is sent today or tomorrow.

This is visit number 5 on 5 different days now. So yes, it requires quite a bit of back and forth.

Update:

Had gone away for a few days and decided to go and check if the quote was done yet. Unfortunately not but that’s because the person that does it is on leave.

Everything is on the system though so just the quote and invoice left to do. They told me the application doesn’t expire so I can come 2nd week of January to check.

Good news is there is a lady at CP that is very helpful and said rather than going to COJ to check, I can just shoot her an email once a week to check. She helped me quite a bit with getting the stuff into the system after COJ hadn’t sent my papers through to them.

So next Update 2nd week of January give or take.

Update. Quote still not in COJs system despite CP having generated it 3 weeks ago.

Region B said they could have escalated me but I belong to region C. Region C says I belong to B. Region B says I must ask for their manager as it clearly says C on my bill.

It’s gettting quite a bit tiring dealing with COJ so I think next week Monday will potentially be my last visit and will raise a bit of hell at region C. I am now leaning towards the second option. I tried the diplomatic route which isn’t going far with these guys as I am beginning to suspect they are deliberately messing me around. So I just won’t pay my COJ bill at all.

They cut electricity and they wait for one to pay the reconnection fee which I won’t pay. I pay the bill received excluding the fine. Or just pay half the fine in case it accrues interest.

3rd option. I leave myself connected and accept it as is. The wife got a job in Dubai and is basically saving in a month what she could save in a year here in SA. I am getting my visa done next week which allows me to stay there as a resident. Being an engineer I can get a pay that side which allows me to also save in a month what would have taken me a whole year to do.

Cars are considerably cheaper there, cost of living in terms of groceries is the same based on the time she has spent there. Accomodation is paid for by her company. I just ditch this country and we make do overseas not having to deal with South Africa and we sell the house despite only having owned it for a year and a bit.

Either way I am leaving South Africa so will see if it’s worth the effort now to continue the disconnection process. It’s simple, COJs incompetence makes it difficult with their system not working half the time.

Invoice generated by COJ. And paid them. Costed 3195 with VAT included. Now I wait and I doubt the account gets closed automatically based on what I’ve heard with prepaid users converted from postpaid. So probably a couple more visits left to do.

Closure of accounts any COJ branch would be familiar with so shouldn’t too much of a hassle.

Will update when the meter gets removed.

View attachment 1887264

They came just now. Meter removed and Cable has been cut.

They will send me a copy of the job card tomorrow morning.

The process will be automatic for the account closure. But just in case COJ takes its time to close the account I can show them the job card as proof the meter has been removed.

The guy said he is doing 3 to 4 meter removals a week! And it’s the same story, Postpaid people with solar not happy with paying 1.4k. He said CP will be forced to adjust their billing when revenue begins to drop significantly.

 

[denmendez65]

Hi @denmendez65

Thanks so much for creating a thread and documenting the process.

I would like to do same but the thread is so long haha, do you have one post in there somewhere that summarises the full steps to take? or should I try read it all through?

My situation is prepaid meter was taken out and we were disconnected in Jan this year (I wasn't home unfortunately) and I am not getting the postpaid charges, but would rather just get fully disconnected via accounts so that I don't get some scary penalty fee/bill in future.

We have already been running off grid since Jan but just want closure of having the account actually closed

Many Thanks

Basically you go to COJ, Fill in an isolation form. Go with your meter pictures if you had them with account number. ID also.

If they refuse or come up with stories, Citi power is your friend. CP and COJ will then sort each other out. Once loaded onto the system you pay a fee for someone to come and disconnect and thats basically it.

After a month or so the bill wont reflect the charges anymore.

 

[wingnut771]

Basically you go to COJ, Fill in an isolation form. Go with your meter pictures if you had them with account number. ID also.

If they refuse or come up with stories, Citi power is your friend. CP and COJ will then sort each other out. Once loaded onto the system you pay a fee for someone to come and disconnect and thats basically it.

After a month or so the bill wont reflect the charges anymore.

His meter was removed. Sounds like he doesn't have to do anything.

 

[Lupus]

Just remember guys, me being the Eskom Defender and other such names I've been called. I was told by many people that you cannot disconnect from the grid, they will not let you, that they are greedy sobs... Yet those that said those things, had never tried, never even had Solar.

 

[wingnut771]

Just remember guys, me being the Eskom Defender and other such names I've been called. I was told by many people that you cannot disconnect from the grid, they will not let you, that they are greedy sobs... Yet those that said those things, had never tried, never even had Solar.

Has anyone tried disconnecting prepaid? Or is his monthly linefees racking up even though they have removed the meter?

 

[Lupus]

Has anyone tried disconnecting prepaid? Or is his monthly linefees racking up even though they have removed the meter?

No idea, remember we're sitting with CoJ