Smart solar and water solutions to beat rising utility costs

As local municipalities struggle to keep up with infrastructure demands, the costs of electricity and water are rising steeply. For community schemes (complexes, estates, flats, sectional title developments) around South Africa, these surging utility bills represent a growing threat to financial stability, resident satisfaction, and long-term sustainability. 

At the same time, advances in solar energy and smart water management open up new paths for schemes to regain control by cutting costs, improving reliability, and boosting self-reliance. When combined, solar and water solutions can transform a community’s utility profile and deliver lasting peace of mind. 

One of the biggest challenges is Eskom’s 36.1% increase in electricity tariffs for 2025, a move set to destabilise many household and communal budgets. Municipalities frequently pass these increases (and additional surcharges) on to consumers, pushing already high utility bills even higher. In this environment, relying solely on grid power becomes a risky financial prospect. Community schemes need a buffer against unpredictable hikes. 

Solar energy (combined with battery storage) is increasingly the go-to solution for complexes, estates and blocks of flats seeking cost relief and energy independence. Some of the key advantages of combining the two are:  

• Predictable costs: Instead of being subject to Eskom’s volatility, schemes can fix or cap a portion of their energy costs. Bright Light’s model aims to offer pricing typically ~30% lower than Eskom’s tariff. 

• Energy resilience: When grids get strained or during outages, stored energy allows schemes to keep critical loads running and avoid expensive back-feed from the grid.  

• No (or low) upfront capital: Our funding models allow for little to no initial cost, shifting the burden away from schemes and into structured financing or service agreements.  

• Environmental impact: Reduced reliance on coal-based grid power directly lowers carbon footprint, aligning schemes with sustainability

Bright Light is already promoting this narrative: in the Shield your community scheme from Eskom’s 36.1% electricity hike in 2025 blog, we explain why solar plus battery backup offers a path to stable, predictable costs and energy security.   

READ: Why adding batteries to your existing solar system makes more financial sense than ever 

While electricity often takes the headlines, many schemes are already grappling with water scarcity, supply disruptions, burst pipes, and escalating municipal water tariffs. South African community schemes can and must implement water solutions because the country is quite literally running dry. Our water solution offers smart metering, rainwater harvesting, backup storage and leak detection all designed to help schemes reduce dependence on municipal supply and stretch every drop further. 

Water tariffs are also rising as many municipalities increase water rates annually, sometimes by double digits. Without proactive management, water overheads can balloon, creating stress on levies and maintenance budgets. 

When you reduce electricity costs but ignore water, you leave a vulnerability. Many of the same principles that make solar compelling also apply to water.

Core strategies & benefits of our water solution 

1. Water audits & leak detection
   STS begins with detailed audits to identify weakness, wasted supply, and inefficiencies. Early detection of leaks can prevent massive losses and water billing surprises. 
2. Smart metering / individual meters / submetering
   Allocating water costs fairly (charging residents only for what they use) helps control usage, reduce disputes, and encourage conservation. According to MidCity Utilities, individual water meters improve transparency and accountability in sectional title schemes.   
3. Rainwater harvesting, greywater reuse & backup storage
   Capturing rainwater for irrigation, toilet flushing, or external cleaning reduces demand on municipal supply. Backup storage also means a buffer during municipal supply cuts (water shedding).   
4. Legal compliance & governance
   Under the Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act and Prescribed Management Rule 29(2), schemes can lawfully implement water infrastructure improvements deemed “reasonably necessary.”  STS helps schemes navigate objections, notices, and special resolutions.  
5. Ongoing maintenance & education
   We help with maintaining pumps, leaks, filters and educating residents about efficient usage protects the investment over time.  

By implementing these water-smart strategies, schemes can reduce water bills, gain reliable supply during disruptions, and tighten their budgets. 

READ: From water crisis to water smart: How STS is helping community schemes take control 

When solar and water work together, it means reinforced resilience for community schemes. Individually, solar and water solutions each deliver benefit. But together, they become mutually reinforcing, creating a more resilient, self-sufficient home. 

• Cost buffering in both utilities
  While solar shields you against electricity hikes, water solutions insulate you from municipal water cost increases. The scheme’s utility burden is therefore reduced on both fronts. 
• Energy-driven water systems
  Pumping systems, filtration, and water treatment often require electricity. By powering them with solar and battery energy, schemes avoid adding load to the grid-based electricity bills, or being caught out during outages. 

• Predictability and budget certainty
  Combining both solutions gives the trustees and owners a predictable baseline for utility costs. Sudden shocks (massive hikes in water and electricity simultaneously) are less disruptive. 

• Peace of mind and community confidence
  Knowing that both electricity and water are partially under your control enhances trust among residents, improves satisfaction, and strengthens the scheme’s reputation. 

• Resilience under strain
  In times of crisis (like droughts, municipal supply cuts, power failures etc.) your scheme is better prepared to maintain core services (irrigation, lighting, pumps, common area hygiene) without panic. 

• Reduced systemic risk
  As reliance on centralised municipal or utility systems grows more fragile, schemes that diversify their infrastructure and operate their own backup systems are less exposed to blackouts, water shedding, or tariff shocks.

Deploying combined solar plus water solutions isn’t plug-and-play, as success depends on thoughtful planning, governance, and execution. Below is a step-by-step process to follow for each scheme. 

1. Begin with diagnostics and design

• Integrated audits: Assess both energy and water usage, future load growth, inefficiencies, and vulnerabilities. 

• Holistic system design: Size solar, battery, pumps, storage and water reuse systems in concert so they complement each other rather than overbuild or underdeliver. 

2. Governance, compliance & buy-in

• Trustees and owner approval: Projects must comply with sectional titles rules (especially for water) and gain appropriate resolutions.  

• Transparent financial models: Present clear paybacks, savings estimates, risk mitigation and cost allocations to owners. 

• Legal / municipal alignment: Ensure that local bylaws don’t block boreholes, rain harvesting or pump installations. 

3. Selecting the right technology & partners

• Community schemes should choose reliable solar modules, batteries, pumps and water-treatment systems suited to South Africa’s climate and load profiles. 

• Partner with experienced integrators (such as Bright Light for energy, STS for water) who understand both technical and community scheme nuances. 

4. Maintenance, monitoring & optimisation

• Remote monitoring and smart systems allow you to catch faults early (leaks, degraded battery performance, pump failures). 

• Regular maintenance (filter cleaning, panel cleaning, leak checks) is essential to preserve performance. 

• Use data to adjust operations, run pumps when solar is abundant, schedule irrigation during off-peak times, etc. 

5. Resident education & behaviour

• Encourage conscientious use of water and energy (e.g. watering schedules, turning off lights, limiting waste). 

• Share dashboards or periodic reports so residents see how much they save, reinforcing buy-in. 

Utility cost inflation is a structural challenge in South Africa, but luckily solar and smart water are investments in resilience. By combining solar with water solutions, community schemes can significantly lower total utility costs, absorb municipal or Eskom shocks more gracefully, deliver resident confidence, provide the environmental benefit and long-term predictability, and move from being passive consumers to active, resilient communities. 

If your complex, estate or block of flats is grappling with rising utility bills, it’s time to explore this combined path. Let STS help you design a solution tailored to your scheme’s scale, objectives and governance structure, and together build a community that’s more prepared, sustainable, and financially secure.