Giant power utility Eskom made an urgent application to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to hike the electricity tariff by 25.3% for the 2015/2016 financial year. But experts in debt counselling warned that the move was unwise citing that these price increases will plunge large numbers of consumers and business into debt. They also argued that Eskom’s planned price increase was notorious taking into account that it was coming after a Nersa-approved 12.69% price increase.
But what are the current rates, and how do prepaid and post-paid prices compare?
Worth noting is that some interested organisations prepared an easy-to-use electricity pricing guide which has details on prepayment vs. credit metering. Below is the guideline:
Credit metering
Homepower 4, with an 80 A 1-phase credit meter
Typically supplying higher-consumption households with many electrical appliances.
0 – 600 kWh: 113.89c/kWh
>600 kWh: 183.13c/kWh
Fixed charge independent of kWh usage: R90/month
Homelight 60A, with an 80 A 1-phase credit meter
Typically supplying suburban higher-usage households in urban areas with a number of electrical appliances, including a geyser.
0 – 600 kWh: 107.74c/kWh
>600 kWh: 183.13c/kWh
Fixed charge independent of kWh usage: N/A
Prepayment metering
Homelight 20A, with a 20 A 1-phase prepayment meter
Typically supplying low-consumption rural and small urban households who only use power for a few electrical appliances.
0 – 600 kWh: 97.22c/kWh
>600 kWh: 108.25c/kWh
Fixed charge independent of kWh usage: N/A
Homelight 60A, with a 60 A 1-phase prepayment meter
Typically supplying suburban higher-usage households in urban areas with a number of electrical appliances, including a geyser.
0 – 600 kWh: 107.74c/kWh
>600 kWh: 183.13c/kWh
Fixed charge independent of kWh usage: N/A