https://mybroadband.co.za/news/energy/452716-solar-power-users-must-pay-r938-per-month-even-if-they-dont-use-our-electricity-eskom.html

I find some of this hard to fault. Except that as a prepaid user, I wish they would look at how much I pay, not how much I use. I pay for more than I use, and I do so in advance, which is good for the provider's cash flow. 

Ok... I'm not an Eskom customer, but City Power have been looking at ways to charge a flat connection per user, overlooking that prepaid customers pay more per kw/h and pay in advance 

I completely understand the need to cover the fixed costs of providing electricity infrastructure, but if that's what it costs, I don't want it. That money will be better spent on financing more panels and a generator and going completely off-grid.

Edited July 17, 20223 yr by GreenFields

Although there is a cost to provide the network if you price yourself out of a market related cost your customers will just go off grid. Never to return!!!!!

This looks like a desperate plea to steal every last penny. If only corruption was looked at in such close focus. We have all the ingredients for a massive Solar revolution. With Stock of just about most of the popular equipment all but sold out over the last 3 weeks, one has to say there are a lot of people that will heavily invest to go off grid & stick the finger to having Eskom as a backup. A good Gene & heaps of Batteries will make for independence. 

Also very interesting to note on the battery side of things. This statement of intent by Eskom makes the EVE 280ah cells & even the 304ah cells look like a very very viable option. Especially with the lack of production batteries available due to market rapid demand. Such a battery will make up 14kWh & I must admit 2packs of these in a decent sized household will be very hard to beat!!!

Interesting times ahead. The HV batteries time has also arrived. This is fascinating to watch unfold. 

ESKOM is shooting themselves i the foot again. If you have to pay a fixed rate to be connected to the grid but the grid is always off. And remember the grid is not only off because of load shedding. The are additional problems with transformers etc, the it will make solar even more competitive and chase even more paying consumers off the grid. The only consumer ESKOM will be left with are those none-paying illegibly connected consumers. But again our Government do not want to face reality. They think they are in full control. 

The rest of the world uses time-of-use tariffs, it is time for eskom to wake up. Stop trying to subsidise one cost by charging another.

Peak times should be expensive since burning diesel is expensive. If the true cost is billed people will think twice when they use power.

There should be incentive to getting a smart switch and heating your geyser outside the peak times.

The only problem with using Eskom as a back up is it will cost you over R900 pm. Not worth it for the 1.62hrs a week during office hours that we have LS and outings. Make it 4hrs per week 24/7.

R900pm
I will simply switch off eskom and buy more batteries, 1 new battery every 2+ years with that R900pm.

This is not going to end well for someone out there.

Edited July 18, 20223 yr by WannabeSolarSparky

This is so stupid. What happened to pay for what you use? We pay so much and yet the service we receive does not match how much we pay. This just does not make sense that people has to pay out loads off money to have solar panels installed to ensure they have electricity and still pay for a service that they don't use.

Ja, I know I posted this. In my defence I did read past the headline.

But the interesting thing is that according to Eskom's latest tariff book, they already charge a "network capacity charge" on the Homepower 1 tariff used as an example here. 

They offer a variety of tariffs. So do City of Jhb. Both offer time of use tariffs, though in Joburg you have to request this, you don't get it by default. 

I think there is something to their argument here. I'm a COJ customer on the prepaid tariff. I signed up at the tariff they quoted me, which has a higher per kw/h cost, but no flat fees. That's where you can score. And I think that's OK because you pay before you consume, where as with postpaid charges the money usually comes in 30 to 60 days after consumption.

I'm good for COJ's cash flow. 

When I buy electricity, which I don't do that often  now. 

I haven't been devious. I've followed the rules at every step. City Power know I have a solar system and they haven't told me to change tariffs. 

I have a connection to the grid and I expect it to work. So the City (in my case) has to provide me with a connection and somehow they have to recover the cost of that. 

When I installed my system there were very few solar installations in my 'hood. Now there are a lot more. If those sites are all on prepaid then the City's recoveries are down. Yet the cost of providing electricity is still the same. 

So of course I'll whinge like a thing that whinges a lot if the City goes down this route (which they have been saying they'll do), but one might also see such ploys as just adapting to the changing environment. 

Folks need to start learning the rules of the game. EG There are TOU tariffs available (from Eskom, from City Power, possibly others). Power billing is a complete mystery to many in my 'hood. The thought of checking the kw/h they're billed/ they buy against a tariff table escapes them. I presume the folks on this forum do better.

We need to learn the rules (tariffs) and organise and engage to get better tariffs. Imagine a representative body for COJ prepaid users, taking their case to the City or to Nersa.

This all presumes competent administration. When I asked my elected rep if I needed to declare my system to the City, if there were standards applicable, if a special tariff applies, she just shrugged. 

1 hour ago, Joe Soap said:

This is so stupid. What happened to pay for what you use? We pay so much and yet the service we receive does not match how much we pay.

Electricity in SA is cheap. Which is now a trap for Eskom. An article on Daily Maverick suggests that uptake by IPPs will not be great because the current Eskom price doesn't give them much profit. 

I am not for one minute saying we shouldn't be angry about loadshedding. We should be. It does great damage. 

But the pill to fix all of this may be a bitter one. The same DM article says Eskom have already requested  33% increase from NERSA.