Would you buy electricity on credit? Picture: File.
Why electricity bill is still high despite loadshedding
Energy specialist Lungile Mashele explains why your electricity bill is still high despite having loadshedding.
Would you buy electricity on credit? Picture: File.
Why do we still have high electricity bills when we have loadshedding for six hours a day or 180 hours a month?
ALSO READ:GOOD NEWS: Eskom suspends loadshedding at midnight
BILL HIGHER EVEN WITH LOADSHEDDDING
Lungile Mashele, who is an anergy specialist for the Development Financial Institution of the Development Bank of South Africa explains to IOL why having loadshedding does not mean lower electricity bills.
Mashele says South Africans are paying nearly 20 percent more for electricity than they were paying previously as there was an 18.65 percent increase for Eskom customers in April 2023 and 18.49 percent for majority municipal customers in July this year.
“So you will definitely see a huge jump, even with your best efforts to conserve energy.”
Mashele adds, South Africans think they are not using electricity or are using less electricity during loadshedding, but this is not true as most people defer their consumption to another part of their day.
For example, you might not run the dishwasher at 10am but you’ll run it at 6pm, which is also the evening peak and costs you more.
ALSO READ:WATCH: Eskom’s new plan to deal with loadshedding [VIDEO]
BUY ELECTRICITY ON CREDIT
A telecommunications company known as Blue Label lets South Africans access the recently introduced prepaid electricity top up from anywhere in the country on credit.
Blue Label CEO Mark Levy says airtime has a very similar module to their company and when you go to airtime, they tell you they are prepared to advance you.
Brian Mazorodze, who is an economics instructor at Sol Plaatje University says the service might have two sides and might be a trap for people who are in debt.
According to the SABC, Mazorodze says more and more households are going to be forced into unmanageable debt.
ALSO READ:SA reacts to having the ability to purchase electricity on credit
ALSO READ:City of Cape Town protests soaring electricity tariffs at Civic Centre
