Drunkard #1
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- Joined
- Aug 15, 2007
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Jo’burgers were bitching last week about a 35% hike in electricity prices. Well Ekurhuleni residents better stock up on lube. The ****ers updated their website last Wednesday with their new rates. Why these rates aren’t published on their website in advance, for public comment, is obvious.
“Bulk Residential” users under 150A have now been lumped in with businesses on “Business and residential” Tariff B and the capacity charge has bee increased more than 350%.
A bulk residential user is anyone that pays council in bulk for electricity, and then bills residents. So, basically any sectional title body corporate or landlord. Because of the 150A limit, Tariff B was most popular in complexes with 3 to 16 units. There is no discounted consumption charge – the bulk user charges exactly what he pays per kWh.
This means that a small complex (8 units) with a 150A connection (slightly too big – should be about 125A) will need to bill each unit an extra R 448.88 for capacity (“Residential Tariff B” wasn’t charged a capacity charge last year), before they even start charging for consumption. It doesn’t help much to go down to 100A; Each unit still pays an additional R 299.25, and my logs show that there will be some winter tripping! For an average user, this means an increase of 50-100%! As a landlord, I won’t absorb this increase, and body corporates can’t, but I know residents are going to be pissed off.
But their neighbors in freehold properties pay nothing!
I’m still trying to get clarity on this (but the rates book is pretty clear), and there is the possibility of a small rebate (which is only valid for 2011-2012), but is seems like council hates townhouse, cluster and flat residents. This needs to be protested. So if you’re affected, write to council or call the mayors office on 011 999 1001 (not a super secret number - it's in the phone book).
“Bulk Residential” users under 150A have now been lumped in with businesses on “Business and residential” Tariff B and the capacity charge has bee increased more than 350%.
A bulk residential user is anyone that pays council in bulk for electricity, and then bills residents. So, basically any sectional title body corporate or landlord. Because of the 150A limit, Tariff B was most popular in complexes with 3 to 16 units. There is no discounted consumption charge – the bulk user charges exactly what he pays per kWh.
This means that a small complex (8 units) with a 150A connection (slightly too big – should be about 125A) will need to bill each unit an extra R 448.88 for capacity (“Residential Tariff B” wasn’t charged a capacity charge last year), before they even start charging for consumption. It doesn’t help much to go down to 100A; Each unit still pays an additional R 299.25, and my logs show that there will be some winter tripping! For an average user, this means an increase of 50-100%! As a landlord, I won’t absorb this increase, and body corporates can’t, but I know residents are going to be pissed off.
But their neighbors in freehold properties pay nothing!
I’m still trying to get clarity on this (but the rates book is pretty clear), and there is the possibility of a small rebate (which is only valid for 2011-2012), but is seems like council hates townhouse, cluster and flat residents. This needs to be protested. So if you’re affected, write to council or call the mayors office on 011 999 1001 (not a super secret number - it's in the phone book).
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