Student discount?

[Zewp]

I've heard lots of rumors that we can apparently go and apply to get lower rates as students, but I don't know whether there is any proof to this.

Reason I wonder know is my electricity bill has been upped from 60cents to 99cents a unit out of the blue, which is utter bull****. I used to buy R50 a week and it gave me more than enough units so that if I bought on a Monday, I usually only bought the next Tuesday or Wednesday again. Now I'm likely going to have to pay the Friday or Saturday of the same week.

What crap is this? 99cents a unit? A 40% increase for a low user? That's ludicrous. My usage hasn't gone up, the rates just went up randomly.

As a student at Stellenbosch University who pays his own electricity, this hits my pocket pretty hard. Anyone know if there's any truth to the student rates rumors and where I should go? I'm going to either have to make some cuts to my budget because of this now. :/

[ToxicBunny]

No, there is no student discount.

Accept that you're being raped for electricity just like the rest of us.

[Flidiot]

No, there is no student discount.

Accept that you're being raped for electricity just like the rest of us.

Damn! Just when I was thinking of becoming a "student" again, for the percs!

[Messugga]

Are there any worthwhile student discounts? I just realized that I'm technically a student and who doesn't like better deals?

[BrokenLink]

99cent is quite cheap. In pretoria you pay around R1.36 now. You were just paying below market rates previously. This is on sliding scale thing so its get more expensive the more you use.

Ive never heard of student discounts, but i think you can get first 50kwh free every month.

[Zewp]

It can't be the sliding scale, because my electricity usage is still the exact same it was last year. Actually, it's been even lower the last two months because my flatmate's been evicted.

This is the price being put up, and it's ridiculous. I use around 200 units a month, yet I have to pay 99c a unit? Up until recently, my dad paid 104c a month and they use between 1000 - 2000 units a month.

It's goddamned ludicrous. I used to pay R200 a month for electricity, now I'm going to have to budget for around R400 a month.

[HavocXphere]

It's goddamned ludicrous. I used to pay R200 a month for electricity, now I'm going to have to budget for around R400 a month.

lol. I just paid R144 for a house in which nobody is living (renovating). I think the geyser was switched on for a couple of hours somewhere.

I don't even want to know what the bill will be after I switch on the underfloor heating. :/

How do you get to R400 though. 200 units at 99c a unit isn't R400.

[Zewp]

With the obscene surcharges and vat, it will probably run close to or over R300 a month. R400 might be a bit of a stretch.

Besides that, I don't even know why I'm being charged surcharges, nor why I'm not getting the 50 free units like I should. It's probably because Stellenbosch is a more 'rich' area.

[Flidiot]

With the obscene surcharges and vat, it will probably run close to or over R300 a month. R400 might be a bit of a stretch.

Besides that, I don't even know why I'm being charged surcharges, nor why I'm not getting the 50 free units like I should. It's probably because Stellenbosch is a more 'rich' area.

You think Vredekloof counts as a "rich" area too? Don't seem to be getting free units either.

[Zewp]

I more meant 'rich' = predominantly 'white'. Just didn't want to say it outright. Probably more affirmative action or something at play. We get the 50 free units at our holiday home in Velddrif, which is a predominantly coloured, fisherman's town.

Either way, my math doesn't seem to check our properly. I'm going to take all my slips and work out my exact usage and payment tomorrow. Regardless, my electricity usage is usually around 10 units a day, with me not being at the flat most weekends, meaning it's around 50 units a working week. Very seldomly it will spike to around 12 or 13 units a day.

I just don't quite get how the price can simply be upped 80% for us. :/

[Flidiot]

I more meant 'rich' = predominantly 'white'. Just didn't want to say it outright. Probably more affirmative action or something at play. We get the 50 free units at our holiday home in Velddrif, which is a predominantly coloured, fisherman's town.

Either way, my math doesn't seem to check our properly. I'm going to take all my slips and work out my exact usage and payment tomorrow. Regardless, my electricity usage is usually around 10 units a day, with me not being at the flat most weekends, meaning it's around 50 units a working week. Very seldomly it will spike to around 12 or 13 units a day.

I just don't quite get how the price can simply be upped 80% for us. :/

ah, lol...

It does sound kinda strange, it would be interesting to hear though what you find.

Don't suppose it could be a "seasonal" thing? Boiling the kettle more, using more appliances inside your home and longer/warmer showers/baths? Basically that you are still getting (almost) the same amount of units but are using more power because of it being winter?

[hambone]

Yeah, also a student in Stellenbosch - you can expect more horror according to this rates and tariffs draft.

2011/2012 vs. 2012/2013 - Rates from July 1 2012 2nd amount.

Block 1 0 - 50kWh c/kWh 63.00 69.50
Block 2 51 -350 kWh c/kWh 90.00 103.50
Block 3 351 -600 kWh c/kWh 107.00 118.50
Block 4 601 - 99999 kWh c/kWh 118.00 133.50

What really irritates me is that we don't qualify for the Lifeline tariff since you have to be a registered indignant to qualify.