Economist warns of a rebellion over high electricity price increases in South Africa

mylesillidge

mylesillidge

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Electricity price rebellion in South Africa

Economist Duma Gqubule has warned that impending above-inflation electricity price increases may "sow the seeds of a rebellion" in South Africa.

He warned that the current year's tariff adjustments, which range from 6.6% to 10.5% across the country, would pressure South African households already struggling to make ends meet.
 
I need to revisit Rebeltech.
 
Why is the price of water hardly mentioned?
Basic services required to live a normal live seem to be the breadwinners for local authorities who run roughshod over the few of us who do pay our utility bills!
I am a pensioner and because I had the foresight to look out for my retirement, do not get a decent pensioner rebate, I only qualify for a measly R144.00 rebate. Farking ridiculous considering the billions of rands written off due to non payment.
 
system32 said:
Fixed fees are rising faster than unit prices and both are way above inflation and bankrupting middle class.
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All of it does need to change to fixed, stuff like the grid don't change their price based on usage and should be billed as such.

The issue is that the unit price has it baked in, so they just increase both instead of lowering per unit price to just be power delivered.

Also have the issue that the price tiring system based on usage doesn't make that much sense as costs are moving from fixed power generation, where time of day didn't really make that much difference per kWh produced, just had to flatten peak, to a system where more of the cost will become variable depending on weather where prices could be way below what they are now and you'd like to incentivize that people use power then.
 
Johnatan56 said:
All of it does need to change to fixed, stuff like the grid don't change their price based on usage and should be billed as such.

The issue is that the unit price has it baked in, so they just increase both instead of lowering per unit price to just be power delivered.

Also have the issue that the price tiring system based on usage doesn't make that much sense as costs are moving from fixed power generation, where time of day didn't really make that much difference per kWh produced, just had to flatten peak, to a system where more of the cost will become variable depending on weather where prices could be way below what they are now and you'd like to incentivize that people use power then.
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Do your line fees also increase by double digit percentage points every year?
 
wingnut771 said:
Do your line fees also increase by double digit percentage points every year?
Click to expand...
Depends on the province, country side house around 10% on the grid fee while apartment it went down.

The price is set by an independent body that monitors all the country's provincial grid networks, and they're doing the same as the Germans that they don't really want to take debt for the grid, upgrades are out of pocket directly, even though upgrading the grid means less redispatch costs, etc., so will end up being cheaper long-term.

Actual energy price the last two years went down, so my energy price is still the same as 2023 about / price is up a little under inflation.

If Hormuz hadn't happened, my costs were set to go down on the gas front, now it's the same as last year.

There's also price guarantee vs variable price as an option, imho, variable price is just cheaper, so my plan is to go for it next month, even checking back historically when prices spiked and stuff, as long as you have a cap in place, it's fine, and ends up cheaper.

If new contract right now, these are all 100% renewable only (so hydro, wind, solar), I'll mark * % where there is gas:
Variable: 9.55c/kWh
Variable: 10.36c/kWh
Fixed: 10.56c/kWh
Variable but within limit: 10.80c
...
Variable: 11.53c/kWh * 23.52% gas
...
Fixed: 12c/kWh <- this is where bulk of those that swap contracts have
And then fixed 14.9c/kWh is where people who are dumb and never swap contracts are.

With fixed fees and grid cost (so blended), then the pricing is around 29-31c/kWh at 2200kWh / year, but this price decreases the more energy you use since fixed fee makes up a lot of it. It goes down to 24-26c/kWh if 5000kWh / year.

But yeah, you can see how the pricing is a bit high now, R4-6/kWh, but that's all-inclusive, and you know that it's funding the grid expansion so energy prices are coming down (and can actually see it in per kWh cost the last two years).
 
Johnatan56 said:
Depends on the province, country side house around 10% on the grid fee while apartment it went down.

The price is set by an independent body that monitors all the country's provincial grid networks, and they're doing the same as the Germans that they don't really want to take debt for the grid, upgrades are out of pocket directly, even though upgrading the grid means less redispatch costs, etc., so will end up being cheaper long-term.

Actual energy price the last two years went down, so my energy price is still the same as 2023 about / price is up a little under inflation.

If Hormuz hadn't happened, my costs were set to go down on the gas front, now it's the same as last year.

There's also price guarantee vs variable price as an option, imho, variable price is just cheaper, so my plan is to go for it next month, even checking back historically when prices spiked and stuff, as long as you have a cap in place, it's fine, and ends up cheaper.

If new contract right now, these are all 100% renewable only (so hydro, wind, solar), I'll mark * % where there is gas:
Variable: 9.55c/kWh
Variable: 10.36c/kWh
Fixed: 10.56c/kWh
Variable but within limit: 10.80c
...
Variable: 11.53c/kWh * 23.52% gas
...
Fixed: 12c/kWh <- this is where bulk of those that swap contracts have
And then fixed 14.9c/kWh is where people who are dumb and never swap contracts are.

With fixed fees and grid cost (so blended), then the pricing is around 29-31c/kWh at 2200kWh / year, but this price decreases the more energy you use since fixed fee makes up a lot of it. It goes down to 24-26c/kWh if 5000kWh / year.

But yeah, you can see how the pricing is a bit high now, R4-6/kWh, but that's all-inclusive, and you know that it's funding the grid expansion so energy prices are coming down (and can actually see it in per kWh cost the last two years).
Click to expand...
R4/kWh? That's how much we pay now before July increase excluding line fees.
 
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