Eskom wants to charge solar users and other people for not using its electricity

If they can show that these network and capacity charges are cost reflective and they impose them on everyone in the same manner I don't take too much issue with it. But if they're using it to simply supplement the lost revenue, they're going to be in even more pain when all those same users they're trying to punish find it even more cost effective to go off-grid altogether.
 
Unpopular opinion: The don't want to charge you for not using their electricity, they want to charge you for maintaining a network connected to your house that you want to use in case the sun doesn't shine for 2 days.

What everybody seems to be missing here is that all of these tariffs etc. only apply if you want to stay connected to the grid.
 
Unless people start standing united against government nothing will change, and government will continue to extort money from people in ever increasing amounts. TV licenses and e-tolls should have taught people that government isn't as powerful as it would like the peasants to believe.
 
die_koos said:
Unpopular opinion: The don't want to charge you for not using their electricity, they want to charge you for maintaining a network connected to your house that you want to use in case the sun doesn't shine for 2 days.

What everybody seems to be missing here is that all of these tariffs etc. only apply if you want to stay connected to the grid.
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My dude. They will argue they have to maintain the infrastructure in case you or subsequent owners need to be connected. You will pay either way.

The actual problem is we can't offset our usage and fixed charges by pushing back into the grid at reasonable rates which would be the win/win scenario.
 
GMAN03 said:
If they can show that these network and capacity charges are cost reflective and they impose them on everyone in the same manner I don't take too much issue with it. But if they're using it to simply supplement the lost revenue, they're going to be in even more pain when all those same users they're trying to punish find it even more cost effective to go off-grid altogether.
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Eskom has been implementing its new fixed fees over a three-year glide path. Currently, they are at 66.6% of the final amount Eskom wants to charge. Next year, they will increase to 100%.

When these tariff changes kick in on 1 April 2027, people on Eskom’s most popular Homepower 4 tariff plan will pay R670 per month before consuming a single unit of electricity.
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I'm on Homepower 1. Fixed fees are already at R691/30 days (incl. VAT).
 
So i figured id put in my 2c here.

Prior to this years increases i was paying around R1500ish and as you can see that's now R1700.
With the increases lets assume il be paying R2000 pm before I even pull power by August 2028.

I would not personally mind paying R680 to "maintain the network" as it would ultimately end up saving me some cash.

What are my options?

1: Move over to pre-paid I can hear some of you yelling, but CoJ/City Power will not move you over pre-paid if you have solar, they have a nice fat list of excuses they randomly pull from and a few folks here can confirm that City Power guys have gone around telling solar users on pre-paid they will be moved over to post paid.

2: Disconnect from the grid as per @denmendez65 did, the man ran the gauntlet and got it done and that is more than likely the option i will go however i first need to get a beefier battery bank. It wont take take me much to do it, but I'm currently abroad for work and when I'm back in SA the last thing i want to do is torture myself with dealing with CoJ/CP.
If there are people who can this on my behalf, please let me know

3.Keep bending over and taking it from City Power, for those odd few days of poor weather.
Don't get me wrong, its nice to just have power, but me and my family have lived in this house for well over 20yrs, surely I've covered the cost of a couple meters of copper cable and the odd transformer by now?
 
wingnut771 said:
Ok, then you can't complain, only 76c/unit network charges. Time to upgrade solar. When you paying R200/unit network charges then disconnect.
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For the privilege of having a grid connection when required, what I pay in fixed fees is within the realm of reasonability (even though is has roughly doubled since 2023). Just saying that the numbers in the article seem a bit low for direct customers, considering they're talking about post 2027 increase.
 
Flanders said:
For the privilege of having a grid connection when required, what I pay in fixed fees is within the realm of reasonability (even though is has roughly doubled since 2023). Just saying that the numbers in the article seem a bit low for direct customers, considering they're talking about post 2027 increase.
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Sorry, I amended my disconnect price to R30/unit as that is the cost of a genny. Network charges shouldn't be more than R150 in total.
 
We should all send them an invoice for work we didn't do for them. Perhaps after a few thousand such invoices, they will begin to see how utterly ridiculous this is. WTAF????
 
GMAN03 said:
If they can show that these network and capacity charges are cost reflective and they impose them on everyone in the same manner I don't take too much issue with it. But if they're using it to simply supplement the lost revenue, they're going to be in even more pain when all those same users they're trying to punish find it even more cost effective to go off-grid altogether.
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Even I would go completely off grid if I could afford it. And I've always been opposed to changing big things if they work. But Eskom no longer works.
 
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