Tshwane switches to prepaid electricity for all properties

[Paul_S]

The City of Tshwane is doing away with meter readers as it intends to shift all electricity users in the city to pre-paid meters within the next two years.

Yesterday, the city launched the R7bn Security of Revenue Project which will see the installation of 800 000 pre-paid smart meters in every household, business and public building at no cost to the consumer.

There will be no increase in electricity fees when switching from the current system to the smart metering system.

Service fees for electricity on the current system range between 27 and 30c a rand. On the smart meter system, this fee is expected to decrease to 19.5c a rand.

Electricity tariffs, on the new system, will differ depending on the time of day - during peak periods electricity will cost more than offpeak periods.

http://www.iolproperty.co.za/roller/news/entry/tshwane_switches_to_prepaid_electricity

I'm going to need to install a geyser timer now to use off-peak rates.

 

[djiceman]

smart move, create more unemployment and filter money through to comrade companies where the system is automated. Is edison power systems getting this tender?

 

[Sinbad]

As opposed to Joburg, which is increasing the standing charge for all domestic postpaid connections by 28%, and will charge you R3500 to switch to prepaid.

 

[supersunbird]

smart move, create more unemployment and filter money through to comrade companies where the system is automated. Is edison power systems getting this tender?

As long as there is no downtime on the electricity purchasing systems then sharp. And fewer of these shock bills they love sending.

 

[Cool E]

Lets hope they will implement it this time. Have been waiting for a year now.

 

[upup]

this will happen everywhere in the long run.
I hope the installing company will not get a big cut of our future power price.

 

[Paul_S]

I don't mind using prepaid if it's cost is on par with postpaid.
In fact I hope this does happen because it's time the free loaders who don't pay their bills get cut off.
Why should I subsidize them?
My concern is punitive peak rates and IBT scales which penalize a user who purchases excess units.
I wonder how the municipality is going to detect users who reconnect their own power after being cut off?

 

[Wyzak]

I wanted to get a pre-paid meter when I opened my account, but I was told that I had to have a normal post-paid bill for 3 months before I could switch to pre-paid. I've never gone back since, but I've been keeping a close eye on my bill every month.

 

[Wyzak]

I don't mind using prepaid if it's cost is on par with postpaid.
In fact I hope this does happen because it's time the free loaders who don't pay their bills get cut off.
Why should I subsidize them?
My concern is punitive peak rates and IBT scales which penalize a user who purchases excess units.
I wonder how the municipality is going to detect users who reconnect their own power after being cut off?

+1, as long as the price per unit remains the same or is less, I also don't mind switching.

 

[Sinbad]

+1, as long as the price per unit remains the same or is less, I also don't mind switching.

In joburg, the cost per unit is more on prepaid than postpaid. BUT... the standing charges on postpaid are insane.
My energy cost is about 90c/kwh for usage... but the fixed charges on the account took my bill to R1.55 per kwh last month. So even though prepaid is more expensive per unit, for me it will be considerably cheaper overall.

 

[Wyzak]

In joburg, the cost per unit is more on prepaid than postpaid. BUT... the standing charges on postpaid are insane.
My energy cost is about 90c/kwh for usage... but the fixed charges on the account took my bill to R1.55 per kwh last month. So even though prepaid is more expensive per unit, for me it will be considerably cheaper overall.

That's not the case in PTA, not as far as I can see anyway. I take my total electricity cost and divide it by the number of units consumed.

In Feb I paid R1.308 per KWh (618 consumed). In Jan R1.300 (480 consumed). In Nov R1.304 (703 consumed). If that price now suddenly goes higher I won't be happy.

 

[Sinbad]

That's not the case in PTA, not as far as I can see anyway. I take my total electricity cost and divide it by the number of units consumed.

In Feb I paid R1.308 per KWh (618 consumed). In Jan R1.300 (480 consumed). In Nov R1.304 (703 consumed). If that price now suddenly goes higher I won't be happy.

Joburg proposed tariffs for June 2013:
Prepaid 0-500 - 89.03c
Prepaid 500-1000 - R1.01
Prepaid 1000-2000 - R1.08

60 amp single phase postpaid: Service charge R414. 0-500 85c, 500-1000 87c

That R414 is a bastard.

 

[Paul_S]

60 amp single phase postpaid: Service charge R414. 0-500 85c, 500-1000 87c
That R414 is a bastard.

No service charge in Pretoria.
It's all worked into the cost/kWh so if you consumed 0 kWh you'd pay nothing for electricity for the month.

 

[Sinbad]

No service charge in Pretoria.
It's all worked into the cost/kWh so if you consumed 0 kWh you'd pay nothing for electricity for the month.

See that's how you motivate people to save electricity. The more I save, the more I pay per kwh effectively. I'm switching to prepaid. **** this.

 

[ponder]

How this this system work from a technical viewpoint?

(Yeah I'm scheming )

 

[Sinbad]

How this this system work from a technical viewpoint?

(Yeah I'm scheming )

You just connect a wire between the input and output sides of the meter.

 

[upup]

You just connect a wire between the input and output sides of the meter.

new township meters got a breaker on the pole, so not simple to bypass anymore.
Don't know about normal prepaid meters.

 

[Billy]

Does anyone know how Tshwane will handle the present bulk metering to complexes? Complex is currently billed for the whole complex and then charges occupiers by reading individual meters.

 

[Paul_S]

Does anyone know how Tshwane will handle the present bulk metering to complexes? Complex is currently billed for the whole complex and then charges occupiers by reading individual meters.

They'll probably charge the whole complex as a single user like all the other municipalities do.
Get ready for being billed on the highest tariff.

 

[Billy]

They'll probably charge the whole complex as a single user like all the other municipalities do.
Get ready for being billed on the highest tariff.

Which other Municipalities have bulk supply pre-paid meters?