LETTER: We will have no choice but to go off the grid

“Fed-up Ratepayer”, Benoni, writes:

If Eskom pushes its rates any higher next year, it will be cheaper to pay off a solar installation than pay for power.

I have been using rate A, trying to keep my power bill under control, but since they removed the 100 free units, it has become an issue.

I am now pushed to buy more power during the month – 200 units instead of 100.

With the new rates this year, it is very costly, so I have to move to rate 2.

When you need 700 units, it costs R3 336.

If these prices go up any further, I will need to expand my solar installation from an inverter to full solar. Replace my stove with a gas one. I already save with a solar geyser, so I have done as much as I can to reduce costs.

This is completely unacceptable, especially for pensioners.

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We will have to make a plan to go off the grid entirely and get the municipality to remove the connection so they do not charge an availability cost if the government cannot get its Eskom power prices under control.

We have gone from the cheapest power in the world to one of the most expensive.

The capital cost of the extended installation will be less than the power bill. So Eskom must start waking up to the fact that they will end up with only non-paying customers.

So, there is not much of a choice.

If you bake for Christmas, an extra 100 units above the 200 will cost over R4 000. A salary earner will battle, never mind a pensioner.

So, it looks like a departure from Eskom and the municipality is a foregone conclusion in 2025. With no backup from Eskom or the municipality, I will rely on my gas stove for cooking, and the microwave goes onto the scrap heap.

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