Cautiously monitor electricity rates

Customers in the City of Ekurhuleni may be able to save hundreds of rands per month if they were to evaluate their electricity tariffs.

The city gets more than 50 complaints a day over electricity pricing, and on average, three to five complaints a day are filed about customers being compelled to pay outrageous prices.

The city has two electricity tariffs, A and B.

Also read: Increased electricity tariffs becomes a threat to CoE residents

Difference between tariff A and B
Tariff A (residential)
• This tariff applies to all residential customers with single-phase 230 V or multi-phase 400/230 V connections (excluding bulk residential complexes, body corporates, and apartment buildings).
• It is able to hold up to 80 amps per phase, maximum.
• This rate is appropriate for residential customers with minimal use who have either post-paid or prepayment metres.
• For medium and high voltage consumers, this tariff is unavailable.
• Based on the idea of an inclining block, the tariff’s rate increases with the number of units utilised.
• Certain items are not covered by this tariff: electric booms, gates, guard houses, interior streetlights, and service lights.

Tariff A for businesses
• This tariff is exclusively accessible to small businesses.
• Single-phase 230 V connections and multi-phase 400/230 V connections with a capacity of up to and including 80 A per phase are covered by this tariff.
• This tariff will suit low consumption micro business customers who are on prepayment or post-paid metering.

Tariff B (residential)
• All residential customers with single-phase 230 V or multi-phase 400/230 V connections that are zoned solely for domestic usage are eligible for this tariff.
• Customers with medium and high voltage cannot use this pricing.
• For residential users with medium to high consumption on prepayment or post-paid metres, this rate is appropriate.
• Internal streetlights, service lights, guard buildings, electric booms, gates, and single-phase or multi-phase 400/230 V connections are also covered by this tariff.

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Tariff B on bulk residential resellers
This tariff is applicable to bulk residential complexes, body corporates, blocks of apartments, and so on that are zoned exclusively for residential use. It also applies to single-phase 230 V or multi-phase 400/230 V connections.

Residential clients with medium and high voltage can use this rate.

The point of supply, which delineates the commercial boundary between the licensee and the customer, is where the metering equipment should ideally be installed for the purposes of this tariff. After this point, CoE will not be liable for any maintenance of internal service connections, metres, and metre readings.

However, the Electricity Act, Act 4 of 2006, may need supervision for water heating and other associated equipment.

The Electricity Regulation Act and municipal bylaws require resellers to resell electricity to end consumers in accordance with the bylaws. Only in cases where a bulk metre placed to measure the overall consumption of the bulk residential complex has been approved and installed will the CoE apply the residential reseller’s price.

Bulk residential: Resellers of a bulk residential complex that buy electricity (on RR.1 and RR1.1 or RR.2 and RR.2.1) only for resale to the residential dwelling units on the same premises at the applicable prescribed tariffs (as per R.1. and R.3) may charge the appropriate charge relating to the sub-metering type as per R.1. These resellers may include bulk residential complexes, body corporates, blocks of flats, or the authorised reselling agent.

Customers who switch to a prepayment metre and those who establish a new connection with a prepayment metre will be given a one-time 40 kWh allotment in the metre to give them time to buy a fresh prepaid token. With the first financial transaction, this allocation will be recovered and recorded as an arrear amount on the prepayment metre account.

Tariff B on businesses
This tariff applies to all single-phase 230 V or multi-phase 400/230 V connections with a capacity of up to and including 150 A per phase or 100 kVA. This includes business, mixed business, residential, commercial, and industrial connections.

This tariff is not available for medium and high-voltage customers.
This tariff will suit medium to high-consumption small business customers.

The engineer’s capacity determination is what defines a supply’s capacity.
Every year on June 1, payment systems will be changed to reflect winter prices; on September 1, they will return to summer prices. Only 100 Amperes x 3 phase is available for payment metering.

Capacity charges will not be applied when the user entity is a non-profit organisation registered under the Non-profit Organisations Act, Act 71 of 1997, for the following specific purposes: caring for elderly individuals, caring for children, and caring for those who are physically or mentally handicapped. An application with supporting documentation must be submitted to the Head of the Department of Energy in order to be eligible for this concession.

Important note to both tariffs
Free basic electricity will be handled in accordance with the FBE Policy, which is updated annually.

Churches, government departments, educational institutions, religion, and municipal hubs are all considered businesses.
Customers who switch to a prepayment metre and those who establish a new connection with a prepayment metre will be given a one-time 40 kWh allotment in the metre to give them time to buy a fresh prepaid token. With the first financial transaction, this allocation will be recovered and recorded as an arrear amount on the prepayment metre account.

Customers who would like to switch from one tariff to another can obtain a form in any city’s customer care centre and submit it to any energy department in the City of Ekurhuleni.

CoE emphasised that customers should confirm they are on the same tariff they were previously if a prepaid electricity meter is installed in their home.
Should customers not be sure on which tariff they are on, they may contact CoE on 011 999 2324/2525.