Time To Get Off The Grid As New Utility Bill Highlights KWH Pricing Up By 80%

The utility bill we queried back in December has had a response and shows an itemized billing which highlights how they are manipulating the bills now.

Getting of the grid was always the plan when I invested in a solar power unit that was large enough to handle our needs. There was no major rush as the monthly utility bills were not that expensive because we were using minimal electricity from the grid.

Today my daughter downloaded the latest utility statement which should have been close to zero considering our direct debits each month is R6000 or $370. This covers water usage, electricity from the grid and the normal rates which covers the rubbish collection etc. This is why when I saw the final outstanding amount on the bill for 3 months being R12 229 $741 this made no financial sense. What will the utility services bill be when the new price increases come into effect in April this year. The prices have been adjusted to suit their needs and this surely has to be illegal.

When I started breaking down the charges I started to see what everyone else has been saying and why these charges are now going to be challenged. Even though you are paying quarterly and I will explain why this is a good option for the utility supplier and not the client which has been done on purpose. Each month they have service charges which are astronomical. Network charge at R903 monthly ($55) and a service charge costing another R275 ($16) which is an automatic admin fee over and above whatever you use. That is nearly R1200 ($71) that they can bank on each month.

The 3 monthly billing trick is the kwh usage as even with solar you will trigger the higher amount of R3.83 per kwh versus the cheaper number of R2.64 kwh which is nearly 50% more expensive. Our household uses a minimal amount from the grid each month and need to reduce our usage by another 50% in order to not incur the higher kwh pricing. The R1200 per month admin fees will always remain which is criminal.

If we calculate our monthly billing now they have changed their billing tactics the monthly utility costs as they stand are R10 000 monthly or $606 and this is us having a decent sized solar installation. The water charges I cannot do anything about for now and need to reduce the monthly utility costs ASAP.

Over the next 2 weeks the plan is to install one more 5 kwh battery and another 8 solar panels and then take another look at how that changes things. In February we will add another 5 kwh battery and again in March is this is required. Whatever it takes we are going off the grid as I refuse to be screwed over by hidden admin charges and manipulated billing so they can claw back the lost electricity revenue I am no longer using.

The crazy part is everyone with solar is going to make an effort of getting off the grid reducing all the revenue they were getting and will have nothing. You cannot steal from the sun and yet they are trying to penalize all solar users. Hard to fathom their reasoning as this is what having no or little education does and this is genuinely the case with a majority of the people in the country or those leading government positions.

I understand this is being fought by the independent funded community legal team known as OUTA, but I cannot wait another 3 months to be hit with another bill like this as this bill represents the cost of 1 battery so I may as well be proactive getting this done instead of hoping this will be resolved. The R3.83 kwh fees is the first target that needs to be removed as those prices are 80% more expensive than what the pay as you go customers pay.

Posted Using INLEO