Paying more for less power

South Africans are paying more for electricity while using less of it, according to a new light paper released by residential solar provider, Go Solr. It says the power crisis is driven not by load-shedding but by rising tariffs, fixed charges and a pricing system that punishes reduced consumption and self-generation. The quarterly Light Paper, titled “South Africa’s Latest Power Grab”, says the electricity crisis has shifted from one primarily defined by load-shedding to another increasingly shaped by affordability pressures and escalating fixed fees. Electricity tariffs have risen by more than 1 100% since 2007. It cites the example of a typical Eskom direct customer consuming about 800kWh who paid R1 055 in 2014 andR3 388 in 2024 before the latest approved increases. Electricity bills no longer reflect only the cost of energy consumed. Instead, households increasingly face layered costs including generation, grid infrastructure, municipal surcharges, diesel generation, system losses, theft and non-payment. Consumers also shoulder indirect costs associated with unreliable electricity supply, including damaged appliances, reduced productivity, downtime, private security expenses and investments in back-up power systems such as generators, batteries and rooftop solar. The latest tariff increases have intensified the concerns. Eskom implemented an average 8.76% increase for direct-paying customers from 1 April 2026. Municipalities are expected to implement average increases of 9.01% or so from 1 July 2026. The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has also approved a further 8.83% increase for Eskom direct customers from April next year. The adjustments followed the regulator’s correction of a R54.7 billion error in Eskom’s regulatory asset base as part of a court-directed redetermination process. However, the GoSolr paper says the biggest pressure on consumers increasingly comes not from usage charges alone but from fixed monthly fees that customers must