Understanding Eskom’s upcoming tariff increases and how homeowners are saving

South African homeowners are facing another wave of electricity price increases, ramping up the pressure on thinning household budgets. After much legal wrangling, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) approved Eskom tariff adjustments that are almost three times the consumer price index inflation. This sizable jump will have homeowners cutting back on essentials and luxuries as basic power costs eat into every household’s disposable income.

However, savvy homeowners have already put in place measures to free themselves of this burden, with rapidly accumulating data showing a snowballing of solar-based savings. Nersa approved an average 8.76% electricity tariff increase from April, with a further 8.83% increase scheduled for April 2027. A household paying roughly R2 500 per month on its electricity will see that figure expand to over R3 000 after the increase, translating into thousands of extra rands spent on electricity over the course of a year.

Reducing reliance on the grid has been a desire for homeowners for over a decade, but installation costs have not always met the ambitions of the market. Advances in technology have allowed Standard Bank’s LookSee home efficiency platform to package modular, scalable smarthome solar installationswith customisable financing options to free homeowners of their electricity burden. “Taking the majority of your load away from the grid is possible, as is taking the cost of your water heating off your electricity bill. “Homeowners are not just looking at this month, or this year, as those benefits increase with every year that passes,” LookSee Executive Head Marc du Plessis toldThe Citizen.