‘It’s Legalised Robbery’: Mzansi Reacts to SA Electricity Peak and Off-Peak Price Difference
- Electricity expert Wes Reddy shared a video explaining how South Africans pay different rates for electricity depending on the time of day
- Reddy warned that smart prepaid metres are being rolled out nationally and will automatically charge peak and off-peak rates separately
- South Africans reacted strongly to the revelation, with some calling the pricing system unfair
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Briefly News as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Source: Facebook
South Africans are rethinking when they do laundry, iron clothes, and run their pool pumps after an electricity expert broke down how much the time of day affects what they pay per unit.
Wes Reddy, known online as #energyguy, posted a Facebook video on 7 August 2026 explaining the difference between peak and off-peak electricity tariffs and how residents can use that knowledge to cut their monthly bills.
What peak and off-peak electricity means
Reddy explained that most electricity sellers in South Africa charge higher rates during periods of high demand. For households, those peak windows fall between 6am and 8am in the mornings and again from 6pm to 9pm on weekday evenings, when most people are home and using appliances simultaneously.
PAY ATTENTION: You can now search for all your favourite news and topics on Briefly News.
Outside those hours, the rate drops significantly. Using a practical example, Reddy put the off-peak rate at roughly R2.50 per unit, compared to R4.00 per unit during peak times. That is a difference of nearly 50% for the same amount of electricity.
The reason the timing matters more now is the national rollout of smart prepaid metres. Reddy said these devices track peak and off-peak usage in separate records and apply the corresponding rate automatically. Anyone not yet on the new system may soon be, and it will affect how quickly electricity tokens are used up.
How to cut electricity bill
The practical advice Reddy offered was straightforward: move appliances with high energy consumption out of peak hours. He listed washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers, pool pumps, irons, and vacuum cleaners as the main ones to shift. Running these during off-peak hours could, according to Reddy, translate into a meaningful reduction in what households spend on electricity each month.
Watch Wes Reddy’s full explainer on Facebook.
Mzansi weighs in
Not everyone received the tip with enthusiasm. Some South Africans in the comments were less interested in adjusting their routines and more frustrated by the pricing model itself.
@Fransheinrich Bouwer said:
“It’s legalised robbery anyway. No business works this way. If I go to a restaurant at peak time, the price of food is the same.
Clive Viljoen commented:
“Easier way: get solar, tell municipality to go fly a kite.”
Bonolo Moleme wrote:
“I was under the impression that the variance in the cost of electricity is only impacted by your monthly usage on a sliding scale and not necessarily daily peak and off-peak?”
PAY ATTENTION: Stay informed and follow us on Google News!
Source: Briefly News
