Hidden Electricity Habits Could Be Costing SA Households R300 More Per Month
- Utility expert Matthew Koller identified common household patterns that quietly inflate monthly electricity bills without homeowners realising
- Fungi Utilities analysed over 400 million meter readings from nearly 4,000 households across three South African provinces to establish a consumption baseline
- Koller warned that approved tariff increases could push monthly bills up by R500 for an average household
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SOUTH AFRICA — A utility expert has cautioned South African consumers that several everyday habits and appliance behaviours may be adding as much as R300 to their monthly electricity bills without their knowledge, as the country braces for another round of tariff increases that the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) announced for 2027/28.
According to Business Tech, Matthew Koller, General Manager of Fungi Utilities, issued the warning based on data collected from close to 4,000 households across Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The firm processed more than 400 million meter readings to determine a consumption baseline, which Koller placed at roughly 0.45 kWh per household at any given time. This figure accounts for appliances that run continuously, including security systems, Wi-Fi routers, geysers, fridges, and thermostats.
Power cuts drive consumption spikes
One of Koller's key findings concerns what happens when electricity is restored after an outage. A geyser, which typically draws just over 300 watts during normal operation, climbed to at least 370 watts following reconnection. A tumble dryer produced an even steeper spike of 542 watts under the same conditions. Koller noted that when more than two appliances restart simultaneously after a power cut, the combined surge in consumption becomes substantially higher.
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He also highlighted the role of incorrectly configured timers and appliances that reset themselves as contributing factors to inflated usage.
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Overnight consumption warrants attention
Koller challenged the common assumption that running heavy appliances, such as a geyser, after midnight results in lower electricity consumption. He said this is not necessarily the case and encouraged homeowners to track their overnight baseline usage across several consecutive days, watching for any unexplained increases.
With South Africa's National Energy Regulator having approved the next round of tariff increases, Koller warned that a household consuming 600 kWh per month could see its bill rise by up to R500 monthly. Against that backdrop, the R300 in unnoticed spending he identified represents a meaningful share of a typical household's electricity budget.
Free electricity for qualifying households
In a related article, Briefly News reported on South Africa’s Free Basic Electricity scheme and the varying monthly allocations available to qualifying households in the country’s major metros. The article also explained who can apply, what documents are required, and how municipal programmes determine eligibility.
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Source: Briefly News
