Eskom price hike bad news for online learners
Eskom’s expected electricity price hike, combined with the fact that most students are housebound and learning online because of Coronavirus restrictions, means right now is the ideal time to reduce your electricity consumption.
Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, disruptions to daily life have become the norm. For the average South African, the amount of time spent working from home is among the starkest changes. The activities associated with staying at home unfortunately means more electricity usage overall and thus, a higher electricity bill.
Adding to this financial strain, the standard tariff Eskom customers will need to pay, will increase by 15.63% in April 2021.
Recent research by Stats SA found that household electricity use increased, and that communication, housing and education expenditure was up during the second quarter of 2020. This research report also shows that being cut off from family and friends – and having to suddenly work and study from home – led to many consumers increasing their spending on especially communication technology and services.
“Eskom thinks that by increasing the price of electricity, it is going to increase revenue, but it’s not. If you put your price up, people will decide to start using the product as little as possible,” said Chris Yelland, energy analyst and managing director of EE Intelligence.
Yelland said the price hike could push people to start looking for other energy alternatives.
Melissa Hugo, a third-year accounting student at the North-West University’s Potchefstroom campus, said her electricity bills are up by about R250 per month since she’s been learning online from her flat, She uses her air-conditioning more often. Her flatmate also uses more electricity for the same reasons.
“I’m using my computer 9 to 10 hours a day; so is my flatmate,” Hugo said. “That’s something that we weren’t doing before.”
Adrian Goslett, regional director and CEO of RE/MAX South Africa said, “to try and avoid the strain this increase will place on students, you can try and find ways to reduce your electricity consumption, which will help lower electricity bills.“If you are working on a laptop, do not leave it plugged in all day – only charge it when the battery is dead. Many appliances (including your TV, computer, microwave, printers, and scanners) use standby power, which means that even if the appliance is turned off, it still consumes electricity. Turning off each switch at the wall will lower electricity consumption,” Goslett added.
