Electricity Bill

Electricity Bill

Postby Mr Venom » Tue Aug 28, 2012 6:46 pm

Hello everyone

Tonight my step dad brought to my attention that our electricity bill is R2045.98, he also said that it was my fault for the bill being so high this month, because of my "snakes heaters".

I only use three heat pads, and no other accessories for the tanks, and I do not use the lights.

I only use the following:

1 Exo-terra dessert heat pad, Voltage: 220-230 V/50HZ, Wattage: 8 watts.
1 Medium standard foil heating pad, wattage: 14 watts
1 large standard foil heating pad, wattage: 20 watts

I left the heating pads on every day, all day, all night for whole of August, the previous electricity bill was R1450.68, it is really possible for a R500+ increase due to just three heating pads being left on for August?

Any information, comment and help will be greatly appreciated :).

Kind regards

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Re: Electricity Bill

Postby Sly » Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:07 pm

Mr Venom: what muncipalities do is work on an average rate of consumption say for your house and other houses located around a meter box in your area. They will bill your dad as per your average usage over say 3 to 6 months. They then physically come out and take readings they then bill the difference onto your next bill. I pay an average of 2500-3000 per month as i have about 1000 snakes and a ball python room running on oil fin heaters. I got a bill in December for R11 000 odd. They told me that was the short fall after i had been paying an average rate over the last 8 months. Best to give your local muncipality a call
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Re: Electricity Bill

Postby it_bit_me » Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:14 pm

Here is 6 x60 watts running 12 hours per day and 3 x 20 watt cables running 24 hours per day. My bill with all other things included per month is R360
I have a tv, computer , fridge and microwave in the house.
If I'm gonna be an old, lonely man, I'm gonna need a thing, you know, a hook, like that guy on the subway who eats his own face. So I figure I'll be Crazy Man with a Snake, y'know. Crazy Snake Man. And I'll get more snakes, call them my babies, kids won't walk past my place, they will run. "Run away from Crazy Snake Man, " they'll shout!”
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Re: Electricity Bill

Postby LAMB Pythons » Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:36 pm

Do you use thermostats?
http://www.facebook.com/pages/LAMB-Pythons/160412530658527 (Feel free to join my FB page)
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Re: Electricity Bill

Postby Mr Venom » Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:53 pm

@ Sly: That is a very good idea, when I have a chance I will give the municipality a ring and see what they have to say, I never knew that, that is what their procedures are, thank you very much for the info :).

@ It_Bit_Me: That is a very low bill, so then I guess that my heating pads did not cost R500 worth of electricity, I guess it is because of all the lights, Tv's, three fridges etc, I will show this to my step father and see what he has to say, will feel good to prove him wrong for once, haha.

@ LAMB pythons, no I do not use thermostats, but the cages never get warmer than 28•c that I measured with a thermometer.

I kindly thank you for all the comments and help :), I really appreciate it.

Kind regards

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Re: Electricity Bill

Postby Kev » Tue Aug 28, 2012 9:04 pm

My bill at work came in 3 months ago at 14 000 and I cant afford to have my power down so had to pay.
Next month expecting it to come down after they sent someone round to check the reading, I was shocked to get a bill for 8 000!
Once again I had to pay or they would cut me off, so back to Sandton with all the papers and photos from the meter and again sent around guys to check the reading...
Bill just came today and boom they want another 5 000... :smt013

My Partner at work also got his bill at home for the month and it’s R 7 000, but he is on pre paid... when he phoned to find out what they were doing they told him that amount is for his water usage? You just can't win :smt021
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Re: Electricity Bill

Postby jka » Tue Aug 28, 2012 9:33 pm

We pay like R1.51 per kwh. So with that I worked out I use about R140 electricity a month.
Those people are messing with you, unless I got the formula wrong.
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Re: Electricity Bill

Postby Kev » Tue Aug 28, 2012 11:06 pm

Ok, so just went onto Eskoms site http://www.eskom.co.za/c/53/tariffs-and-charges/
According to this the charge for a residential area assuming one is in the highest block, just for arguments sake.
You should be paying 122.21 cents/kwh.
So if we work on the fact that you are using a total of 42 watts 24 hours a day, then you are contributing a total of R34.49 per month to the electricity bill for your snakes.
I used this to calculate the cost over a month if any one is keen.
http://www.electricity-usage.com/Electr ... sPerDay=24
I think you still need to add VAT.
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Re: Electricity Bill

Postby it_bit_me » Wed Aug 29, 2012 12:47 am

They showed it in dollars
34.49 USD = 289.831 ZAR

The 289 still sounds off, I am on pay as you go and the R360 was the same for the past 3 months. Never more but sometimes less.
Maybe everyone should be on pay as you go power.
If I'm gonna be an old, lonely man, I'm gonna need a thing, you know, a hook, like that guy on the subway who eats his own face. So I figure I'll be Crazy Man with a Snake, y'know. Crazy Snake Man. And I'll get more snakes, call them my babies, kids won't walk past my place, they will run. "Run away from Crazy Snake Man, " they'll shout!”
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Re: Electricity Bill

Postby gareth.hooper » Wed Aug 29, 2012 5:17 am

it_bit_me wrote:They showed it in dollars
34.49 USD = 289.831 ZAR


The currency is irrelevant in this case, it's still a calculator.
The input amounts are still based on the local values so the output will calculate accordingly.

The currency is an anesthetic of the calculator.
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Re: Electricity Bill

Postby Budgie » Wed Aug 29, 2012 7:08 am

Hi all

I have a fairly large ball python collection. I use an aircon daily and all my racks have heating cables built in. Yes the ball python room does add a lot to the electricity bill. I end up loading about R3000 a month on my pre paid unit. This is the current pricing method from Eskom.


Electricity Purchase Blocks (1 April 2012 - 31 March 2013) Price (cent / kWh)*
Block 1 [0 - 50 kWh] 69.35
Block 2 [50.1 - 350 kWh] 85.60
Block 3 [350.1 - 600 kWh] 127.02
Block 4 [600.1 >> kWh] 139.32
Electricity Purchase Blocks (1 April 2011 - 31 March 2012) Price (cent / kWh)*
Block 1 [0 - 50 kWh] 65.72
Block 2 [50.1 - 350 kWh] 75.42
Block 3 [350.1 - 600 kWh] 109.50
Block 4 [600.1 >> kWh] 120.10
Member of the www.ballpythonmorph.co.za team.

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Re: Electricity Bill

Postby gareth.hooper » Wed Aug 29, 2012 7:51 am

Budgie, I am thinking those Block numbers, Mr Venom is just on the bad side of Eskom or his step dad. With the Watts being used there is no way it will accumulate to R500.
I am inclined to believe the former, Eskom are trying their luck for the last little bit of winter to up their profit margins.

This is not the first I have heard of a sudden July / August increase.
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Re: Electricity Bill

Postby kinghero » Wed Aug 29, 2012 8:01 am

it_bit_me wrote:The 289 still sounds off, I am on pay as you go and the R360 was the same for the past 3 months. Never more but sometimes less.
Maybe everyone should be on pay as you go power.


Even the Pre-paid is a fluke as my wife and my self staid in a town house never used more than R475 on electricity, I then moved into a semi with pre-paid and at first I came out with R500 a month since then a year ago its gone up to the point were I buy R1000 and the last week I have to get R200 again and nothing in my house has changed other than instead of using the oven I use my little Convectional oven, so I should be saving.

But then the other day my aunt that stays 2km away from me also has prepaid electricity and for 7 people they never go over R600 a month so I asked to see her slip and when I buy R200 electricity I get 164 units and when she buys R200 electricity she gets 210 units, but she can buy her power at any outlet and we can only buy at this one guy who installed all the prepaid meters in the village.

But ja just thought I would share.
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Re: Electricity Bill

Postby fastback » Wed Aug 29, 2012 8:18 am

@ Sly have you thought about using heating panels instead of oil heaters?

One thing I do know about Eskom is you need to send them your reading every month if you wont to avoid getting high invoices/estimation.
You can phone them or Sms your reading to them on monthly basis, that should help.

Estimation over 88 days, running one heating panel and then one infra red heater at night.
Reading Dates are from 2011/04/08 - 2011/07/05
Consumption 1153.0000KWh X R1.03/KWh = R1187.59

Bear this in mind the more KWh you use the higher the Energy charge fee goes.
So the more KWh Hours you use the more the fee goes up.
So using a heater 24/7 over a month is not going to be that cheap, unless you use a thermostat.

Energy Charge(<=50 KWh) 50KWh @ R0.5565 /KWh: R 27.83
Energy Charge(>50 KWh <= 350 KWh) 300 KWh @ R0. 6416 KWh: R 192.43
Energy Charge(>350 KWh <=600 KWh) 250 KWh @ R0.9405 KWh: R 235.13
Energy Charge(>600 KWh) 526 KWh @ 1.0335 KWh: R 543.62
Retail Enviromental levy charge 1.126 KWh R 22.52
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Re: Electricity Bill

Postby nbdreyer » Wed Aug 29, 2012 8:45 am

Hi Mr Venom. Quick calculation (8+14+20)x24hoursx31days/1000 for kwh = 31.248 kwh for a month. Eskom doesnt sell to the public, only to large companies and municipalities. The municipalities the sell to households and companies. The higest rate until 2013 for City Power (Jhb) is R1.5023, thus R46.94, not even close to R500 (please correct me if my calculations are wrong or if you dont agree). City Power charges higher rates during May-Aug, Eskom and other municipalities Jun-Aug. This is exclusive of service charges. My suggestion is to have a look at the metering period (which can be more than 31 days) and if its an estimated reading or not. Take bills from a few months ago and figure out when a seasonal price increase occurred. Also there could have been a general price increase (no clue if there was one recently). All factors that could have had an effect on the higher bill. As was said before, they use estimates. Sorry, I didnt look at your location but other municipalities should have simmilar rates. Also the highest rate I was refering too was for a consimption charge kwh and not a demand charge kva... Nico
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