REMINDER PUBLIC NOTICE 2: ELECTRICAL TARIFSS (AMP LIMIT) – Phase 3 of Power Limit Adjustment Project to roll out 1 July 2023
PHASE THREE ROLLOUT – POWER LIMIT ADJUSTMENT PROJECT will take place as follows:
From the 1st of July 2023, the municipality will bill consumers based on Installed Capacity of their prepaid meters
• If you have an installed capacity of 60A prepaid meter on your premise you will be billed on 60A in line with the new tariff structure, unless.
o Your meter has been limited through the field team; or
o You have applied for capacity selection via elec.applications@george.gov.za and received a reference.
• All consumers who have applied to the municipality, will be billed based on the selected capacity on the application form.
• All consumers who have already made their selections and field teams have implemented the changes will not be impacted by these changes.
Please apply as soon as possible to avoid paying for installed capacity while requiring a lower capacity. By the end of June 2023, consumers would have had sufficient time to apply for their required capacity. “
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
George Municipality embarked on process to phase in a new electricity tariff structure last year on 1 July last year and which is in line with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) approved cost of supply study for George as well as the municipal Electricity Pricing Policy. The municipality has been effecting these changes in a variety of ways to limit the impact on our consumers as far as possible.
PHASE ONE ROLLOUT – POWER LIMIT ADJUSTMENT PROJECT – has included to date:
• Consumers were provided with an opportunity to select their Amperage capacity, in line with their household power requirement.
• Consumers who had not yet selected for their capacity (AMPS) by 1 July 2022, were then placed on a capacity selected by the municipality. The capacity selection was based on the consumers historic consumption (12 months prior). The option remains open for these consumers to make a change and select their own capacity.
• George Municipality has sent out field teams to visit residents at home and implement the changes, where for example a resident has applied and chosen a capacity for their house; and/or where no selection was made, and the municipality then applied a capacity based on historic consumption.
• Consumers were also given the opportunity to make a capacity selection while a field team was at their home – so doing to minimise the impact of a Consumer making a choice which then does not work for them and having to get the field team in back to make a change again.
• Communication through various platforms has continued to request consumers to make their selection timeously.
Thousands of Consumers have had the Capacity (AMPS) addressed through either their own selection OR by the municipal capacity selection.
George Municipality has already successfully implemented power limit adjustments on thousands of its prepaid meter base, through the work done by field staff following the applications received from consumers for a specific capacity or by the municipality making the decision for Phase 1 power limit based on historical consumption. The field teams will continue to go out weekly to do Amperage limit roll-out and site inspections on prepaid meters.
What about Consumers who have not yet made a selection?
The consumers who have not made a selection yet or who are not happy with the selection made by the municipality based on historical consumption, are encouraged to do so speedily on the details shared below. The first and most preferred option is always for our consumers to select the capacity they require. Consumers are allowed one opportunity per financial year to make such a change in capacity.
PHASE TWO ROLLOUT – POWER LIMIT ADJUSTMENT PROJECT has taken place as communicated as follows:
From the 1st of April 2023, the municipality applied the following Capacity Selection based on the historic consumption:
• If a consumer had a 12-month average historic monthly consumption of above 400 units (kWh) and below 600 units (kWh), the consumer was placed on a 30A.
• If a consumer had a 12-month average historic monthly consumption of above 600 units (kWh) the consumer was placed on a 40A.
• Indigents consumers were not impacted by this phase, as all indigent consumers are dealt with in line with the Indigent Policy.
• All consumers who have already made their selections were not impacted.
PHASE THREE ROLLOUT – POWER LIMIT ADJUSTMENT PROJECT will take place as follows:
From the 1st of July 2023, the municipality will bill consumers based on Installed Capacity
• If you have an installed capacity of 60A prepaid meter in your premise you will be billed on 60A in line with the new tariff structure, unless.
o Your meter has been limited through the field team; or
o You have applied for capacity selection via elec.applications@george.gov.za and received a reference.
• All consumers who have applied to the municipality, will be billed based on the selected capacity on the application form.
• All consumers who have already made their selections and field teams have implemented the changes will not be impacted by these changes.
Please apply as soon as possible to avoid paying for installed capacity while requiring a lower capacity. By the end of June 2023, consumers would have had sufficient time to apply for their required capacity.
Key Reminders on the applicable Electrical Tariffs are:
• Consumers are only allowed one capacity change per financial year; any additional changes would be subject to tariff for changes.
• Small Domestic and Commercial tariffs (that is Prepaid and conventionally metered Consumers) are linked to the capacity limit of supply they choose.
• Consumers who are willing to manage their loads within a capacity limited to 20 Amps Single Phase are offered a subsidised tariff with no fixed charges.
• All Consumers who require more than 20 Amp capacity are charged a phased-in Cost Reflective Tariff with:
• a Fixed Basic Charge,
• a Capacity Charge depending on the capacity limit of the supply and
• a lower Energy Charge.
• Bulk consumers have all been moved to a Time of Use tariff.
• Small Scale Energy Generators (SSEG) consumers are subject to fixed and Time of Use energy charges. Further information on understanding the potential electricity cost and management of loads, and how to decide about the capacity you can choose will be provided.
Bear this in mind when making your choice:
• Capacity selection by the municipality based on the consumers’ historic consumption was for a financial break-even to reduce the impact on the customer and not necessarily to confirm the capacity required.
• The Municipality cannot determine the optimal capacity required with the available meter data; therefore, consumers must determine what their energy and capacity requirements are.
• The municipality has noted that customers are selecting the capacity as low as possible to reduce cost without understanding the implications. This is evident by the number of upgrades required once a selection is implemented. Please consider your selection carefully.
Do you want to discuss your energy consumption and find out what the best Capacity will be for your needs, phone 044 801 9243, have your Municipal Account Number and Prepaid Meter Number handy OR email your query to elec.applications@george.gov.za
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