South Africans Across All Income Levels Are Panicking About Power Bills, But One Hidden Fix Could Save Them Thousands

If there’s one thing uniting South Africans right now, whether you’re renting a flat in Soweto or paying bond in Sandton, it’s electricity anxiety.

A recent LookSee survey by Standard Bank confirms what most households already know in their bones: 92% of South Africans are stressed about the cost of powering their homes.

And surprisingly?
The more people earn, the more they worry. Households paying over R2,000 a month for electricity admitted to being even more anxious than those paying under R1,000, blowing up the myth that high earners can simply absorb price hikes.

The Tariff Nightmare Isn’t Over, It’s Getting Worse

As if current bills weren’t brutal enough, the National Energy Regulator (Nersa) recently admitted to a “clerical error” that’s now costing the country R54 billion and the fallout? Eskom’s future tariff increases have quietly crept up to nearly 9% over the next two years, triple the inflation rate.

To put it bluntly:
Your electricity bill isn’t just rising. It’s accelerating.

South Africans Are Trying, But Missing the Biggest Energy Leak

Most households are already making the usual savings moves:

79% switch off lights
68% unplug appliances
61% use energy-efficient bulbs

But here’s the kicker, only 20% have installed geyser timers, and just 13% use geyser blankets. That means the single biggest energy guzzler in most homes, the geyser is quietly draining wallets 24/7.

As LookSee’s Executive Head Marc du Plessis puts it:

“Switching off your geyser at the DB board feels like a quick win, but it’s the hardest habit to maintain especially at 5am when everyone needs hot water.”

In short, without properly managing the geyser, all the LED bulbs in the world won’t save you.

Solar Dreams Still Out of Reach, Or Are They?

Despite load shedding fading into the background (for now), 76% of South Africans have considered solar in the last year. But more than half backed out, mostly due to cost concerns.

Others simply aren’t convinced the savings justify the investment.

That’s where LookSee says the sector needs to step up: stop selling dreams, show the numbers. Their Smart Save Journey and Solar Score tools offer personalised insights on how much a specific home could realistically save.

And yes, solar prices have dropped, while electricity hikes keep climbing. The gap is closing faster than most people realise.

The Real Takeaway: Your Home Needs a Strategy, Not Panic

Every South African knows how it feels to dread that SMS saying “Your electricity purchase is low.” But instead of panicking month-to-month, experts say it’s time to treat your home like an asset and build an energy plan.

Start small: insulate the geyser.
Then calculate your solar break-even.
Let the sun do what Eskom can’t, stabilise your budget.

One More Thing, Someone Actually Won Something in All This

And just to prove that not everything in the energy world is doom and gloom, Aneesa Parker walked away with a R3,000 Instant Money voucher for taking part in the LookSee survey.

Maybe the real savings start with clicking “Enter Competition”, hey?

{Source: The Citizen}

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