Monday, the 14 th of December 2015, was the last day for the public to comment on Eskom’s request to increase electricity tariffs in 2016 so that they can recover R22.8 bn. Eskom proposed a 9.58% increase which would form part of the planned total of 25.3%, which is allocated to cover R11.7bn in revenue shortfall, R2.4bn for primary energy costs as well as R8bn for the Open Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs) required to alleviate the amount of load shedding by providing additional c

Running out of electricity is never a pleasant experience, and is something we would all ideally like to avoid as much as possible. Most of the time this usually results in a brief moment of shock followed by an untimely drive to the nearest prepaid electricity vendor in order to purchase more electricity. You then rush back home to enter the terribly long 20 digits token to catch the last 5 minutes of that Orange is the New Black episode. But sometimes the blackout timing f

Eskom could deal a serious blow to the growth of electricity produced by IPPs (Independent Power Producers), due to the fact that, according to ESKOM’s Juan la Grange, they cannot afford it. Renewable energy is undeniably the way of the future and globally we have realised that there is a need to decrease our dependence on limited resources such as fossil fuels to meet our energy demands. This movement towards renewables is not only good for future proofing our energy sources

What is costing you the most on your electricity bill? Is it the geyser? The air conditioner? Or the washing machine? This week, the Powertime team focused on ways of tracking your energy consumption so you can adapt and change your bad habits. To do so, energy monitors are the most affordable and most practical devices you can find. Energy monitors are small tabletop devices that help you discover how much energy you're using in your home, and how much it is costing you. Res

Startups and large companies all over the world are searching for solutions to make your life easier but also to help you save energy and money. It is no longer necessary to invest in large and expensive products or installations in order to do so! You can control your consumption, for instance, with an energy monitor which can be purchased on the Powertime store , or you can use new and innovative but affordable products which help achieve smarter energy consumption. Powerti

What do you do when it is 1 am and you desperately need airtime, but every shop is closed and you are too lazy to go out? You can go online and expect to get airtime immediately, but how easy is it to buy airtime online? With Powertime airtime service , it has never been easier to top up your mobile airtime no matter whether you are a Vodacom, MTN, CellC, 8TA, or Neotel customer! Indeed, once you are logged in, just click on “buy airtime” under the airtime menu, and then

Your geyser is probably the most energy-consuming appliance you might own. On average, it represents between 25% and 40% of the total amount of your electricity bill. So we help you figure out how to reduce its energy consumption and your electricity bill at the same time. Use an electric geyser According to a study conducted by Stiebel-eltron, if you compare the consumption between a gas and an electric geyser, the electric geyser actually consumes less energy, and is ther

Isn’t it frustrating when the lights suddenly go off without any notification from your load-shedding app. Can Grid watch apps be wrong? 1) Why is there load shedding? Scheduled load shedding happens when Eskom does not have enough power to supply the demand on the national grid. If Eskom did not implement load shedding, especially during the evening peak times, then the national grid would collapse entirely and the country wouldn’t have any electricity for 2 to 3 weeks to al

Dear Customers, 1 st July is coming soon with new electricity tariffs for all municipalities, following Eskom’s April tariff increase (14,24%). As advised by NERSA, the average increase will be 12,2 % but you can get your exact tariff on your municipality website. Remember that most municipalities will publish their tariffs after July 1 st . You will be able to purchase units on Powertime at the old tariff until June 30 th midnight . However, do remember that with the inc

Powertime has made a selection of the best mobile apps to use for load-shedding. We'll never let you in the dark! So have a look at our selection, share it to your friends and family, and make load-shedding less painful. #1. Loadshedding > Available on iOS , Android > Supported areas: Eskom direct customers, Johannesburg (City Power) , Cape Town (City of Cape Town), City of Ekurhuleni, Pretoria (City of Tshwane), Nelson Mandela Bay municipality and Durban (eThekwini).