How Many Units Of Electricity For R100 In 2024

Posted on Author Abisola Salahu

Knowing how many units of electricity for R100 in 2024 can help one better manage his expenses; so as to keep the lights on for as long as possible. Yes, the TV shows a fairy-tale world where people don’t have to worry about bills and expenses, but that is unattainable in the real world.

The goal of course is not to have only the lights on for as long as possible; we also need the comfort and entertainment that come with our home appliances. However, these comforts come at a price, and being aware of that price would help one strike a balance between enjoyment and management of the units of electricity.

How Many Units Of Electricity For R100 In 2024

Please note that the cost of electricity in South Africa may vary depending on your exact location; some areas and municipalities are given subsidized rates for their electricity, while other cities are charged directly.

It is also important to note that there is a notable rise in the cost of electricity across the nation, affecting even the cities and municipalities that are given subsidized rates.

R100 will now give you between 50 and 56.7 units of electricity. However, the important thing is to know what that number of units means and can do for you. Or rather, how you can manage that amount of electricity so as to get the best out of it.

Electricity is measured in Watts; this is the basic unit of electricity, and it is the smallest unit which the cost will be counted. However, kilowatts (KW) is the unit by which electricity is charged. Kilowatt is a larger unit of electricity; it means 1000 watts. Most electrical appliances have their electricity consumption calculated in Kilowatts; we will later come back to how this is important.

How To Calculate Your Electricity Usage In 2024

Please remember that ESKOM recognizes two types of users; those who use small amounts of electricity, and large electricity consumers. Different rates apply to both sides, and any user can easily cross both lines without even knowing it.

However, most domestic users, and even small scale businesses are small electricity users. Therefore it is with that in mind that the following calculations are made:

Consumers who use up to 350 units a month pay R1,80 per unit (including VAT), while consumers who use 350 to 450 units per month pay R3. 63 per unit.

How Many Units Do People Typically Use In South Africa?

If the above information is to be used; then some households consume around 630 units of electricity per month, while others use around 1,512 units of electricity every month. Of course there are many factors that can determine the number of units which include the lifestyle they live, and the way they use certain appliances.

Of course, it is the appliances that consume electricity; as we said we would come back to how electricity use is calculated, and how it applies to appliances used within the house.

How Electricity Use Is Calculated

Electricity use is calculated in Kilowatts Hours (KWh), and every appliance has a rating of the amount of electricity it uses which is written in watts. A ceiling fan may only use 75 watts, but a pressing iron may use as much as 1100 watts. If you use either of them for an hour you could have used between 0.075KWh and 1.1KWh.

In any case, the average South African household has 4 appliances rated at 1000 watts, which means in any 24 hour period they could have used 24KWh. That is considered normal usage. In fact, 20KWh to 40KWh per day is considered normal usage for any household.

ESKOM charges around R2.63 per KWh, which will compute to 24KWh * R2.63= R63.12 per day. Of course this calculation is quite flexible; some households use less than 24KWh per day, while others use as high as 40KWh.

Now, it is important to note that that price quote above only holds true for as long as you are a small user of electricity. That means, as long as you are using less than 350 units per month. When you cross that threshold your bill changes to R3. 63 per unit; although the first of units have already been paid for; you will only pay more for the extra units you are using.

A further service charge of around R250 may still apply; which could see your expenses on electricity rise considerably.

The goal therefore should be to ensure that you are spending within the reasonable limit, which can only be attained by using your appliances within the reasonable limit as well.

How To Reduce Your Electricity Spending

Use Energy Saving Appliances

As the world has become more aware of the need to conserve energy; there is now an energy saving version of almost every item in the house.

Energy saving bulbs are a particularly bright example of saving electricity by getting modern appliances; they consume only a fraction of the power that regular bulbs consume.

Other appliances that are a lot less energy demanding than the older models include fridges, fans, air conditioning units, and even television sets. These items now come with energy saving features that are designed to allow for optimum use, while lowering the electricity consumption.

It is important to note that while changing all these appliances may seem like a hard financial decision, when one considers the fact that in the long run it will cost less than one would have to spend on electricity just by continuing to use them, then it is a decision that every household will have to make eventually.

But it may not make sense to buy energy saving appliances just to leave them on all day; which is why we have to try other ideas such as:

Cutting Down On Usage Of Appliances

One simply trick which has worked for ages is switching off the appliances when they are not in use. This is not just turning said appliances off at the power button, or with the remote controller; the idea is to cut off power supply to said appliances in totality; switching them off at the wall.

What many people fail to realize is that when they just press the power button on an appliance, there is still power going into it; although that power is greatly reduced. Therefore when an appliance is not in use, the best thing is switch it off directly from the wall socket.

But how about when an appliance is in use? Obviously, it needs the power, and so it cannot be unplugged, or power cut off from it directly at the wall. However, those appliances that we love to use are usually those appliances that ramp up our power consumption so high.

Therefore, by paying attention to how we use these appliances, we can greatly reduce the amount of money we spend on electricity usage, therefore having more money to spend on the things that really matter.

It is therefore a good idea to cut down the use of things like your refrigerator, air conditioner, and Television Set.

 If You Do Not Have A Prepaid Meter, Please Get One

Apparently, there are still many households, especially in the townships that are yet to get prepaid meters. That is bad for many reasons; including the fact that they will not be able to calculate exactly how much they spend on electricity, and also because they may be hindering themselves from getting all the benefits that come with having a utility bill.

Surprisingly, getting a prepaid meter installed in your residence is not difficult at all. It will only cost around R600, and the installation charge may be around R1000. Furthermore, it will take no time at all.

However, the amount highlighted above is the bare minimum amount which one could expect to pay for a prepaid meter; depending on the quality of the meter one is going for, it may cost between R1500 and R5000 to get a prepaid meter.

It is always advisable to purchase high quality goods, especially things that deal with electricity, because failure to do so usually means that one spends more on replacing the items when they wear out, than he would have done if he had just bought a good quality item in the first place.

Where To Buy Electricity Units In South Africa

Electricity units (also called tokens) are available in supermarkets and banks, and also at online vendors. One can even buy electricity units directly through one’s mobile phone.

Your receipt will indicate exactly how much electricity you have purchased.

Further Reading:

Closing

Presently, in todays’ South Africa, R100 can only get one around 53 units of electricity on the average. However, with wise usage that R100 can still go a long way, and households can still get good value for their money.