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Buffalo City (East London) electricity tariffs, 2026/27
Every approved electricity tariff in
Buffalo City Metro for 2026/27, from the schedules the
municipality and the regulator publish. All rates on this page include
VAT at 15%.
Tariff year shown2026/27
600 kWh a month costsR2 854
Tariff categories22
Standard home bill+11.3% on 2025/26
A 600 kWh month, year by year
On the tariff a 600 kWh home is billed on
(Non Indigent Domestic Prepayment Customers and Commercial 70A Single Phase Two Part Tariff (Scale 1 B)), VAT included.
Estimate a bill for your own usage or go back to the municipality comparison.
The full 2026/27 schedule
Hover a charge for the printed wording where it needs
context. Export credit scales and once-off fees are not part of a
monthly bill and are not listed.
Indigent & Pensioners Domestic Prepayment Three Part Block Tariff (Scale 1 C)
residential, prepaid · Domestic and Commercial 70A, Single Phase; pensioners qualify if total monthly income does not exceed double the state pension; indigent supply limited to 20A capacity; values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Energy | 0 to 50 kWh | 0.00 | R/kWh |
| Energy | 51 to 300 kWh | 3.29 | R/kWh |
| Energy | above 300 kWh | 3.88 | R/kWh |
Scale 1 C-3 Pensioners Domestic Prepayment three part tariff (credit and prepayment metering)
residential, prepaid · new tariff in 2026/27; available on credit and prepayment metering; values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Energy | 0 to 300 kWh | 3.59 | R/kWh |
| Energy | above 300 kWh | 3.88 | R/kWh |
| Fixed charge | | 0.00 | R/month |
Scale 1 C-4 Social housing development projects, prepayment metering
residential, prepaid · new tariff in 2026/27; applicable to all government social housing developments; values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Energy | 0 to 200 kWh | 3.59 | R/kWh |
| Energy | above 200 kWh | 3.88 | R/kWh |
Scale 1 C-4 Social housing development projects, post paid metering
residential, conventional · new tariff in 2026/27; applicable to all government social housing developments; values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Energy | | 4.66 | R/kWh |
Non Indigent Domestic Prepayment Customers and Commercial 70A Single Phase Two Part Tariff (Scale 1 B)
residential, prepaid · values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Energy | 0 to 2000 kWh | 3.87 | R/kWh |
| Energy | above 2000 kWh | 4.08 | R/kWh |
| Fixed charge | | 530.15 | R/month |
Scale 2B Small Power Users Domestic and Commercial 50kVA. Max 70A Three Phase
business, prepaid · values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Energy | | 4.34 | R/kWh |
| Fixed charge | | 1 260.06 | R/month |
Scale 3C Prepayment Large Power User
business, prepaid · Large Power Users (80kVA up to 150kVA Commercial / Industrial), Min 100A, Max 216A; not available for new services (new customers must apply for a 3A tariff); values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Energy | | 4.40 | R/kWh |
| Fixed charge | | 2 487.45 | R/month |
Scale 1A - Domestic and Commercial 1phase Supply (70A)
residential, conventional · item code EL0100; values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Energy | | 4.47 | R/kWh |
| Fixed charge | | 591.44 | R/month |
Scale 2A - Small Power Users Domestic and Commercial 50kVA. 70A Three Phase
business, conventional · item code EL0200; Part 2 (basic charge) and Part 3 (charge per max kVA) print 'Not applied'; values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Energy | | 5.13 | R/kWh |
Scale 3A - Large Power Users - (80kVA-800kVA) and above. Supply at a nominal voltage of 400V
industrial, conventional · item code EL0300; values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Fixed charge | | 6 632.97 | R/month |
| Demand | | 510.02 | R/kVA |
| Energy | | 2.44 | R/kWh |
Alternative 3A flat rate kWh tariff for bulk suppled complexes (business and residential)
business, conventional · new tariff in 2026/27 [sic 'suppled']; used where electricity reselling takes place to off-set the inability of resellers to collect the kVA portion of their BCMM account; values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Energy | | 5.40 | R/kWh |
Scale 3B - Large Power Users - 1MVA and above. Supply at a nominal voltage of 11kV
industrial, conventional · item code EL0301; values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Fixed charge | | 24 140.11 | R/month |
| Demand | | 481.50 | R/kVA |
| Energy | | 1.91 | R/kWh |
Alternative 3B flat rate kWh tariff for bulk suppled complexes (business and residential)
business, conventional · new tariff in 2026/27 [sic 'suppled']; where electricity reselling takes place; values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Energy | | 3.82 | R/kWh |
Electricity Wheeling (off-taker basic charge)
business, tou · wheeling allowed on a pilot basis per the BCMM Wheeling guideline; consumers must be on a BCMM TOU tariff; energy credits for wheeled energy (Eskom WEPS rates and the BCMM Connected Generator TOU rates) print 'Refer ESKOM Tariff book' and are credits, excluded here; values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Network charge | | 131.96 | R/month |
Scale 4A - Time-Of-Use [Minimum Requirement: 400V 80 KVA up to 800 KVA)
industrial, tou · values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Fixed charge | | 5 102.66 | R/month |
| Demand | | 237.01 | R/kVA |
| Demand | | 261.62 | R/kVA |
| Energy | summer peak | 4.01 | R/kWh |
| Energy | summer standard | 3.60 | R/kWh |
| Energy | summer off-peak | 2.78 | R/kWh |
| Energy | winter peak | 5.01 | R/kWh |
| Energy | winter standard | 4.27 | R/kWh |
| Energy | winter off-peak | 3.99 | R/kWh |
| Reactive energy | | 0.38 | R/kVArh |
Scale 4C - Time-Of-Use [Minimum Requirement: 11kVA > 10 MVA Supply]
industrial, tou · voltage printed as '11kVA' [sic]; values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Fixed charge | | 10 341.95 | R/month |
| Demand | | 231.15 | R/kVA |
| Demand | | 620.19 | R/kVA |
| Energy | summer peak | 3.43 | R/kWh |
| Energy | summer standard | 2.02 | R/kWh |
| Energy | summer off-peak | 1.39 | R/kWh |
| Energy | winter peak | 6.22 | R/kWh |
| Energy | winter standard | 2.18 | R/kWh |
| Energy | winter off-peak | 1.40 | R/kWh |
| Reactive energy | | 0.34 | R/kVArh |
Business relief tariff for financially distressed businesses or old age homes
business, conventional · new tariff in 2026/27, listed under Scale 4C; basic charge and demand charge rows print 'New Tariff' with no value; businesses must produce 3 years financial statements showing income deficit; applicable for 12 months, then re-apply; values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Energy | | 3.45 | R/kWh |
Scale TOU - IDZ (ESKOM municipal TOU tariff with a 2,5% surcharge)
industrial, tou · Eskom Megaflex for municipalities, Zone 3 >600km and <900km at 11kV, passed through with a Council surcharge; only the IDZ qualifies (transmission zone >600km <900km at 66kV-132kV); fixed charges print identically under both season tables and are transcribed once; the urban low voltage subsidy row and the low season reactive energy row print no value; values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Surcharge | | 2.5 | % |
| Energy | winter peak | 7.96 | R/kWh |
| Energy | winter standard | 1.99 | R/kWh |
| Energy | winter off-peak | 1.32 | R/kWh |
| Energy | summer peak | 3.30 | R/kWh |
| Energy | summer standard | 1.86 | R/kWh |
| Energy | summer off-peak | 1.32 | R/kWh |
| Levy | | 0.26 | R/kWh |
| Demand | | 8.87 | R/kVA/month |
| Demand | | 12.12 | R/kVA/month |
| Demand | | 42.52 | R/kVA/month |
| Demand | | 28.37 | R/kVA/month |
| Levy | | 0.46 | c/kWh |
| Fixed charge | | 1 307.46 | R/POD/day |
| Fixed charge | | 22.62 | R/POD/day |
| Reactive energy | | 0.37 | R/kVArh |
| Levy | | 5.77 | c/kWh |
Scale 5 - Streetlighting
public, conventional · item codes EL0401 (streetlighting) and EL0402 (traffic signals); values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Fixed charge | | 34.32 | R/month |
| Demand | | 428.05 | R/kW |
| Energy | | 4.09 | R/kWh |
| Energy | | 4.09 | R/kWh |
Scale 6 - Temporary and Itinerant (Max 50KVA supply, Single or Three phase prepayment meter only)
business, prepaid · item code EL0403; values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Energy | | 12.65 | R/kWh |
Scale 8 - Sportsfield lighting and Schools
public, conventional · item code EL0406; the 'Minimum charge per month, or part thereof' row prints no value; values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Energy | | 4.60 | R/kWh |
| Energy | 0 to 2000 kWh | 6.54 | R/kWh |
| Energy | 2001 to 10000 kWh | 4.81 | R/kWh |
| Energy | above 10000 kWh | 6.83 | R/kWh |
Availability Charges (Per month), vacant property
public, conventional · item 1.1.26; monthly charge on vacant property not connected to the electricity supply but reasonably connectable, payable by the registered owner; not a consumption tariff, metering not applicable; values from the tariff book's 2026/27 VAT-exclusive Rand columns
| Charge | Applies to | Rate (VAT in) | Unit |
|---|
| Levy | | 230.00 | R/month |
| Levy | | 464.60 | R/month |
Sources
The numbers above are transcribed from these documents:
Other municipalities in Eastern Cape: Nelson Mandela Bay (Gqeberha).