The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) has tentatively consented to the electricity price increase for domestic users in November 2025. This translates to further electricity tariff hikes for the South African households. The price rise ushers in Eskom’s annual adjustment and the local authorities’ re-evaluation of their electricity tariffs. It aims at managing the production, maintenance, and investment in renewable energy costs.We are offering a rehash of the fresh consumer prices, the municipal rolling out timelines, and the financial effect of these alterations on households as they enter 2026.
November 2025 Tariff Increase – A Short Summary
The latest NERSA decision has opened the door for residential users to confront an average increase of 12.7% in their bills from November 1, 2025, onward. This is the second significant price hike that 2025 is already welcoming, following Escom’s annual audit in April and now lagging behind that hike. Precinct of the November rise concerns only to those households who are served by the municipality, as the local government will implement the tariff shuffling that NERSA had in mid-year review delayed for this month. The reason for the regulator’s action is to suppress the increasing costs of energy production is the transmission and thus make power grids more reliable thus facilitating the use of future renewables as laid down in the IRP 2030.
Reasons for Tariff Hike
The electricity price hikes in 2025 as indicated by NERSA can be classified into following main points:
- Eskom’s costs: Increased costs on diesel for power generators, maintenance of power plants, and transportation of coal.
- Municipalities’ investments in infrastructure: The electric grids of the towns and cities need to be modernized and repaired because they are overloaded and have also suffered from theft-related damages.
- Renewable energy plants: The construction of additional solar and wind farms is already planned by the developers in order to lessen the reliance on coal-fired power plants that are being shut down during load-shedding.
- Inflation: The depreciation of the rand combined with the fluctuations in the global energy market has caused a significant rise in machine and import costs.
All these factors combined have resulted in NERSA having no alternative but to accept the new tariff structure for the municipal cycle of 2025/26 which has no other option.
Timeline of Implementation for Municipalities – November 2025 Introduction
Hikes are going to be applied for different areas at different times in the country. The authorities have drawn a schedule for the staggered implementation for the municipalities which will ensure that the necessary administrative changes and meter calibrations will not overwhelm them.
- In Gauteng & Western Cape: The new tariffs will be implemented from 1–5 November 2025.
- In KwaZulu-Natal & Eastern Cape: They will come into effect on 6–10 November 2025.
- In Limpopo, Mpumalanga & North West: The period will be from 11 until 15 November 2025.
- In Free State & Northern Cape: The final rollout will be by 20 November 2025.
Those on prepaid meters have to ensure that their tokens and the system in their area are up-to-date before the commencement of the new price period so as to avoid disconnection or billing error.
Impact on Households and Small Businesses
To an average household, this 12.7% hike will most probably look like an increase in their expenses by R180-R250 on a monthly basis with the exact amount being determined by the collective power consumption. The financial suffering will be mostly among the electrical consumers who are large and small, plus the ones with heated geysers. Among the different approaches to the conservation of energy, NERSA has been continuously recommending to the users the energy-saving measures such as replacing the old bulbs with LED lights, installing solar water heaters, and being mindful of daily consumption so as not to incur high costs. On top of this, local authorities have raised the funds they allocate for the FBE programs that are targeted at helping the people with the lowest incomes and that include covering the cost of electricity and also the extension of electricity supply.
also read : SASSA R700 Grant 2025: Eligibility, How To Apply, And Payment Dates