Lifestyle

Understanding how Free Basic Electricity works

Understanding the resources and support available to a household can make a meaningful impact on managing essential costs. Did you know that many households in South Africa are entitled to Free Basic Electricity (FBE) as part of our government initiative?

This valuable service aims to provide essential utility support to help meet basic household needs. Here's a closer look at FBE: how it works, who qualifies and how you can benefit.

What is Free Basic Electricity?

FBE is a municipal service that provides free electricity to qualifying households across South Africa. This initiative is managed by local municipalities and supported by Eskom, and is designed to ensure that everyone has access to a basic level of essential services.

While the general allocation is 50kWh of free electricity per household per month, some municipalities may offer different allocations or additional top-up options.

You must meet certain conditions to be able to apply for FBE and then claim your electricity units (typically allocated on the first of the month) at your local electricity vendor.

How do I qualify for FBE?

The FBE policy is guided by the government, and municipalities set specific criteria to determine eligibility. FBE is only intended for indigent households, those earning less than a minimum income (as determined by their local municipality) and who can prove that they can’t pay for basic services.

Municipalities maintain an ‘indigent register’, which is a database for qualifying low-income households. Your local municipality is responsible for identifying such households and providing their details to service providers, such as Eskom, to enable them to claim their FBE.

Here’s a breakdown of some common qualification guidelines:

Aid status: Municipalities have detailed policies that outline the specific income thresholds and conditions for qualification. You will need to prove that your household earns less than a certain amount per month.
Prepaid customers: Households with 20Amp prepaid electricity meters typically qualify for FBE as per the Department of Energy’s policy, while households with 60Amp prepaid meters can also qualify if they are identified as indigent by their municipality.
Conventionally metered customers: If your household uses less than 150kWh (units) per month on average with a conventional meter, you may also qualify for FBE.

How do I access my FBE units?

Once you are registered as an indigent household with your local municipality, you can claim your FBE units every month.

If you are a prepaid electricity customer, you can claim and receive your FBE units by:

dialling *130*869# or *130*269#
visiting your local municipality
visiting designated vendors

Once claimed, prepaid users will see when their free electricity is finished and can then buy more as needed.

When you need to top up, you can easily and conveniently stay powered up by buying electricity on our Banking App or with Cellphone Banking.

Tip

When you need to top up, you can easily and conveniently stay powered up by buying electricity on our Banking App or with Cellphone Banking.

Learn More

Important to know

You must claim your FBE units every month, they don’t accumulate and are not just given to you.
FBE units must be used within the calendar month they are claimed. Unused tokens become invalid in the following months.
A household is entitled to claim only one FBE token per month and can’t claim from multiple municipalities. It also can’t be exchanged for cash or other services.
Using energy-efficient appliances (such as energy-saving lamps) and practising energy conscious habits (such as turning off lights and unplugging appliances not in use) can help your FBE units last longer.

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_{Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax or investment advice. Readers are strongly encouraged to seek financial or legal advice before making any decisions based on the content.}

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