South Africa, May 15 -- According to the Light Paper, what South Africans see on their monthly bill is not the true cost of electricity - it's just the tip of a very expensive iceberg.

Eskom's Arnot Power Station in Middelburg. Image credit:,, via Wikimedia Commons A year without loadshedding, but weak demand and high tariffs threaten jobs and Eskom revenue 1 day Controversial shift Beyond the kilowatt-hours, GoSolr explains that the real cost includes generation and grid infrastructure, system losses, theft, non-payment, diesel-powered emergency generation, and wildly inconsistent municipal surcharges depending on where you live.

Then there are the invisible costs: damaged appliances, downtime, lost productivity, security expenses, an...