1. The Department have developed a Free Basic Electricity (FBE) Policy which aims to protect the indigents by provision of lifeline tariff to indigent households as part of government initiative of poverty alleviation. The amount of free basic electricity provided is deemed sufficient to provide basic lighting, basic media access, cooking and basic water heating. The following measures are also available to protect the poor:
2. Installation and maintenance of electricity prepaid meters is provided by the utility or distribution licence holder.
3. The Free Basic Electricity Policy provide for targeting of indigents or targeted customers by giving them limited free basic electricity. Municipalities develop indigent register or use targeting criteria as prescribed by the Free Basic Electricity. The proposed level of service is for a grid based system for qualifying domestic customers.Terms of use and distribution are different in every Municipality;however, municipalities restrict FBE to a minimum of 50kwh per household per month as prescribed by the policy homes while other Municipalities uses 20 Amps meters as the qualification criteria for Free Basic Electricity.