Centlec tariffs for business: TOU Elecflex vs Commflex

Centlec's TOU Elecflex tariffs (Elecflex 1 to 3) charge for capacity, through a demand charge and a network access charge per kVA, as well as for the energy a site uses. Commflex, Centlec's business time-of-use tariff, carries neither capacity charge. It has a R955 monthly service charge (2026/27) and higher energy rates per kWh. A site whose capacity charges are large against its energy use, for example a factory that has become a warehouse, can pay far less on Commflex. A site that uses a lot of energy against its capacity may pay more. Augos prices a site's measured interval data against every tariff it qualifies for to show which side of that line it is on.

How do Centlec TOU Elecflex tariffs charge?

TOU Elecflex 1 to 3 bill three things beyond fixed charges: time-of-use energy (kWh), a demand charge (kVA) and a network access charge (kVA). For 2026/27 the demand charge ranges from R275 to R320 per kVA and the network access charge from R99 to R114 per kVA across the three tariffs.

Those two kVA charges are the important part. The network access charge is levied on capacity, so it stays on the bill whether the site is busy or quiet. A site that was sized for full production keeps paying for that capacity every month until something changes.

How does Commflex charge?

Commflex is Centlec's business time-of-use tariff, sometimes written Comflex. It carries no demand charge and no network access charge. Instead it has a R955 monthly service charge (2026/27), and its energy rates per kWh are higher than on Elecflex.

In short: Elecflex charges less for energy and more for capacity; Commflex charges more for energy and nothing for capacity. You can compare the current charges in the Augos tariff database for Commflex and TOU Elecflex 3.

Which Centlec tariff is cheaper for my business?

The cheaper tariff is the one that costs less on your own measured consumption, priced line by line. As a rule of thumb, Commflex tends to favour sites with modest energy use against a large capacity, because removing the demand and network access charges outweighs the higher energy rates. Elecflex tends to favour sites that use their capacity heavily, because the lower energy rates are applied to a lot of kWh.

The break-even point is different for every site, and it moves when the site changes. That is why a tariff that was right when a factory was built can be wrong after production stops.

Does rezoning or a change of use move my tariff?

No. Rezoning or a change of use does not move a site's tariff. If a factory becomes a warehouse, Centlec keeps billing the old tariff until the customer applies for a different one. The capacity charges continue in the meantime.

Real case: Continental Beverages, Bloemfontein

Pioneer Foods Continental Beverages Factory B in Bloemfontein, part of PepsiCo South Africa, stopped production at the end of October 2024. The site became a warehouse with a refrigeration-led load, but it was still on TOU Elecflex 3.

The client requested a move to Commflex in December 2024, and Augos managed the application. The change took effect on 1 August 2025.

Augos's calculation on August 2025 consumption put the site's cost at R83,352.72 on Elecflex 3 against R22,848.25 on Commflex, a difference of R60,504.47 a month (ex VAT). Of the difference, R49,352.79 is the network access charge (474.82 kVA x R103.94) and R13,461.18 is the demand charge, neither of which Commflex carries. Commflex's higher energy rates take back part of that, which is why the monthly difference is smaller than the two capacity charges added together.

What should I look for on the first Commflex bill?

The first bill on a new tariff is the one to check most carefully. On a correct Commflex bill, the demand charge and the network access charge should be gone, the R955 monthly service charge (2026/27) should appear, and energy should be billed at Commflex's time-of-use rates. If a kVA charge is still on the bill, or the energy rates match the old tariff, the change has not been applied properly and should be queried with Centlec straight away.

It is also worth comparing the bill with measured consumption from the site's own meter data. A tariff change is a natural point for estimated readings and catch-up adjustments, and a saving calculated on paper only becomes real once the bills reflect it. At Continental Beverages, Augos's records show the first Commflex-level bill was the August 2025 bill.

What to check before you apply

• Your current tariff name on the Centlec bill (Elecflex 1, 2 or 3, or another tariff).
• The kVA your demand and network access charges are billed on, against your measured demand.
• Whether your site has changed use or shrunk since the tariff was set.
• Your monthly kWh and its time-of-use split, priced on both tariffs at the current year's rates.
• Seasonal differences: run the comparison for winter and summer months.
• Who will submit the application, and who will check the first bills after the change.

For background on demand and capacity charges, see how electricity tariffs work. Augos manages tariff applications with the utility on the client's behalf, as the client's appointed representative, through its tariff optimisation service, and checks every bill afterwards through bill verification.

To find out whether your Bloemfontein site is on the right Centlec tariff, book a demo or call Augos on 087 093 6174.