South Africans are bracing for yet another electricity tariff increase, with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) approving an average 8.76% tariff increase for Eskom direct customers from 1 April 2026, and a further 9.01% increase for municipal customers set for 1 July 2026. For many households already grappling with a high cost of living and ongoing energy instability, this latest adjustment underscores a pressing reality: the need to find practical, sustainable ways to reduce daily electricity consumption.
Against this backdrop, WONDERBAG, the South African-born social enterprise known for its heat-retention cooking technology, is emerging as a timely and relevant solution. By enabling food to continue cooking without additional electricity or fuel once brought to the boil, WONDERBAG helps households significantly cut energy consumption while maintaining nutritious, home-cooked meals.
WONDERBAG has already helped South African families save millions. With 2024 and 2025 savings still being verified, the figure is expected to reach approximately R500 million, delivering meaningful financial relief to households nationwide.
A Simple Shift in Cooking, A Meaningful Impact on Energy Bills
Cooking remains an energy-intensive activity in the home, particularly for meals such as stews, soups, rice and beans that require long simmering times. The WONDERBAG heat retention bag offers a simple yet effective alternative: once a pot reaches boiling point, it can be placed inside the insulated bag to continue cooking for hours without drawing further power. Beyond energy savings, this approach also frees up valuable time – reducing the need to stand over a stove and, in communities where firewood is still used, cutting down the hours spent collecting fuel.
“Electricity is going up again, and for many families, there’s very little room left in the budget to absorb these increases,” says Sarah Collins, Founder and CEO of WONDERBAG. “What we’re offering is not a luxury, but a practical, everyday tool that helps households take back some control over their energy use. Every time you cook with WONDERBAG, you’re saving energy and money.”
WONDERBAG uses up to 70% less cooking energy, helping families save R3-R5 every time they cook a meal like curry and rice, stew, or soup. Used consistently, it can soon pay for itself. Used daily, a household can save approximately R100 per month.
Positioning Practical Solutions Within a National Energy Crisis
South Africa’s energy challenges are not new, but they are becoming more acute as infrastructure constraints, rising tariffs and economic pressures converge. For many households, particularly in lower-income communities, the rising cost of electricity has direct implications for food security and daily well-being.“As energy costs rise, vulnerable families are hit the hardest,” Collins adds. “Access to affordable cooking solutions is not just about convenience – it’s about dignity, nutrition and resilience. Through our foundation work, we’ve seen how reducing the cost of cooking can make a tangible difference in people’s lives.”
WONDERBAG’s impact extends beyond individual households. Through its social enterprise model, the company works with communities across South Africa and globally, supporting job creation and helping families reduce their reliance on expensive and often unsafe cooking fuels.
A Timely Call to Rethink Energy Use at Home
With the April tariff increase looming, South Africans are being encouraged to adopt smarter, more energy-efficient habits in their daily routines. Small changes in how households cook can translate into meaningful savings over time, particularly when applied consistently. WONDERBAG is positioning itself as part of this broader national conversation – not just as a product, but as a practical solution aligned with the realities South Africans face today. Importantly, every Wonderbag purchased also contributes to wider impact, for each bag bought, another is made available to some of the poorest communities in South Africa still relying on firewood for cooking, helping to extend safe, energy-efficient cooking solutions where they are needed most.
Consumers looking to get ahead of rising electricity costs are encouraged to explore energy-saving alternatives now, before the new tariffs take effect. At the same time, the WONDERBAG Foundation continues to call for greater support for initiatives that help struggling low-income households access to sustainable cooking solutions – with an ambition to distribute a further 30,000 WONDERBAG bags to some of the hardest-hit communities across the country. Learn more or contribute to this work here:
You can also connect with WONDERBAG on:
Instagram: @TheWONDERBAG
Facebook: Facebook.com/TheWONDERBAG
Twitter: @WONDERBAG
LinkedIn: WONDERBAG
