Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Jonathan Chauremootoo
Published on 2024-03-01 15:39:44
Many consumers have complained about a significant increase in their electricity bill this month of February. In a statement released by the Central Electricity Board (CEB) on Friday, March 1st, the supplier explains that it is important to understand that the February bill reflects the consumption from December to January.
In its statement, the supplier expresses in Creole and explains that the February bill has tended to be higher every year. It explains that consumers were sensitized through an awareness campaign in November of last year.
The CEB also reminds that the last increase in electricity tariff dates back to February 2023 and only affected 15% of consumers.
The CEB has noted that every year, the February bill tends to be higher and they receive a lot of complaints from consumers.
It is well known that the February bill reflects electricity consumption for the festive period from December to January, where the population uses more electricity.
Since November 2023, the CEB has launched a sensitization campaign to inform consumers to exercise stricter control and avoid wasting electricity during festive periods to avoid high bills.
Moreover, December and January are the months with higher consumption and electricity bills. Without even realizing, the population uses more fans and air conditioners during long periods, be it day or night.
An air conditioner consumes between 1 to 2 kilowatt per hour (kWh) and during a night, it consumes at least 10 kWh. In 30 days, it already amounts to 300 kWh, which is about Rs 1,800 for a single air conditioner.
Some individuals have associated the increase in their bill to an increase in electricity tariff. The last tariff increase dated February 2023 was approved and endorsed by the URA (Utility Regulatory Authority).
Out of more than 410,000 domestic subscribers, only 15% were affected by the tariff increase. The remaining 85% (about 350,000) who consume less than 300 units were not affected by the tariff increase. Moreover, 60,000 consumers who fall under the social tariff benefited from a 20% discount on their bills.
The CEB has a progressive tariff system, where the more you consume, the higher the cost per unit, as indicated in the table.
For more transparency, the CEB is asking subscribers with smart meters and the MoKouran application to check their own consumption during the December-January period.
The CEB wants to reassure the population that they have never overcharged subscribers. They call on subscribers to control their consumption as the best way to avoid high electricity bills is to not waste electricity.
Read the original article(French) on Le Mauricien
