ISLAMABAD: Monthly fixed charges of Rs200-1,000 have been imposed on consumers, while the fixed charges on commercial consumers have been increased by 300 percent and on industrial use by 355 percent.
According to the details, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has introduced new electricity tariffs which will be applicable from July 1. Five monthly charges of Rs200-1000 are fixed in the electricity bills of residential consumers depending on the monthly units consumed.
And the same has been increased to 300 percent for commercial and 355 percent for industrial customers.
This will help Distribution Companies (DISCOs) increase their revenue through fixed charges. Domestic consumers using 301-400 units per month will pay fixed charges of Rs200 per month from July 1, 2024, and those using 401-500 units will pay Rs400.
The consumers using 501-600 units will have to pay Rs600.
Residential users using 601-700 units will pay Rs800 per month and those using more than 700 units will pay fixed charges of Rs1,000 per month.
Customers that use TOU (Time of Use) meters will also pay a monthly fixed charge of Rs1,000.
Commercial customers with loads of less than 5KW would pay a monthly fixed price of Rs1,000. However, business power clients with a load of 5KW or more will now pay Rs2,000, up from Rs500, a 300 percent increase.
Under TOU metering, industrial consumers in the B1 category who consume up to 25KW would pay Rs1,000, while B2 consumers will witness a 300 percent increase in fixed rates up to 500KW, paying Rs2,000 instead of Rs500 per month.
B3 category industrial consumers consuming 5,000KW will pay fixed charges of Rs2,000 with a 335 percent increase from Rs460 per month. All load users in the B4 category will also experience a 355 percent increase in fixed charges as they will now pay Rs 2,000 per month from the current Rs 440.
At present the total cost of a power unit consists of 72 percent fixed charges and 28 percent variable charges. Still, on the revenue side, fixed charges are only two percent and variable charges are 98 percent. Officials said that the authorities concerned have found a mismatch between the cost and revenue structure in the electricity tariff.
