Pay more for using power for next three months

CHANDIGARH: City residents will have to pay more for using electricity for the next three months. This because the UT electricity department has approved high fuel and power purchase cost adjustment (FPPCA) charges on existing tariff from 29 paisa per unit up to 126 paisa per unit under different slabs and categories. The FPPCA charges were approved by the department after securing permission from the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC).

The department will charge 29 paisa per unit for domestic consumers using between 0 and 150 units. Additional charge of 49 paisa per units has been imposed in 151 to 400 slab, while consumers using more than 400 units will have to pay 54 paisa per unit.

In the commercial category having single phase, 50 paisa per unit for using 0-150 units will be charged. Similarly, 55 paisa will be charged in 151-400 slab, and 126 paisa in above 400 units category. Commercial users having three phase will be charged 50 paisa per unit and 55 paisa per unit in the slab of 0-150 and 151 to 400, respectively. In the above 400 units category, the department will charge 126 paisa per unit.

Hike in power bills from February 1

Consumers having large supply connections will have to shell out 61 paisa per unit more. Those using small supply will have to pay 51 paisa per unit and medium supply connections will be charged 59 paisa per unit.

UT superintending engineer M P Singh said the change will come into effect in the billing cycle of February 1.

FPPCA charges are not levied in the agriculture category. The charge is the difference between per unit actual cost of power purchase and per unit approved cost of power purchase.

The electricity department generates bills for domestic customers bi-monthly. Domestic consumers have been divided into four groups of 50,000 each. They pay bills in six cycles a year. Bills of commercial consumers are generated every month. According to official records, there are 2.16 lakh electricity consumers, out of which, 1.75 lakh fall in the domestic category. The department has regular billing of around 95% of consumers.