New electricity slabs put pressure on inflation hit consumers

 

The approval for the fixed charges has been granted by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) as the move aims at increasing the revenue generation of electricity distribution companies.

Reports said the fixed charges would not be collected from the consumers using up to 200 units per month, while those consuming 301-400 units will pay R200 in wake of fixed charges.

Those consuming 401-500 units per month will pay Rs400 while those fall in 501-600 bracket will pay Rs600 in wake of fixed charges.

Similarly, the distribution companies would collect Rs800 from those consuming 601-700 units per month while there will be Rs1,000 fixed charges on consumption of electricity units above Rs700.

The consumers will pay the fixed charges in electricity bills for the month of July.

Inflation hit Pakistanis are set to bear more burden as electricity tariffs in Pakistan will move up by Rs5.72 in base rates and Rs 3.41 in fuel charges per unit.

Under the new changes, both protected and non-protected consumers face additional taxes and surcharges. If any customer uses 200-units in a month, the protected consumers will enter into the non-protected category, significantly increasing their bills

After period of six months, if consumption drops below 200 units, the consumers can return to the protected category.

Category	Units Consumed	Tariff (Rs/unit)	Estimated Monthly Bill	Status
Lifeline	1 – 50	3.95	200 – 300	Protected
Lifeline	51 – 100	7.74	Up to 1,000	Protected
100 – 200	101 – 200	10	Around 2,500	Protected
201 – 300	201 – 300	27 – 30	At least 6,000	Non-Protected
301 – 400	301 – 400	38	15,000 – 17,000	Non-Protected
401 – 500	401 and above	42+	Above 21,000	Non-Protected
501 – 600	501 – 600	N/A	Rs30,000 (estimate)	Non-Protected
601 – 700	601 – 700	N/A	Over Rs35,000	Non-Protected
Above 700	Above 700	N/A	500 (estimate)	Non-Protected

For those surpassing 200-unit limit, consumers must wait 6 months before they can revert to the protected category.

Fixed Charges Slabs for Electricity Bills

Unit Consumed Per Month	Fixed Charges (Rs)
200 units	0
301-400	Rs200
401-500	Rs400
501-600	Rs600
601-700	Rs800
701-above	Rs1,000