SAN FRANCISCO, January 06, (THEWILL) – The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Wednesday announced that all electricity distribution companies (Discos) would commence higher billing of their customers for energy consumed throughout the country from February 1.
In the new tariff, residential customers (R2) supplied by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) will no longer pay N702 fixed charge every month, but will pay N711.60, an increase of N9.60.
Also, R2 customers within the Eko and Ikeja Electricity Distribution Companies service areas will no longer pay N750 fixed charges but will pay N760 and N758, an increase of N10 and N8 respectively, in their energy charges.
Similarly, the N800 and N750 fixed charges paid by Kaduna and Benin electricity consumers will be increased by N11.05 and N9.26, to become N811.05 and N759.26 respectively.
Commercial customers’ classification C2 in Ibadan and Enugu will no longer pay the fixed charges of N17,010 and N22,141, but will pay an additional N12.08 and N13.35, respectively.
According to Anthony Akah, acting head of NERC, “the take off date of the new electricity tariff remains February 1, 2016, and it is in view of this that the Commission has told distribution companies to abide by its directive not to connect new customers without first providing them meters.”
Akah also said the removal of the fixed charge under the new tariff regime was in response to electricity consumers’ complaints and a measure to ensure that the Discos improved on service delivery.
Fixed charge is that component of the tariff that commits electricity consumers to paying an approved amount of money, not minding whether or not electricity is consumed during the billing period.
