Start monthly billing or face action, commission tells Chandigarh power dept

The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) has told the UT electricity department to start monthly billing and improve supply quality immediately, or face action.

Currently, more than 85% consumers (domestic and commercial) are being billed bimonthly in the city. A shift to monthly bills can help reduce the financial burden on the power consumers by around 20%, say department insiders.

“Depending on the consumption slabs, tariff increases for consumers. For instance, if a household consumes 200 units in a month, then under the bimonthly bill system he has to pay ₹806 for a month. But, under monthly billing, he would be charged ₹652,” said a department official requesting anonymity. For up to 150 units consumed, the consumer is charged at ₹2.75 per unit, and between 151-400 units, the rate is ₹4.80 per unit.