Prolonged and unplanned lockdown came up with many challenges to commoners; above all there is an inflated power bill that has given them nightmare. Month-to-month doubling of a residential electric bill is not an unusual incidence in India. It’s usually climate related, either lots of extra air conditioning during a summer heat wave, or lots of extra indoor space heating during the passage of a winter arctic air mass. Sometimes long stays at home also causes a lot of power bills because of our dependency on microwaves to geysers and all possible electric appliances for routine life. Scale on the water heater’s heating element could increase the amount of power needed to achieve a given temperature, but that would be a more gradual effect over several months. For a smaller house with a swimming pool pump, continuous operation of the pool pump might cause a doubling of the electric bill. This could happen if both pins were removed from the pump timer while the pump was running, or if a smart pool control system malfunctioned. Usages of TV, AC, Fridge, lights, computers, laptops and many other appliances definitely brings rise in electricity bills. Home electricity bills are going to rise when you spend more time at home. Some of it is unavoidable. At the same time, you will be saving on travel expenses and various outdoor expenses.
The Bill is for average of previous months but now actual bills came up with the last 3 to 4-month total impact, due to all being at home in lockdown and summer we used our all air-condition long time, during AC on we sometimes missed to close door windows properly. Some people do not even bother to get AC service in time. Work from home might be cutting your cost on travel and outside eating, some amount might get increased in electricity bill because this time your office is not spending for your computer operations or Wi-Fi or AC, it’s your home power is consumed. We work from home so laptops and TV also charge many times compared to routines, even restaurants closed so household electrical homes appliances used more. Your electricity bills might have gone higher compared to previous years’ same months. Your payment of the electricity bill has been pending for the past 3 months since no reading was taken due to lockdown. Hence the latest bill is for 3 months. MSEDCL has revised the tariff from 1st April 2020 upwards. You can see the new tariff on the reverse page. If you want to look into the calculation you have to register & login to their website and ask for the calculation. Easiest way is to compare it with the last 3 months consumption for the previous year. If your consumption is nearly the same those 3 months, you will find new total billing will be approximately 10% more. Post lockdown the things are not as horrible as it was, by now everything is almost streamlined.
If businesses come to a sudden stop, one way to deal with the situation is to `freeze the clock’. Nobody does any transaction and people carry on once the lockdown is lifted. In theory this will work but in practice there are some bills that have to be paid. This includes farmers for producing food, the extremely poor who do not have enough food to survive, pension to old people who do not have any support. In the order of priority, the relief has to first go to those who do not have anything. Right now, is too early to assess the kind of financial relief that needs to be provided. If relief is granted to everyone, irrespective of their financial position, the economy could seize up. So, asking for subsidy on bills is not a fair thing to do. Without getting panic you can be a little smart to consume required electricity, look around your house to find things that can be more efficient. Just check whether you keep your house really hot in the winter and really cold in the summer? Do you leave lights on? Do you use old bulbs that aren’t as energy efficient? Basically, use your head. Some places just naturally have high energy bills, but you can do a lot to mitigate costs and save cash here and there. Check also with your utility companies, sometimes they have rebates and programs to help pay for electricity in exchange for other things. Now During lockdown situations, we mostly stay at home. Most of our Electrical appliances are running. This means our domestic consumption is going to be increased. This was not significantly more.
The Indian economy has experienced unprecedented economic growth over the last decade. Today, India is the ninth largest economy in the world, driven by a real GDP growth of 8.7% in the last 5 years (7.5% over the last 10 years). In 2010 itself, the real GDP growth of India was the 5th highest in the world. This high order of sustained economic growth is placing enormous demand on its energy resources. The demand and supply imbalance in energy is pervasive across all sources requiring serious efforts by the Government of India to augment energy supplies as India faces possible severe energy supply constraints. Projection in the Twelfth Plan document of the Planning Commission indicates that total domestic energy production of 669.6 million tons of oil equivalent (MTOE) will be reached by 2016-17 and 844 MTOE by 2021-22. This will meet around 71 per cent and 69 per cent of expected energy consumption, with the balance to be met from imports, projected to be about 267.8 MTOE by 2016-17 and 375.6 MTOE by 2021-22. The country has significant potential for generation from renewable energy sources. All efforts are being taken by the Government of India to harness this potential. The Installed capacity as on 31st March, 2016 from renewable energy sources is 42,849 MW. The Total Renewable Installed Capacity comprises 26,866.7 MW from Wind, 4,273.5 MW from Small Hydro Plants, 4,946.4 MW from Biomass Power & Biomass Gasifiers and 6,762.9 MW from Solar power & Urban & Industrial waste. India ranks fourth in the world in terms of installed capacity of wind turbine power plants. Our country is progressive by all means; right now the global pandemic has clutched us all. Electricity bills are inflated and people are panicking but the reason for bills suddenly gone high has a simple answer too. Meanwhile all electricity boards have promised for the manual check and meter readings; if they find any disparities they would adjust all your payments once lockdown is called off.
