Mr Samuel Boakye-Appiah, the Managing Director of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), says the Public Utility and Regulatory Commission (PURC) tariff reduction takes effect from today, March 15 but consumers can only feel it at the end of the month.
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday, Mr Boakye-Appiah said the monthly billing cycle of the prepayment metering system does not technically allow ECG to implement the review in the middle of the month.
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He assured prepaid customers of ECG to note that, the programming of the billing system would refund the reduction from the implementation date of March 15 to March 31, when they deposit cash or purchase electricity from April 1 onward.
Mr Boakye-Appiah explained that, customers on their first visit in April, the prepayment would detect the aggregate purchase for the month of March and compute the reduction due them from the effective date of March 15 to 31 and be refunded on the next visit to the vending point.
He said the average percentage reduction that is 17.5 per cent for residential, 30 per cent for non-residential, 25 per cent for Special Load Tariff Customers and 10 per cent for the mines which takes effective from March 15, is on energy consumption only.
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He stated that the addition of statutory levies and other fixed charges would reduce the average percentage relief announced by PURC.
The Managing Director said the ECG has compiled all unit consumptions and expected costs in “Reckoner” which explains how the tariff was calculated and billed regardless of the type of metering and it would be displayed at all district offices and revenues centres nationwide to guide customers on their electricity purchases.
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The PURC on March 5, has announced a general reduction in electricity tariffs after extensive stakeholders’ consultations in the sector, as well as detailed analysis of proposals tendered in by companies in the power distribution chain.
