Reduce power consumption between 6 pm to 10 pm, TOD likely to be implemented

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The electricity board's decision to charge TOD or Time of Day from consumers will affect 7.90 lakh people. TOD will be applicable to people consuming more than 250 units of electricity monthly. The expense to KSEB will be more than Rs 20 crore. This amount will have to be paid by the consumers as meter rent.

Although there is a 10% discount on the tariff for electricity consumption from 6 am to 6 pm, an additional 25% tariff will have to be paid from 6 pm to 10 pm when electricity consumption is high. Before the tariff hike, it was 20%. This increase will also apply to those currently included in TOD billing. The power tariff was increased in the state on December 5.

Although TOD meters are presently installed in the homes of about five lakh consumers who use more than 250 units of electricity, they were given a slab-based (telescopic) bill. If the programming of these meters is changed, a TOD bill can be given.

Meantime, after implementing 16 paise hike in power tariff per unit, the State Electricity Regulatory Commission rejected KSEB's demand for an additional 17 paise increase in fuel cess per unit. In a public hearing held yesterday in this regard, KSEB's application was rejected by commission chairman T K Jose.

Presently, 20 paise is being collected as fuel cess. Including this, people will have to pay 36 paise more on unit electricity from this month. In addition to that, an application was received to allow an additional 17 paise to be collected for three months.