Will you pay the ESB hike sooner than you think?

ON January 1 the price of electricity went up officially by 12.6%, but for a substantial section of the population this increase could be applied to a portion of their electricity usage from as early as last October.

Any domestic consumer on the current bimonthly billing period of December/January faces the possibility of a significant overcharge in their February bill. Even though total electricity usage accounted for in this period is divided proportionately between the two months for charging purposes because of current ESB billing practice, there are a number of conditions that will contribute to this, presumably unintended, outcome.

Under existing regulations, the ESB is permitted to estimate a customer’s electricity usage in two of the possible six meter visits a year. These estimates, in theory, are based on a customer’s ‘usage profile’ to ensure reasonable accuracy. Any necessary adjustment is made in the account following the next meter reading.