Electricity Cost
Increase Approved: 11%
to 41%
Loosing the purse
strings as electricity
will cost more, much
more for heavy users, as
the Autoridad Reguladora
de Servicios Públicos (ARESEP)
approved a rate increase
of up to 41% depending
on monthly consumption.
The increase goes into
effect once the approval
is published in the
officials government
publication, La Gaceta,
next week.
The approval is much
higher than the 7%
increase approved last
year is on a variable
scale based on
consumption.
For customers using 200
KW hours or less per
month, the increase is
10.69%. An estimated 60%
of homes in Costa Rica
use less than 200 KW
hours.
For consumers who use
between 200 KWh and 300
KWh per month, the
increase is 14% and for
those consumer more than
300 KW hours, the
increase is a whopping
41%.
Fernando Herrero,
regulador general,
explained that the
intention of the ARESEP
to let people who use up
more energy is a costly
resource and are invited
to save on energy use.
In real terms, a family
that uses 250 KW hours
will pay ¢13.233 colones
up from ¢11.537, a
difference of ¢1.696
colones; and a 350 KW
hour consumption will
cost ¢22.945, up from
¢18.079.
Daniel Soley, defensor
de los Habitantes
(Ombudsman) is urging
the Instituto
Costarricense de
Electricidad (ICE) and
the local utilities to
promote a campaign of
using electrical energy
rationally.
Some advice to cut down
on energy consumption:
take advantage of
daylight, turn off
lights when leaving a
room, turn electrical
devices not in use and
regularly clean light
bulbs, replacing old
ones for new, energy
efficient bulbs now
available in most
hardware and retail
stores around the
country. |
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