By Eileen Cox
We are not convinced. On Mon-day, April 14, the Chief Execu-tive Officer of Guyana Power and Light, (GPL) Mr Bharat Dindyal, met representatives of the Guyana Consumers Association (GCA) to discuss consumer concerns. The chief bone of contention was the guide used by the company to estimate consumer household consumption of electricity.
The fact that consumers are supplied with meters indicates that one must be precise in determining the consumption so that the consumer is satisfied that she/he is not being overcharged.
However, there are instances when due to faulty meters or tampering the meters do not correctly indicate the consumption and GPL resorts to estimation. The guide that is used has come under question, especially where it relates to refrigerators which, as we all know, consume more electricity than any other electrical appliance.
In its guide, the GPL estimates that the minimum monthly consumption of electricity for a refrigerator, any refrigerator, is 90 units. The GCA disagrees as there is no factual evidence for this. There are over 40,000 consumers, with refrigerators, who use less than 75 units of electricity each month. How then can you argue for 90 units? Are we living in some Alice in Wonderland country?An electric iron is estimated at 17 units per month, a microwave oven and an electric pump at 30 units, an electric stove at 202 units.
In the 1970s it was possible for middle-income consumers to use an electric stove when electricity rates decreased as the units of electricity consumed increased. Today the electric stove will serve as a table and the electric iron is locked away in a drawer only to be used on special occasions or to press school clothes.
It is obvious that consumers are being grossly overcharged when they are asked to pay each month for 90 units although their consumption is much less. GPL will not accede to our request to change the minimum.
In July 2005 the GPL and Guyana Consumers Association reached an agreement that no estimation of bills would be made when a meter was defective, but when a new meter was installed the average of the first three bills would be used to determine what was due. In the case of tampering, if the GPL is estimating for a year’s supply of electricity and if we divide the GPL’s estimate by 12 we will recognize that consumers are being overcharged.
We are seeking to resolve these two matters at the present time:
* A consumer lives in the top flat of a building and rents the lower flat. She is not in arrears but the tenant has been disconnected for arrears. GPL alters the name on her bill and claims that she owes the company. She is made to have a recertification of the building and is disconnected. GPL claims that she made the request for the name change, an absurd claim. There is no letter to substantiate the claim. After much pleading the matter is resolved.
* A consumer lives in a small room with a 2ft fluorescent tube and a television set. She pays about $2000 a month. In January this year she is billed for $14,000 and is disconnected. To date the monthly charge is still $14,000 and she is still disconnected. GPL does not resolve the matter.
GPL advises that it is the constant opening of the refrigerator door, by children in particular, and a defective seal that will increase the consumption of electricity.
That is admitted and consumers should ensure that their refrigerators are used at a modest temperature and not frequently opened. But the GPL’s outages also cause an increase in the consumption of electricity.
