For the AP Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC), additional power connection for a house is a ‘kitchen connection’ and is treated as non-domestic.
Some power consumers in the state are taking multiple connections so as to keep the unit count low and pay lesser power bills. The ‘kitchen rule’ is applicable to them and has nothing to do with actual cooking in the house, sources in ERC say.
The ERC, in its order on new power tariff, said the kitchen in a house, in case of multiple connections, would be treated as a ‘separate establishment’ and the tariff would be higher than domestic tariff.
The tariff order stated that domestic power means using power for fans, lights and other appliances, and not for the kitchen purpose.
The kitchen criteria will be applicable to consumers who are taking more than one power connection for one house and not for others, explained ERC sources.
For example, owners of big houses are taking two, three and in some cases four or more connection for a single house to avoid paying hefty power bills. With just one connection, they will get big bill as per the slab rates.
With multiple connections, the total consumption will be distributed among the three or four separate connections and the tariff for each connection will fall under a lower slab. Thus, the consumer will pay less for the same energy consumption.
ERC sources told Express that if any consumer wants a second or third connection in the same house, the additional ones will be treated as kitchen connections and will be charged a higher tariff.
The new rule is only to make the ‘clever’ consumers pay the entire amount for the consumption, even if they have more number of connections.
Several people have multiple power connections, ERC sources said. For example, as per the revised tariff, if a consumer uses 600 units, he has to pay `3,845 towards electricity charges in a month. If the same person has got three separate power connections and distributed the 600 units among the three meters, each meter will record only 200 units.