If the KSEB proposal is accepted, then the high-end domestic consumers paying Time of Day (ToD) tariff would also be burdened with a heavy rent on ToD meters.
The KSEB is getting ready to request the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) to allow it to charge a monthly rent of Rs 65 for three-phase whole current meters and Rs 75 for three-phase meters with current transformer (CT) facility.
The request is significant as the ToD tariff system is slated to be extended to all consumers in future.
The KSEB issued orders on Thursday for collecting ToD tariff from domestic consumers using above 500 units a month from January 1, 2013. The Regulatory Commission has asked the KSEB to submit a scheme before April 2013, for extending the ToD tariff to all domestic, LT industrial and commercial consumers.
The KSEB would supply the ToD meters to the consumers and charge a rent, which would be fixed by the Commission. KSEB’s justification for recommending a high rent is that a single meter would cost Rs 2,500. After taking into account interest rates on short term loans, the KSEB would have to collect Rs 65 per month per consumer for a period of 60 months to recover the cost. Consumers who install ToD meters at their own cost would be exempted from paying the rent, according to the KSEB.