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SINGAPORE: Even as households are bracing for higher electricity bills, with the latest hike in power tariffs, some are puzzled over a spike of another kind in their monthly statement for June.
While they have not changed their lifestyle, those who approached TODAY said their electricity consumption has jumped significantly — at least, going by the usage graphs on the back of their SP Services bills.
Secretary Betty Ho, for example, received a bill that showed her family had used 726 kilowatt-hours (kWh) last month, an almost 50-per-cent jump from the 490kWh monthly average from January to May.
Ms Ho, who shares her five-room flat in Chai Chee with her husband and teenage son, said the household had kept to pretty much the same routine in the past few months.
When she called SP Services for an explanation, she was told the hot weather contributed to the spike in consumption.
“I only turn the airconditioning on at night when I sleep. Nothing has changed. They said the airconditioner ‘knows’ the weather is hot and has to absorb more energy to maintain the same degree of coolness,” said Ms Ho, adding that she was not convinced by the explanation.
Others who are affected also wonder if there were glitches in the billing system or in the way calculations were done. The company is expected to change to a new billing system by next month.
When contacted, eletricity retailer Singapore Power said there was nothing wrong with the way consumption was calculated and how consumers were billed.
“There is no glitch in the billing system, which has been in operation since the year 2000,” said an SP Services spokesperson. Consumption is usually higher from April to September due to the hotter months, she noted. “When the weather is hot, consumers tend to use more water and air-conditioning, which lead to higher energy use. Moreover, during the hotter months, air-conditioning consumes more power to maintain the same temperature as compared to cooler months.”
For some, this proves frustrating. Cleaner Teo Meow Eng, 60, has been conscientious about using less energy, with fuel prices pushing up power tariffs steadily since early last year. Mdm Teo, who lives in a fiveroom apartment, has stopped keeping the night light on and only turns on the water heater once a day, in the morning.
But while her consumption went down for April’s meter reading and May’s estimated reading — hovering just above the national average of 417kWh — it spiked to 681kWh in June when an actual reading was next done.
“I find it strange that my electricity consumption continued to rise after showing a drop for two months despite my taking steps to cut usage,” Mdm Teo said.
Bills are estimated in alternate months based on the previous actual meter readings. The spokesperson noted that spikes in some bills could be due to adjustments made to make up for “under-billing” the month before.
On Tuesday, the price of electricity went up nearly 5 percentage points to 25.07 cents per kWh, having risen for four consecutive quarters on soaring fuel prices.
Those living in five-room HDB flats can expect their bills to go up by an average of $5, while those living in one-room flats could see their bills increase by about $1.20. - TODAY/ra
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