In its first-quarter tariff review decision, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has announced a marginal reduction in electricity tariffs for residential consumers.
However, there will be no change in prices paid by lifeline consumers and residential consumers within the consumption bracket of 0-300 kWh.
According to PURC, the reduction of 6.56% will benefit residential consumers within the consumption bracket of 301 kWh and above. However, the non-residential class of consumers within the 0-300 kWh bracket will not see any change in their rates. Consumers in the 301 kWh and above class will experience an average reduction of 4.98%.
The decision was outlined in a press release signed by Dr. Ishmael Ackah, Executive Secretary of the PURC. The statement also stated that water tariffs for all customer classes will remain unchanged for the reviewed period.
This announcement comes after the PURC’s fourth-quarter tariff review in November 2023, where a 0.34% increase in water tariffs and a 1.52% decrease in electricity tariffs were implemented on December 1, 2023. Despite these changes, the water tariff for residential customers increased slightly from GHS/m³ 4.72 to 4.74, while non-residential customers saw a rise from GHS/m³ 14.13 to 14.19.
Water sachet producers and industrial consumers also experienced an increase in their tariffs. Water sachet producers saw their tariff hiked from GHS/m³ 22.26 to 22.34, while industrial consumers’ tariff moved from GHS/m³ 25.29 to 25.38.
The PURC’s decision aims to provide relief for residential consumers with higher electricity consumption while ensuring stability in water tariffs for all customer classes.
By Vincent Kubi