New electricity rates questioned
The more electricity one uses, the more it costs says HCM.
EYEBROWS have been raised over Hibiscus Coast Municipality’s new electricity tariff of 12.2 percent (or more?) for Port Shepstone users.
In fact, Councillor Carole Potter said that HCM claimed it was 12.2 percent but the figure was much higher.
The website apparently indicates that if you consume between 351-600 kilowatts per hour the increase is 16.52 percent and if you use more than 600 you will be billed 25 percent.
“If you are assessed for two or three readings and then dumped on the next reading as an actual, that then becomes fraud, surely?
“They are charging everything for one month which puts the user into the top bracket and he is then penalised. Even Eskom stopped doing that as they were successfully taken to court over it,” she said.
Simon April, spokesman of HCM, said that the municipality went according to the municipal tariff guideline and benchmarks for the 2015/2016 financial year which had also been approved by the National Energy Regulator (NERSA).
“HCM is on the four-step tariff and as such it can be seen that we are on the lowest figures in blocks three and four which really affect the cost of electricity – so the more electricity one uses, the more it costs,” he explained.
If residents feel that they are wrongly billed they are free to contact the Rates and Electricity inquiries section at 039 688 2265 or contact the Customer Care Centre at 039 688 2027 or services@hcm.gov.za or SMS to 32061
