The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has appealed to power consumers to cooperate with it in reducing the use of electricity.
The KSEB, in a press release on Thursday, drew the attention of the consumers to an order of the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission on October 9 asking them to reduce energy consumption. As per the order, all high tension (HT) and extra high tension (EHT) power consumers in the State should restrict their consumption to 75 per cent of their usual consumption between 6.30 p.m. and 10.30 p.m. The KSEB said that from October 12 it had started monitoring whether the consumers were complying with the direction.
By November end, the KSEB would submit before the commission a list of HT and EHT consumers who disobeyed the direction. The list would be placed in the public domain.
The KSEB said the consumers should not use electricity from its grid for lighting up advertisement boards, illuminating the outer side of buildings, and for any extravagant purposes. Power supply to such consumers would be disconnected.
The commission had warned that the consumers would have to pay a fuel surcharge on the additional quantity of thermal electricity the KSEB would have to purchase to make good the shortage in the availability of hydroelectric power due to the poor performance of the southwest monsoon. The amount spent on the additional thermal power during the period from October 2012 to March 2013 would be recovered from the consumers from the month of June 2013.
The fuel surcharge would be on the actual quantity of electricity consumed by each consumer during this period. Therefore, each consumer should take care to reduce power consumption, the KSEB said.
