The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) is likely to introduce time-of-the-day (ToD) metering service to rein in an unprecedented rise in peak-hour domestic consumption, largely perceived to have been triggered by use of devices like induction cookers.
The KSEB sources told the The Hindu on Tuesday that the Board took a hard look at the latest data on the spike in peak-hour consumption and wanted to end the misuse of power which was heavily subsidised for the domestic sector.
Introduction of ToD meters, however, would have to be approved by the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission.
The KSEB described the difference in peak and off-peak consumption as ‘skewed'. “Due to high consumption of the domestic and other LT [low tension] categories, the peak-hour demand in the State is about 50 per cent higher than that of off-peak period,” said the submission made by the Electricity Board before the Electricity Regulatory Commission for the 2012-13. The Board's submissions before the Regulatory Commission came up for the first round of hearing here on Tuesday.
“Over the years, the consumption of heavily subsidised domestic sector has been increasing and now it accounts for approximately 48 per cent of the total energy consumed” in the State, says the KSEB data.
Director of the Kerala Energy Management Centre Dharesan Unnithan told The Hindu that Kerala did not have a morning peak demand period until about a year ago. This, he said, could be due to the use of induction cookers, available in all forms and at all price levels.
The KSKEB data said that power use during the night off-peak period — 11 p. m. and 5 a. m., was between 1,700 mw and 1,800 mw. This rose to between 2,400 MW and 2,500 MW during the morning peak period — 5 a. m. and 9 a. m. The day-time demand fell to between 2,200 MW and 2,300 MW — 9 a. m. and 6 p. m. The demand goes up to between 3,300 MW and 3,500 MW during the peak hours 6 p. m. to 11 p. m.
