Consumers express concern over additional levies on electricity bill

Anantapur-Puttaparthi: The consumers who were already burdened with tariffs, are confused by the additional levies on their electrical bills. Consumers claimed that additional amounts are being collected from consumers in the name of true-up and adjustment charges in order to make up for the company's financial deficit.

In a press statement, Residents Welfare Association (RWA) chairman Suresh mentioned that several RWA members complained that the amount of extra fees paid by consumers exceeded 50% of the price of the real electricity used. The consumers complained that they have been imposing additional fees for a few months under various names including surcharge, fixed fees, customer fees, FPPCA, power duty, and adjustment.

An additional bill of 50 paise per unit was billed in the name of true-up I'm March and April. In this district alone, an additional burden of more than Rs 12 crore per month fell on the consumers. From May, a fixed charge of Rs 10, customer charge of Rs 50, electricity duty of Rs 8.75, and FPPCA charge of Rs 14.52 have also been added to the electricity bill.

With this, the tariff has gone up at 132 kV potential from Rs 5.01 paise to Rs 6.75 paise per unit. In addition to this the following charges are also being collected: Levy of true-up charges of eight paise (for APEPDCL)/23 paise (for APSPDCL) from July 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023, levy of FPPCA charges of 52 paise (average) on the power consumed by the industry during the FY 2021-22 to be collected from April 1, 2023 month-wise (ie April, 2021 FPPCA charges to be collected in April, 2023).

Bayineni Prasad running a fabrication unit, speaking to The Hans India said, "We will be left with no alternative than closing down our operations as the enhanced power tariff is not affordable for us

What is FAC, FCA, or FPPCA?

The amount that utilities place on bills based on the fluctuating price of fuel or coal is known as the FAC (Fuel Adjustment Charge), FCA (Fuel Cost Adjustment), FPPCA (Fuel and Power Purchase Cost Adjustment), or Regulatory Adjustment. Every month, the price of coal or fuel varies depending on supply and demand, which affects how much it costs to produce energy. These expenses are transferred from electricity generation companies to distributors, who then pass them along to customers.

What is FPPPA charges in electricity bill? It is a fee that is assessed for each unit of power used. It is a variable portion of the electricity bill as opposed to set charges and varies each month depending on your electricity usage. Though occasionally negative it is often positive. Any decrease in monthly electricity usage will undoubtedly aid in lowering the amount in this component, RwA president Suresh added. Suresh Babu blamed the chief minister for the faux paus in electrical bills scam. He demanded the government to revoke collection of levies and adjustment charges.