Williams wants OUR to examine past JPS decisions

As howls get louder over high electricity bills, the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) has been asked by Energy Minister Fayval Williams to examine past decisions that may be negatively affecting customers now.

“We in the ministry, JPS and the regulator have an obligation to demystify electricity prices so consumers better understand the product they’re buying and have more control over their purchases,” Williams said during her contribution to the Sectoral Debate in Parliament.

This comes as the leadership of the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) has been summoned to next Monday’s Cabinet meeting over complaints about high light bills.

“As we move forward with the electricity sector, we must make it easier for customers to know how much electricity and the cost of that electricity they consume as the month progresses, so that they may make changes in their consumptions, if they want, and so that there is no negative surprise at the end of each month,” Williams said.

JPS has recorded an overall 28 per cent increase in bill queries.

But, the company has said that factors such as depreciation of the Jamaican dollar, rising usage, and fuel costs were responsible for the increases.

Electricity usage has fallen by six per cent nationally since the coronavirus crisis, said Winsome Callum, JPS’s director of communications and customer experience.

Spike in residential usage

Residential usage has spiked by 11 per cent between March and April – a trend that remained constant in May, JPS disclosed.

Meanwhile, Williams said effort remains under way to wind up the agencies of the Board of Examiners and The Government Electrical Inspectorate to allow for the creation of a new electrical regulator.

“This is to provide for a wider pool of electrical inspectors to accelerate the pace at which Jamaicans, both individuals and business, get access to electricity when they apply for it,” she said.

In the meantime, Williams said the ministry, in collaboration with the Jamaica Social Investment Fund, will be embarking on a $220-million house-wiring and street-lighting programme.