Single phase domestic customers to get time of use tariff

The Public Utilities Commission, the electricity sector regulator, has approved a time-based, optional tariff for single phase domestic consumers, which was earlier limited only for the consumers who have three phase connections and consuming 30A or above.

The time of use (TOU) tariff was identified as it would benefitted for the domestic users and aims to demote power usage during the peak time and promote power usage during the off peak time. The decision came into light sighting the observation of an increasing fleet of electric vehicles (EV) in Sri Lanka and the increase of the peak demand on account of their charging load.  Proposing the tariff change, Ceylon Electricity Board said, the studies undertaken by western utilities have found that uncontrolled natural consumer behaviour for vehicle charging invariably contributes to the evening peak.  “The world is driving towards more clean and efficient use of energy and most of the countries are in the process of electrifying the transport sector encouraging the energy efficiency. Not only that, considering the facts of energy efficiency and environmentally friendliness, a big wave has been created by people in moving towards electric vehicles around the world and of course in Sri Lanka. The extension of ToU tariff to the single phase domestic users plans to encourage energy efficiency and will benefit by the EV users in Sri Lanka, where they can charge their vehicles at a lower cost,” Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka Director General Damitha Kumarasinghe said. “From now onwards, a large volume of customers have the option of Time of Use Tariffs and through this, the peak load demand could be shifted to off-peak, which will help to implement the demand side management initiatives as well.”  

Registration of electric motor cars in Sri Lanka has increased from 90 in the year 2014 to 3238 in the year 2015. It is estimated 4,000 electric vehicles are currently on the roads. According to the introduced ToU, a consumer will be charged only Rs. 13 per unit in the off peak hours (22.30-05.30 hrs), Rs. 25 per unit during the day (05.30-18.30 hrs) and Rs. 54 per unit in the peak (18.30-22.30 hrs). A monthly fixed charge of Rs. 540 will be also applied to the ToU consumer. The Government recently directed PUCSL to be the regulator for the EV charging industry, through a Cabinet decision, with a view to ensure the rights of EV users are protected.