JPS says most customers won't receive estimated bills for June-July

   

The Jamaica Public Service Company says the majority of its customers are receiving bills for the June to July period based on actual meter readings.

 

The response from the JPS follows uproar over its advisory that bills for the period may have been estimated.

 

The light and power company said Hurricane Beryl disrupted its operations including its ability to conduct actual meter readings, whether manually or remotely.

 

In an update on Monday, Winsome Callum, Director of Corporate Communications at JPS, said the company is now close to 100 per cent capability of getting remote readings. 

 

"Some customers are getting actual read bills, and when we said 'may', JPS is obliged to alert customers when there is something out of the norm, and so we did advise our customers that they may get the bill. As at Friday though, it was only about 25 per cent of our customers who had gotten estimated bills. That's because we have been able to gain access to meters and get readings. 

 

Ms. Callum explained that estimated bills are calculated based on the average of the last three actual readings.

 

"So the amount that you see is derived based on your past readings  consumption patterns. It may not reflect the past two weeks when you've been without electricity. Look at the dates that the bill covers and it gives you a sense of how many of those days you would have had electricity and how many you would not have had electricity," she pointed out.  

 

However, she said customers who lost power should see lower electricity bills next month. 

 

Ms. Callum was responding to Morning Agenda host Jodi-Ann Quarrie on Power 106FM.