OUR to investigate complaints of high light bills

By Halshane Burke   

 

Following a flood of complaints about unusually high light bills, the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) says it is launching a probe into the matter.

 

The OUR says it became increasingly aware of customers complaining about their bills following the passage of Hurricane Beryl.

 

The regulator says it has initiated steps to thoroughly investigate these complaints.

 

It says once the relevant information has been received from the Jamaica Public Service Company, it will be analysed to determine what regulatory intervention is necessary.

 

Energy Minister Daryl Vaz has said there must be accountability for the high bills being experienced by some JPS customers. 

 

"Probably 50 to 75 per cent of their customer base has been affected with bills that have gone up in some cases 100 per cent. How do these people pay that bill? Some of them still don't have light and some of them are trying to recover, and it's not going to happen overnight when you have lost power for six weeks and water and your business has been affected," he complained, calling the estimated bill situation unconscionable. 

 

"Somebody in JPS should be held accountable for this and that would be the finance department and the chairman and the board of directors for which we have three government directors," said Mr. Vaz, adding that he has instructed the three government directors to formally indicate formally his dissatisfaction when the board meets. 

 

But the minister has also slammed the OUR over its handling of the treatment of customers by the JPS in the aftermath of the hurricane.

 

Mr. Vaz labelled the regulator a disaster in protecting the customers of the light and power company, arguing that recent pronouncements by the OUR in relation to JPS and restoration efforts give little comfort. 

 

"They claim, and their statements are very clear, that after the recovery and the restoration is when they will do their deep dive and come up with whether or not there is need for regulatory change, legislative change or any sanctions that will be imposed on JPS. That alone tells the whole story. So who is protecting the people? The JPS and the OUR hold the handle and the government of Jamaica and the people of Jamaica, and the customers of Jamaica hold the blade, and that is untenable for me," he contended. 

 

Opposition Spokesman on Energy Phillip Paulwell believes JPS customers should not be required to pay the higher bills in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl.

 

Mr. Paulwell, who was speaking Monday on Radio Jamaica's Beyond the Headlines, called for the company to immediately withdraw the bills, noting that OUR has the mandate to make such a direction. 

 

But Communication Manager at the light and power company, Winsome Callum, has said a withdrawal of the bills is not on the cards. 

 

"The energy charge that we're seeing on our bills as customers now would be the charge associated with the fuel used to generate the electricity that has already been used. Now, each month there is an invoice, there's a bill that we get from our suppliers - the Petrojam that supplies the automotive diesel oil and the New Fortress Energy that provides LNG. Those bills are used to determine the energy charge and those bills have to be paid. So withdrawing the bills is not an option right now because the suppliers have to be paid. This is a straight pass through, JPS doesn't add anything to it, it is what the suppliers charge that is reflected on the customer's bills, she sought to explain Monday while speaking on Beyond the Headlines. 

 

Ms. Callum also suggested that the increase in the bills is due to devaluation of the Jamaican dollar and the movement in the fuel charge on bills. 

 

"There's been an increase in the fuel charge on customers bills. That charge has moved from $24.33 on July bills to $32.17 on August bills, that's a primary reason why customers are seeing movements in their bills," she insisted.