Chandigarh Residents to Face Steep Increase in Electricity Tariffs
Chart of New Electricity Charges
| No. | Category | Fixed Charge (Rs./kW/month) | Energy Charge | Fixed Charge (Rs./kW/month) | Energy Charge |
| (Rs./kWh) | (Rs./kWh) | ||||
| 1 | Domestic Supply | ||||
| A | Domestic LT | ||||
| 1 | 0-150 Units | 15 | 2.75 | 40 | 2.75 |
| 2 | 151-400 Units | 4.25 | 4.9 | ||
| 3 | 401 and above units | 4.65 | 5.5 | ||
| B | Domestic HT | 4.3 | 5 | ||
| 2 | Commercial | ||||
| A | Commercial LT | ||||
| 1 | 0-150 Units | INR. 25/kW/Month for Single Phase INR. 100/kW/Month for Three Phase | 4.5 | INR. 50/kW/Month for Single Phase INR. 130/kW/Month for Three Phase | 4.5 |
| 2 | 151-400 Units | 4.7 | 4.7 | ||
| 3 | 401 and above Units | 5 | 6 | ||
| B | Commercial HT | 100 | 4.5 | 130 | 5 |
| 3 | Industry | ||||
| A | Large Industry | 200 | 4.5 | 240 | 5 |
| B | Medium Industry | 200 | 4.2 | 240 | 4.35 |
| C | Small Industry | 30 | 4.3 | 100 | 4.5 |
| 4 | Agriculture | ||||
| A | Agriculture | 0 | 2.6 | 0 | 3.5 |
| 5 | Public Lighting | ||||
| Public Lighting system managed by Municipal Corporation, Panchayat and Street Lights maintained/ | |||||
| A | outsourced to an external agency | 100 | 4.8 | 160 | 5.6 |
| Advertisement/ Neon-sign Boards Advertisement boards, billboards (apart from advertisement boards installed on commercial establishments and charged under commercial tariff) | 100 | 6.4 | 200 | 6.8 | |
| B | |||||
| 6 | Bulk Supply | ||||
| A | Bulk Supply | 150 | 4.2 | 250 | 4.6 |
| 7 | Temporary Supply | ||||
| Tariff shall be Fixed/ Demand charges (if any) plus energy charges (for relevant slab, if any) under corresponding permanent supply category plus 50% of both. | Tariff shall be Fixed/ Demand charges (if any) plus energy charges (for relevant slab, if any) under corresponding permanent supply category plus 50% of both. | ||||
| For multi activity pursuit, applicable Tariff for temporary connection shall be with reference to that of commercial category for | For multi activity pursuit, applicable Tariff for temporary connection shall be with reference to that of commercial category for | ||||
| permanent supply. | permanent supply. | ||||
| A | Temporary Supply | ||||
| 8 | EV Charging Station | ||||
| A | EV Charging Station | 0 | 3.6 | 0 | 4.00* |
Chandigarh’s residents and businesses are bracing for a significant surge in electricity costs, as the UT Electricity Department has proposed an average 19.44% hike in the existing power tariffs for the fiscal year 2024-25. The proposal, which is currently pending approval from the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC), outlines increases across various categories of domestic and commercial power consumption.
The proposal submitted to JERC seeks to revise both fixed and energy charges. For domestic users, the fixed monthly charge is set to nearly triple from Rs 15 to Rs 40. Energy charges for consumption between 151 to 400 units will increase from Rs 4.25 to Rs 4.90 per kWh, and for those using more than 401 units, the rate will rise from Rs 4.65 to Rs 5.50 per kWh.
Notably, there will be no increase in the charge for the first 150 units, remaining at Rs 2.75 per kWh, which will benefit lower consumption users. In the domestic high tension (HT) category, rates are proposed to go up from Rs 4.30 to Rs 5 per unit. Additionally, the rate for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations will see an increase from Rs 3.60 to Rs 4 per unit for HT supply.
This tariff revision is part of the department’s strategy to generate an expected revenue of Rs 1,059.03 crore during the 2024-25 financial year, addressing the department’s growing revenue needs. According to the department’s statement, the increase in rates is essential for meeting the anticipated revenue requirements for the upcoming year.
As of fiscal year 2022-23, Chandigarh had a total of 234,269 electricity consumers. The proposed changes aim to accommodate an expected increase in the number of consumers to 238,256 by the end of fiscal 2024-25, which includes a rise in both domestic and commercial low tension (LT) subscribers.
The department’s proposal is now awaiting the green light from JERC, with no increases to be implemented without the commission’s approval. If sanctioned, the new rates will impact a broad spectrum of the city’s population, from individual residents to large-scale industrial consumers.
