El Caribe newspaper headlines a 12-percent price hike for the coming month. This new rise in electricity is due to the upswing in oil prices, the fluctuation of exchange rates, and inflation, and users at the 500kWh-level can expect to see a monthly increase of RD$165. In a related story, the Department for Consumer Protection said that tests show that 75 percent of the meters installed by EdeNorte and EdeSur produce faulty readings in the favor of the distributors. Julio Cross, the Superintendent of Power, said that a random check of 145 meters shows that 95 were defective, producing higher costs to the consumers.
