El Caribe newspaper carries in its Saturday edition the explanation for the steep hikes in the bills consumers in many areas of Santo Domingo have received after days of very few power outages. The newspaper explains that apparently the power distribution company Edesur has wised up and is providing almost zero blackouts to upscale areas in Santo Domingo where people have been running their air conditioners (due to summer heat) and reaping consumption of more than 700 kWh. Just one kWh over the 700 mark, almost doubles the rate of calculation for the kWh, as the Superintendence authorized in October 2002 in Resolution 31.
Those consuming under 700 kWh are billed a fix charge of RD$94.50, plus the first 200 kWh at RD$2.87 and the next at RD$4.09. But if the consumer is just one kWh over the rate jumps to a single multiplier of RD$7.46, an almost 100% higher rate.
The newspaper says that this is another blow to the middle class and those that pay for the service that traditionally have carried the burden for those that do not pay for the service. The newspaper also alerts that there have been many cases of misreadings of the meters.
The Superintendence of Power recommends that consumers first place their complaint with the power distribution company. If the company does not reply in 10 days, the complaint can be taken to Protecom, Tel. 683-9365. The Superintendence has also habilitated Tel. 683-2500 Ext. 240 and 242 for cases of excess billing. Misreadings can be automatically corrected the next month if a correct reading is made.