The Electricity Regulatory Authority said Friday that tariffs to be charged by Umeme, the power utility, for the first three months of the year had fallen by an average of 1.6 per cent, following a drop in the international price of crude oil used in local thermal power generation and the transfer of power generation at hydroelectric dams to a public utility, eliminating previous costs paid to Eskom Uganda Limited.
The price for the first 15 units used by domestic consumers remains at Shs250, while additional units consumed in a month up to 80 units are charged at Shs797.3, down from Shs805 in the previous quarter. However, a subsidy to encourage the use of electricity for cooking applies to consumption between 81 and 150 units, with the charge falling to Shs412 per unit. Electricity above 150 units, for domestic consumers, will be charged at Shs797.3 per unit.
The average unit price for commercial consumers fell from Shs611.8 to Shs600.6. Peak electricity prices for this category fell to Shs791.9, while the shoulder tariff fell to Shs606.6 and the off-peak tariff to Shs387.4.
Peak hours are the five hours between 6pm and 11pm, while off-peak hours are the six hours between 11pm and 5am. The shoulder period is from 5am to 6pm.
Consumers in the medium industrial category will pay an average of Shs448.7, compared to Shs461.8 in the last quarter of 2023. Their peak tariff is now Shs608.7, the off-peak tariff is Shs264.6 and the shoulder tariff is Shs453.8.
