Fact Check: Andhra Pradesh: No extra Rs 4k for consumers using AC, viral message is false
Social media users are claiming that the Andhra Pradesh government has asked consumers using air conditioners (AC) to pay an additional Rs 4,000 for electricity.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 29 April 2022 8:45 AM GMT
Hyderabad: Social media users are claiming that the Andhra Pradesh government has asked consumers using air conditioners (AC) to pay an additional Rs 4,000 for electricity.
Fact Check
The claim is false.
NewsMeter read the photo shared in the post carefully. What appears in this photo is a notice sent to a customer by the electricity authorities. The authorities said they should immediately regularize the electricity load used in addition to the registered power consumption and pay the required service charges for it. The notice said against the 0.26 kilowatts agreement, 2.26 kilowatts of electricity was being used.
The notice said that a total of Rs 4,068 would be levied for using an additional 2 kW load. It includes security deposit, development charges, and other service charges. The notice warned that the money should be paid within 30 days. According to the APSPDCL regulations, those consuming more than 1,000 watts of power will be charged a general charge of Rs 1,200 followed by a charge of Rs 1,200 per kilowatt of power.
These service charges are determined by the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission following GTCS regulations.
https://aperc.gov.in/admin/
Air conditioners used in homes typically have an electrical capacity of 1,000 watts to 2,000 watts. Nowhere in this notice is it stated that this additional power load of 2 kW was increased due to AC consumption. This notice only applies to those customers who are using extra power. The Andhra Pradesh government has not asked customers using air conditioners (AC) to pay additional Rs 4,000 per month. The excess load can be caused by any appliance that consumes too much power.
Hence, the claim is false.
