Starting with the 1st of July Latvian electricity distribution system operator JSC Sadales tīkls will automatically switch all of its clients to the Base tariff, which they will be able to change once a month, according to information from the Public Utilities Commission (SPRK).
The commission notes that both households and legal persons will have access to two tariff plans – Base and Special – starting with the 1st of July.
The Base tariff is for users that consume electricity regularly,
whereas the Special tariff is for users whose property’s electricity consumption is either very low or is irregular. This includes summer homes or seasonal businesses.
The transition to Base tariff will happen to all users automatically on the 1st of July. If users want to switch to a Special tariff, they will be able to do it on Sadales tīkls customer portal e-st.lv or at their electricity trader so that the new tariff comes into force starting with the next month.
Between July and September 2023 changes will happen within the ongoing month.
Users will be able to perform the transition between tariff plans up to 12 times a year or once a month.
SPRK chairperson Alda Ozola previously explained that before users switch to Base to Special tariff plan, they should first consider in which months it would be best to use the Special tariff or the Base tariff, since electricity consumption does vary month to month. Users should also carefully follow their monthly consumption. SPRK invites residents to input values into the Sadales tīkls tariff calculator, which will then show a single month’s electricity costs under the Base and Special tariff. This can help compare the two tariff plans.
The 1st of July marked the coming into force SPRK’s approved electricity distribution system operator JSC Sadales tīkls’ and transmission system operator JSC Augstsprieguma tīkls’ (AST) new electricity system service tariffs.
The new tariff’s effect on households will vary. It will depend on the connection parameters. The payment size will depend on whether households have a single-phase (1F) or three-phase (3F) connection. Do households have a hook up of 16A, 20A, 25A, 32A, 40A or more. Households’ consumed volume of kWh is also an important factor.
For apartment owners who have a 1F connection and consumption is at 100 kWh a month, their electricity bills will increase by an average of five to seven euros (excluding VAT).
A similar increase in electricity bills is expected for owners of private houses with 1F connection and monthly consumption of 125 kWh.
Electricity bills will increase differently for owners of private homes with 3F connection. Their bills will depend on selected load. The expected increase for 3F connections (16A or 20A) will increase by approximately 12-15 euros (excluding VAT). For 3F connections (25A or more) bills will increase by approximately 18 euros and more (excluding VAT).
SPRK recommends using Sadales tīkls tariff calculator to know for certain how their electricity bills will change.
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