People are still concerned about the application of electricity prices during peak hours

Boarding house electricity bills are still "different everywhere

Ms. Quynh Trang, 27 years old, renting a room at a mini-apartment in Cau Giay ward (Hanoi), said that she has to pay 4,000 VND/kWh for electricity each month. Although using less than 300kWh, this price is already higher than current regulations. Therefore, when she heard the proposal to apply peak hour electricity prices, she worried that the homeowner might continue to charge higher prices.

And in Bau village (Thien Loc commune, Hanoi city), where many workers rent rooms, according to reporters of Lao Dong Newspaper, most landlords apply electricity prices for workers from 3,000 - 3,500 VND/kWh. Meanwhile, rented rooms are applied electricity prices from 101 - 200kWh, equivalent to about 2,380.39 VND/kWh (excluding 8% VAT).

Mr. Thap - owner of a boarding house in Bau village - explained that the electricity price of 3,000 VND/kWh applied to workers is appropriate because the retail price of domestic electricity is about 2,380 VND/kWh, plus the cost of general lighting and operation electricity.

Another landlord, Mr. Hoa (Bau village), has 22 rooms for rent, most tenants are workers working in Thang Long Industrial Park. He said that the current selling price of voltage for workers is 3,000 VND/kWh, water 25,000 VND/m3.

Rented rooms are applied a level from 101 - 200kWh but must calculate camera items, common lighting, so these expenses must be added to the electricity price to maintain operation" - Mr. Hoa said.

Many workers believe that it is necessary to separate domestic electricity bills and service fees to avoid the situation of calculating together, causing tenants to pay higher than reality.

Mr. Nguyen Van Ba, a worker renting a room near Thang Long Industrial Park, said that his family is paying 3,000 VND/kWh of electricity, using about 300 kWh per hot month, equivalent to 900,000 VND. According to him, electricity for common lighting and water pumping should be included in the service fee instead of being added to the electricity bill.

Mr. Ba is also worried that if hourly electricity prices are applied, costs will increase because the family mainly uses electricity during peak hours after work. This may also become a reason for some landlords to increase electricity prices.

Explaining from the Ministry of Industry and Trade

In the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Electricity Law being appraised by the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (the drafting agency) said that currently, retail electricity prices for residential customers are being applied according to gradually increasing retail electricity prices.

However, in the coming period, the demand for electricity will increase and the development of supply will face many difficulties. Therefore, this agency believes that it is necessary to study measures to make living customers save electricity more effectively. The study of expanding the hourly electricity price mechanism will create motivation for people to adjust the time of use, limiting focusing on peak hours. This mechanism helps reduce the pressure on operating the power system and use existing electricity more efficiently.

Notably, the application of pricing according to electricity usage time in a day (TOU pricing) for domestic customers is only applied to eligible customers, not applied to all domestic customers.

The goal of the proposal is to encourage demand shifts away from peak hours. However, how many points need to be clarified, which are "qualified customers"? What are the conditions and how should "demand shifts away from peak hours" be implemented?

I understand that the goal of the proposal is to save electricity and reduce system overload during peak hours. However, for tenants, there needs to be a mechanism to monitor and handle homeowners if electricity prices increase abnormally. People should also adjust their habits, prioritize using electricity for essential needs during peak hours; tasks such as charging electric vehicles and washing clothes can be moved to low hours" - Ms. Quynh Trang shared.