State Electric Company (STELCO) on Tuesday has claimed the unexpected spike in electricity bills were contributed by the extra usage of electricity due to intense heat experienced in Maldives currently.
In a press conference held by STELCO the company director Ibrahim Nizam highlighted the ongoing months to be the hottest in the island nation - which lies on the equatorial channel.
"The heat increases from February onward, and the electricity usage increases. Many question why their electricity bills increase despite using the same appliances for the same duration as before, but these appliances such as refrigerators use up additional electricity to generate the needed power," Nizam explained.
STELCO's press conference comes amid continuing frustration from public and several corporate owners over the sudden increase in electricity bills. Many households received electricity bills reaching MVR 1,000 or more for the month ended.
Several locals had contacted Avas Online to address their concerns while many had stressed their electricity usage in households had stayed the same as every other month while their utility bills had spiked unexpectedly.
The government owned utility company's director stated that air-conditioners and refrigerators used electricity significantly higher.
"The temperature in Maldives these days reach about 32 degrees and keeping the air-conditioner temperatures below 20 degrees would mean the electricity usage increases for these appliances," Nizam said.
