The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has urged electricity consumers to use its Tariff Reckoner software to verify their bills and report discrepancies for investigation.
The digital tool allows consumers to calculate their electricity charges based on their monthly consumption and compare the results with bills issued by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Wednesday, October 21, the Executive Secretary of the PURC, Dr Shafic Suleman, encouraged consumers to use the software to determine whether they were being charged correctly.
He said the tool was developed to help consumers independently assess their bills instead of relying solely on the amounts charged by ECG.
Dr Suleman said the software was available on the Commission’s website, adding that the PURC had been educating consumers on how to access and use it.
“We have what we call the Tariff Reckoner. It is a software that we developed for consumers and it is on our website and we even educate consumers on how to access it,” he said.
He explained that consumers could enter their electricity bill details into the software to generate an estimated charge for comparison with the amount billed by ECG.
Where the calculated amount differed from the bill received, consumers could lodge a complaint with the PURC for further investigation.
“When you receive your bill, you can input it into the software and it will give you a bill to confirm with what you are paying and if it varies, then you can raise a complaint with us and we will come and investigate on your behalf and verify to see if what you are being billed is right,” he said.
Dr Suleman added that consumers who remained dissatisfied or uncertain about their bills could submit a formal complaint to the Commission.
He said the PURC would guide them through the complaints process to establish whether the charges reflected their actual electricity consumption.
“If you still have any doubt on it, you can raise a formal complaint then we can take you through the process to ensure that we can get you to pay the bill that you are consuming and not anything that you are in doubt with,” he said.
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