The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

ENERGY, Utilities and Aviation Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis says recent increases in electricity bills are largely the result of higher energy consumption during an unusually hot summer.

While acknowledging that the government and Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) continue to address the fallout from last week's island-wide power outage in New Providence, Mrs Coleby-Davis said many consumers mistakenly believe higher electricity bills mean BPL has increased its rates.

“Many people naturally assume that if their electricity bill has increased, BPL must have increased its rates, or the fuel cost has gone up. That is not what has happened,” she said.

“The base electricity rate has not changed and the fuel charge has remained stable.”

Mrs Coleby-Davis continued: “What has changed for numerous households is the amount of electricity being used during one of the hottest summers we have experienced in recent years. Last June, we experienced only a handful of days where temperatures exceeded 90 degrees. This year, we experienced nearly three weeks of temperatures above 90 degrees.”

She spoke about the government's ongoing energy reforms during a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister on Thursday.

According to Mrs Coleby-Davis, the extreme heat arrived much earlier than expected, causing BPL to reach its annual system peak about three months ahead of its normal schedule.

“When temperatures rise, our homes absorb more heat. Air conditioners work longer. Refrigerators run more frequently. Deep freezers cycle more often. Every appliance that cools something must work harder.

"The hotter it is outside, the harder those appliances must work to remove heat from inside your home. The very definition of work is power times time. That means more electricity is consumed.

“This year, the extreme heat arrived so early that BPL recorded its annual system peak approximately three months earlier than it normally would.”

She said consumers can compare their current electricity usage with previous months by reviewing the consumption graph printed on their bills.

“When you look at your monthly bill, you will see a graph comparing this month's electricity usage to last month's or to the same period last year. If that graph shows your household used 30 percent more electricity, there is a cost associated with that additional energy. That increase reflects consumption, not an increase in the price of electricity,” she said.

The minister encouraged residents to clean air conditioner filters and refrigerator coils, keep freezers reasonably full, close curtains during the hottest parts of the day and set thermostats to around 78 degrees rather than 68 degrees.

“And while consumers can reduce their electricity use, the government has a responsibility to lower the per-unit cost of electricity. That is exactly what our energy reforms are designed to achieve,” she added.

Mrs Coleby-Davis also addressed the recent power disruptions, saying BPL has been carrying out a nationwide summer readiness programme since the beginning of the year.

She said some of the difficulties experienced in recent weeks occurred because the utility was undertaking major infrastructure work while dealing with unexpectedly high demand. Some circuits that would normally have been available were temporarily offline for maintenance and upgrades.

She maintained that BPL has sufficient generation capacity and said the greater challenge has been transmitting and distributing electricity across the network during the heatwave.

The minister's remarks came days after BPL experienced a power outage that disrupted electricity service across New Providence on July 5. The outage occurred after a fault on the transmission network triggered a system-wide shutdown, leaving homes, businesses, traffic signals and essential services without power.

The outage was followed by several other significant disruptions in the days that followed, including the East Hill Street substation failure that caused power losses along Bay Street and surrounding areas, as well as outages affecting Golden Gates I and II, Yamacraw, Twynam, Haven Road, Claridge Road, Abundant Life and St Martin Street.

Against that backdrop, Mrs Coleby-Davis said the government remains committed to modernising the electricity sector and preparing the system for the introduction of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which officials say will reduce the long-term cost of electricity generation, strengthen energy security and improve the reliability of the country's power supply.