Electricity bills carry Sh4.10 a unit in pass-through charges this month. The fuel charge is up to Sh3.22, but a smaller forex charge leaves the total just below September’s
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Electricity bills carry Sh4.10 a unit in pass-through charges this month. The fuel charge is up to Sh3.22, but a smaller forex charge leaves the total just below September’s.
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) has set the extra charges that go on top of the basic electricity tariff for October. Together they come to about Sh4.10 for every unit, or kilowatt-hour, a customer uses.
These are known as pass-through charges. They change every month and cover costs that Kenya Power does not control. EPRA published them in a notice dated Friday 9 October.
The three charges
Fuel energy charge: Sh3.22 a unit, on October meter readings. It pays for the fuel burned at diesel power stations and for imported electricity.
Foreign exchange charge: 87 cents a unit, on September meter readings. Many of the contracts under which Kenya Power buys electricity are priced in US dollars, so movements in the shilling are passed on to customers.
Water levy: 1.34 cents a unit, on October meter readings. It pays for managing the water used by hydropower stations such as Gitaru, Kamburu, Kiambere, Kindaruma, Masinga, Tana and Turkwel.
Is that more or less than last month?
Several reports have described the October notice as an increase. One part of it is. The fuel charge has gone up by 22 cents, from Sh3.00 in September.
The other two have come down. The foreign exchange charge was about Sh1.14 in September and the water levy was 1.48 cents, according to figures reported by at the time. Added up, September's charges were about Sh4.16 a unit. October's are about 6 cents lower.
The fuel charge is the one to watch. EPRA says it rose because of higher fuel costs at diesel stations and the cost of imported power. Crude oil was above 100 US dollars a barrel at the start of this month.
What it adds to a bill
These figures are for the pass-through charges only. They leave out the basic tariff, VAT and other levies.
30 units: about Sh123.
50 units: about Sh205.
100 units: about Sh410.
200 units: about Sh820.
What it means for you
If you buy tokens, these charges on their own make almost no difference to how many units your money buys compared with last month.
If your landlord sells you power from a shared meter, the pass-through charges are the same for everyone. On these figures, they give no reason for the price per unit to go up this month.
The charges are set again in November. If oil stays expensive, the fuel charge could stay high.
EPRA's monthly review of petrol, diesel and kerosene prices is due on Wednesday 14 October.
Sources: Capital FM and People Daily (EPRA notice of 9 October); (hydropower stations and reasons given); (September charges). The comparison with September is KNN's own arithmetic.
That was a Kibra News Network report, read by an A I voice.
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) has set the extra charges that go on top of the basic electricity tariff for October. Together they come to about Sh4.10 for every unit, or kilowatt-hour, a customer uses.
These are known as pass-through charges. They change every month and cover costs that Kenya Power does not control. EPRA published them in a notice dated Friday 9 October.
The three charges
Fuel energy charge: Sh3.22 a unit, on October meter readings. It pays for the fuel burned at diesel power stations and for imported electricity.
Foreign exchange charge: 87 cents a unit, on September meter readings. Many of the contracts under which Kenya Power buys electricity are priced in US dollars, so movements in the shilling are passed on to customers.
Water levy: 1.34 cents a unit, on October meter readings. It pays for managing the water used by hydropower stations such as Gitaru, Kamburu, Kiambere, Kindaruma, Masinga, Tana and Turkwel.
Is that more or less than last month?
Several reports have described the October notice as an increase. One part of it is. The fuel charge has gone up by 22 cents, from Sh3.00 in September.
The other two have come down. The foreign exchange charge was about Sh1.14 in September and the water levy was 1.48 cents, according to figures reported by Kenyans.co.ke at the time. Added up, September’s charges were about Sh4.16 a unit. October’s are about 6 cents lower.
The fuel charge is the one to watch. EPRA says it rose because of higher fuel costs at diesel stations and the cost of imported power. Crude oil was above 100 US dollars a barrel at the start of this month.
What it adds to a bill
These figures are for the pass-through charges only. They leave out the basic tariff, VAT and other levies.
30 units: about Sh123.
50 units: about Sh205.
100 units: about Sh410.
200 units: about Sh820.
What it means for you
If you buy tokens, these charges on their own make almost no difference to how many units your money buys compared with last month.
If your landlord sells you power from a shared meter, the pass-through charges are the same for everyone. On these figures, they give no reason for the price per unit to go up this month.
The charges are set again in November. If oil stays expensive, the fuel charge could stay high.
EPRA’s monthly review of petrol, diesel and kerosene prices is due on Wednesday 14 October.
Sources: Capital FM and People Daily (EPRA notice of 9 October); Kenyans.co.ke (hydropower stations and reasons given); Kenyans.co.ke (September charges). The comparison with September is KNN’s own arithmetic.
KNN Newsroom is the staff byline for stories written, rewritten and edited at the Kibra News Network desk. Where a story credits an outside outlet, the original source is linked at the foot of the piece.
