Dozens of residents have rejected the Antigua Public Utilities Authority’s explanation for rising electricity bills, with some saying their charges increased despite having no air conditioning or spending much of the day away from home.

The criticism followed an online question asking residents whether they accepted APUA’s explanation for the cost of their electricity bills. The overwhelming majority of those who responded said they did not, while several questioned whether the authority had provided a clear explanation at all.

“I didn’t hear an explanation. What I heard was ‘it is what it is,’” Tara-Misu Warner-Robin wrote.

APUA officials have attributed higher consumption partly to hotter weather and increased use of air-conditioning units. The authority has also pointed to higher fuel costs, changes in the fuel variation charge, longer billing periods and problems with some electricity meters.

However, several residents said their household circumstances did not support the claim that increased air-conditioning use was responsible for their higher bills.

“I don’t have AC nor washing machine and the electricity bill is over $500. It’s too high,” Erica Williams wrote.

Treci Tonge said she had not been home and did not use air conditioning, adding that only her refrigerator and security system had been operating.

Etsu Jeffers Patterson raised a similar concern, saying members of her household work during the day and the home does not have air conditioning.

“My bill is so high,” Patterson wrote. “Everyone works in the daytime, so how [is] this? And no AC in my house.”

Francis Dinard also questioned the consumption explanation, arguing that many residents are at work and not at home during the day.

Other respondents questioned the calculations behind their bills. Nola ForeverYoung wrote, “The math not mathing,” while another commenter said the authority’s statements did not make sense.

Linda Swann said her bill appeared unusually high compared with that of a neighbour, while other residents expressed concern that the rising charges could force families to choose between electricity and basic necessities.

“Soon from now we go haffu [choose] between food and keeping the lights on,” Albert Benjamin wrote.

Several respondents said they were unaware of the precise explanation offered by APUA and asked for it to be clarified.

“Which of the explanations are you referring to?” Vanroy Carr asked. “They’ve given at least one for every day of the year.”

Ethnic Kiss wrote, “I may have missed the reason. What was it, please?” Frank Southwell and Nerissa Petty Pelle also asked what explanation had been given.

APUA has acknowledged public concern over higher bills and said customers who believe their charges are incorrect can request an investigation. The authority has estimated that between 10% and 15% of its electricity meters are not working, resulting in some bills being calculated using customers’ previous consumption patterns.

Officials have also said delayed readings can produce bills covering longer-than-normal periods. Manual entries, inaccessible properties and faulty meters can also contribute to billing problems.

APUA is planning a US$25 million automated metering system that would allow readings to be transmitted directly to the authority. Customers would be able to monitor their electricity consumption by the hour, while APUA could identify outages, detect tampering and read meters remotely.

The online responses do not represent a scientific survey of electricity customers. However, they reflect widespread frustration among those who participated, with nearly all rejecting APUA’s explanation or demanding greater clarity about how their bills were calculated.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Residents Reject APUA’s Explanation for Higher Electricity Bills.