Power company cannot issue estimated bills
-PUC
Stabroek News
January 9, 2003
The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) says the Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) cannot bill customers based on estimates but must rely on meter readings instead.
A press statement from the Commission said consumers had been complaining to the commission of being billed by GPL for electricity consumed for many months, on the grounds that their meters were not accurately recording the units of electricity actually consumed.
“In effect GPL has been issuing bills based on estimates as to what consumers should have been paying,” and “this they are not permitted to do.”
And consumers who are experiencing such problems are invited to seek the assistance of the commission.
The PUC statement said that there are only two circumstances where GPL can collect rates retroactively: in the event of unauthorised interference, such as in the cases of stealing electricity, where electricity is consumed without being properly metered; and where GPL could establish that the consumer was not previously billed for such consumption.
In this latter instance, GPL can bill retroactively for a maximum period of six months electricity consumption upon the presentation of reasonable evidence of such and that these rates should be those which were in effect at the time the consumption occurred.
