Higher household electricity bills ahead as tariffs rise in Q3 

HIGHER household electricity bills are coming as electricity tariffs rise by an average of 1.2 per cent or 0.31 Singapore cent per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in the third quarter.

This is mainly because energy costs will be higher in the quarter from Jul 1 to Sep 30 than in the preceding quarter.

Singapore power grid vendor SP Group said on Friday (Jun 30) that the electricity tariff will rise to 27.74 cents per kWh from 27.43 cents previously, before goods and services tax (GST). For families living in Housing and Development Board four-room flats, the average monthly electricity bill will rise by S$1.14 or 1.1 per cent before GST.

SP Group estimates the average consumption per customer for those residing in this flat type to be 366.84 kWh. A higher tariff in the third quarter would imply a new monthly average bill of S$89.32 instead of S$84.63.

The electricity tariffs for Q3 consist mainly of energy costs, which are expected to rise to 21 cents before GST. Other components, which remain unchanged, include network costs, market-support services fees and market administration and power system operation fees.

SP Group reviews the electricity tariffs every quarter, based on guidelines set by the electricity industry regulator, Energy Market Authority.