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Electricity tariff dilemma for our middle class people

Published : Tuesday, 20 February, 2024 at 12:00 AM  Count : 552
Pranto Chatterjee
Bangladesh is a developing country that has made remarkable progress in various sectors under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Her government has implemented many visionary projects and policies to improve the living standards of the people, especially the middle class. However, one of the recent decisions of the government has raised some concerns among the middle-class consumers of electricity. The decision is to increase the demand charge for the approved load of the electricity connection, which is the fixed amount that the consumers have to pay regardless of how much energy they consume.

According to the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB), the default approved load for low-tension (LT) residential consumers (LT-A) is 2 kW. This means that if a consumer wants to use more than 2 kW of load at a time, he or she has to pay extra money to increase the approved load. For example, if a consumer wants to use a normal geyser that consumes about 2.5 kW in winter, he or she has to increase the approved load to 3 kW with additional money. After that, he or she can use the geyser. However, this also means that the consumer has to pay a higher demand charge every month. If the approved load is 4 kW, the demand charge will be Tk140.00 per month, which is more than double the demand charge for 2 kW.

This decision has created an extra pressure for the middle-class people, who are already struggling with the high cost of living. The middle-class people are the ones who have benefited the most from the development of Bangladesh that Hasina government has achieved. They can afford to buy and use various electrical appliances, such as refrigerator, induction cooker, air conditioner, washing machine, etc. These appliances have improved their quality of life and comfort. However, with the new rule, they cannot use these appliances at the same time without paying a hefty demand charge. Even with 4 kW of approved load, they cannot use geyser, refrigerator and induction cooker at the same time. This limits their choices and convenience.

The government has justified the decision by saying that it is necessary to reduce the system loss and ensure the stability of the power grid. The government has also said that it is following the international best practices and that the demand charge is still lower than many other countries. However, these arguments are not convincing enough for the middle-class consumers, who feel that they are being unfairly targeted. They argue that the government should apply this rule to the big industries and commercial establishments, where the demand is much higher and the consumption is much more. They also argue that the government should increase the default load for the residential consumers to at least 4 kW, which is more reasonable and realistic.


The middle-class consumers are not against paying for the electricity they use. They are willing to pay the energy charge, which is the variable amount that depends on the actual consumption of electricity. They are also ready to pay a reasonable demand charge, which reflects the cost of maintaining the power supply. However, they are not happy with the arbitrary and excessive increase of the demand charge, which does not match their consumption pattern and needs. They feel that the government is ignoring their interests and imposing an unnecessary burden on them.

The government should reconsider its decision and revise the demand charge for the residential consumers. The government should also consult with the stakeholders and experts before making such a major policy change. The government should not forget that the middle class is the backbone of the society and the economy. The middle class is the main supporter and beneficiary of the development that the Hasina government has brought to Bangladesh. The Hasina government has done a lot of things for the betterment of the lives of the people, such as increasing the power generation capacity, ensuring food security, resolving the maritime boundary disputes, promoting digital services, reducing poverty, and so on. The Hasina government has also earned the respect and admiration of the world for its humanitarian and peace initiatives, such as hosting the Rohingya refugees, proposing the five-point peace plan for Myanmar, and adopting the peace model by the UN resolution. The middle-class people have faith in their leader, who has changed Bangladesh and marked it as an example to the world. Therefore, the government should listen to their voice and address their concerns. The government should make the electricity tariff fair and affordable for the middle-class people, so that they can enjoy the fruits of development and contribute to the progress of the nation.

The writer is a Former ICCR Scholar, Columnist, Researcher, and holds a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from NIT Durgapur, India



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