The spike in electricity bill costs for the month of Ramadan despite discounts were due to the extra usage during the month as well as due to the hot monsoon, said State Electric Company (STELCO).
This Ramadan, the government gave a 10 percent discount on electricity and water bills as a "gift". However, some netizens have shared on social media that the bills they received from STELCO at the end of the month were still high.
While some said their bills had doubled despite the discount, others questioned why the discounted amount was little.
STELCO's media officer Ahmed Mohamed told Mihaaru News that the increase in electricity bills was due to the additional usage during Ramadan and the period coinciding with hot days in the country.
He also said that although the peak was lower this year in comparison to last year's Ramadan, the overall electricity consumption had increased this time.
"Two periods were observed during Ramadan when electricity usage increased; in the afternoon [usually when kitchens got busy ahead of iftar] and after Isha prayer. We don't know why it goes up at that time," he said.
The official also explained that the discount was based on the average of the bills for the past nine months.
"There will be houses that [people] haven't lived in for nine months. We've given them a 10 percent discount. Some houses have gotten discounts of MVR 1,400 to MVR 1,700," he said.
STELCO had also previously said they would base the Ramadan bill on the average usage of the past nine months so that the Ramadan month's bills do not get too high.
In light of the accusations, STELCO has assured that no one would get billed for electricity they did not use.
Before the start of Ramadan, 350 STELCO employees went out to complete reading collections from all metres in one day. The company said this was to separate the Ramadan billing cycle from days of the previous month.