Power to pinch wallets

If your electricity bill meter reading for the months of November and December is not 20% less than what it was for the months of September and October, then be prepared to pay 50% more for every extra unit consumed

This means if your reading for two months is 800 units, you will have to bring it down to 640 units, or else you will pay 50% more for every unit consumed above 640. It’s a move that will not go down well with many families. "People are getting pushed from all sides," says J Malar, an executive who works with an IT firm. "First it was diesel. Then, vegetables. Now, power. The list is becoming longer and the trouble is, salaries are not registering a corresponding hike," she says. Malar lives with her two children and parents in her 920-square-foot apartment in Thiruvanmiyur. For the months of August and September, the family ran a bill of Rs 1364 after consuming 680 units of power. If the consumption trend continues, from November this year, the family will have to pay Rs 5.25 for every unit consumed above 544 units. "The biggest problem is that nobody in my family remembers to switch off lights and fans!" says Malar. This means that on an average, varied sources of electricity in this household continue to run for a major part of the day. This includes two sets of lights, fans and bedside lamps for the two bedrooms and two other lights for the two bathrooms. The absent-mindedness hits hard though when it comes to the geyser. "While my ageing father has been advised to bathe only in hot water, the rest of us also do the same as the weather is turning chilly. The trouble is, we rarely remember to switch the geyser off after using it," says Malar. On any given day, the washing machine and the microwave oven (in which Malar cooks the rice) run for 20 minutes. Then there are three sets of cellphones to be charged, one desktop computer, one television and refrigerator. Not using the air-conditioner during the winter months might bring down power usage, but Lakshmi S, resident of Parameshwari Nagar (Adyar) says it is difficult to do without the AC once you are used to it. "Even though it is chilly, one rain shower makes the weather sultry. Switching on the fan and opening the windows are not an option as mosquitoes come in. So, you end up switching on the air conditioner," she says.